Assange's wife says WikiLeaks founder 'relieved' after court rules he can appeal extradition order

Описание: (20 May 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
London, UK - 20 May 2024
1. Wide of news conference in progress
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Barry Pollack, Julian Assange’s U.S. lawyer:
"The United States should never have brought this case. It is utterly inconsistent with First Amendment values and all that the United States says that that it believes, and I hope that the United States will take a hard look at this decision and maybe reconsider whether they ought to be pursuing this fundamentally flawed prosecution."
3. News conference in progress
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Stella Assange, Julian Assange's wife:
"While I was speaking to Julian, a guard knocked on on the door and I could hear the guard saying, 'oh, congratulations today. And, it's time to go to exercise.' And so our, our conversation, came to an end. But thankfully, it meant that today he was able to go out into the yard and enjoy the sunshine we have today. He was obviously relieved. He hadn't slept all night. And he is under enormous, enormous pressure. It's hard for all of us. But just imagine what it's like for Julian, who has been in Belmarsh for over five years, and who has had to endure this gruelling process from inside his cell and isolated from everyone and from a distance. So, it's a good, a very good sign today."
5. Various of news conference

STORYLINE:
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal against extradition to the United States on espionage charges, a London court ruled Monday — a decision likely to further drag out an already long legal saga.

High Court judges Victoria Sharp and Jeremy Johnson ruled for Assange after his lawyers argued that the U.S. government provided “blatantly inadequate” assurances that he would have the same free speech protections as an American citizen if extradited from Britain.

Assange, 52, has been indicted on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over his website’s publication of a trove of classified U.S. documents almost 15 years ago.

"He was obviously relieved. He hadn't slept all night," said his wife, Stella Assange.

Stella Assange added that the two sides' legal teams have until Friday the 24th to sort out their availability, and a hearing date will be posted after that.

Assange’s U.S. lawyer, Barry Pollack, said the ruling was "a significant milestone" in the long-running case.

“I hope that the United States will take a hard look at this decision and maybe reconsider whether they should be pursuing this fundamentally flawed prosecution," he said.

The Australian computer expert has spent the last five years in a British high-security prison after taking refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for seven years.

Assange was not in court to hear the ruling because of health reasons, his lawyer said.

US President Joe Biden said last month that he was considering a request from Australia to drop the case and let Assange return to his home country.

Assange's lawyers say he could face up to 175 years in prison if convicted, though American authorities have said any sentence would likely be much shorter.


AP Video shot by Kwiyeon Ha

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