UK court says Assange can't be extradited on espionage charges until US rules out death penalty

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By SYLVIA HUI and JILL LAWLESS
Updated 8:16 AM CDT, March 26, 2024

LONDON (AP) — A British court ruled Tuesday that Julian Assange can’t be extradited to the United States on espionage charges unless U.S. authorities guarantee he won’t get the death penalty, giving the WikiLeaks founder a partial victory in his long legal battle over the site’s publication of classified American documents.

Two High Court judges said they would grant Assange a new appeal unless U.S. authorities give further assurances within three weeks about what will happen to him. The ruling means the legal saga, which has dragged on for more than a decade, will continue — and Assange will remain inside London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison, where he has spent the last five years.

Judges Victoria Sharp and Jeremy Johnson said the U.S. must guarantee that Assange, who is Australian, “is afforded the same First Amendment protections as a United States citizen, and that the death penalty is not imposed.”

The judges said that if the U.S. files new assurances, “we will give the parties an opportunity to make further submissions before we make a final decision on the application for leave to appeal.” The judges said a hearing will be held May 20 if the U.S. makes those submissions.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/britain-wikileaks-julian-assange-espionage-appeal-98c15267f0cdf63685bfb49766749a0a

[hueymahl]

1. This is one of the most disgraceful things we are doing

It is a direct attack on free speech. Assange is a journalist. He may not have CNN credentials, but he is absolutely a journalist. People in power don't like being called out for doing bad things. This is an attempt at an overt coverup under the guise of national security. History will judge us poorly.

[emulatorloo]

3. Get real. He's a Putin/Trump operative and tool who's mission was to help Trump win 2016.

[former9thward]

4. You should get real.

It is silly the U.S. won't agree to the death penalty elimination. No one is going to get the DP for this crime and everyone knows it. In fact Assange would get released for time served if he came to the U.S.

[LiberalLovinLug]

5. Does seem silly. If that's the only thing stopping the extradition.

I also can't believe that he'd actually get the death penalty. So why not drop the pretense?
The only conclusion might be that the US (Biden) does not want that trial right now. With a contingent of Democratic voters that have mixed opinions on if Assange is a Russian stooge ....all the way to its an attack on free speech against journalists. And see this as an attempt to give a warning to any other orgs that think they can publish embarrassing private correspondence by the elite classes and politicians that represent them.

[NanaCat]

8. That's a pretty big assumption you're making

The post corrects the record about who Assange is, but says absolutely nothing about supporting the death penalty.

Try sticking with what the post actually says, rather than kicking a poor strawman to bits.

[NanaCat]

6. He isn't a journalist

He's a bomb-throwing Russian-asset traitor.

[LudwigPastorius]

2. U.S. should agree to this and get him over here for prosecution.

Assange was a willing participant in Putin's campaign to get Trump elected in 2016.

Fuck him.

[NanaCat]

7. Cheaper not to kill the Russian asset, anyway

Put him in Supermax, where amoral scum like him belongs.