Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is currently facing a legal battle over his extradition to the United States. Lawyers representing Assange made their final appeal to a U.K. court on Tuesday regarding plans for his extradition to the U.S. to face espionage charges related to leaked government secrets published on WikiLeaks.
Assange, who has been imprisoned in London for nearly five years, used WikiLeaks to disclose a significant number of confidential documents and materials, some of which pertained to matters of war and espionage. He has argued that the public has a legitimate right to access this information.
The 52-year-old Australian journalist and activist has been contesting the American extradition request for over a decade. On Tuesday, his legal team sought a new appeal hearing against the British government’s decision in 2022 to approve his extradition to the U.S.
Assange’s wife, Stella, entered the court amidst a large group of supporters advocating for his immediate release. During the hearing, Ed Fitzgerald, one of Assange’s lawyers, informed the court that Assange was not in attendance due to feeling unwell.
The outcome of the appeal and subsequent legal proceedings will determine Assange’s fate regarding extradition to the U.S. to face charges related to his WikiLeaks activities.
