What’s next for Julian Assange?

Julian Assange’s supporters are celebrating after the WikiLeaks founder had a win in court docket in a single day — however what does it imply, and what occurs subsequent? 

What occurred in court docket? 

The UK’s Excessive Courtroom dominated Assange can carry a brand new attraction in opposition to his extradition to the US, the place he faces 18 expenses, together with an alleged crime beneath the Espionage Act. He dangers as much as 175 years in jail if convicted on all counts. 

The court docket heard that US authorities had vowed to not strive Assange for any crimes that will carry the loss of life penalty. Assange’s legal professionals accepted that assurance.

“The US is ready to present such assurance as Assange is just not charged with a death-penalty eligible offence, and the USA assures that he won’t be tried for a death-eligible offence,” a observe from the US embassy in London learn, in keeping with the Unbiased. 

Based on Al Jazeera, that will imply the Espionage Act cost wouldn’t be introduced in opposition to him. 

However there have been different assurances that Assange’s authorized staff wasn’t prepared to simply accept. A barrister for the Australian mentioned a promise made by the US that Assange would be capable of depend on a constitutionally enshrined free speech defence, regardless of not being a US citizen, was “blatantly insufficient”. 

How did we get right here?

The US says the Australian endangered lives when his whistleblowing organisation WikiLeaks revealed leaked paperwork in 2010 and 2011 associated to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. 

Assange’s supporters say the publications had been legit works of journalism and that Assange, who’s being held in London’s Belmarsh jail, shouldn’t be punished for it. 

The Australian has spent greater than a decade indoors, together with seven years inside an Ecuadorian embassy residence in London. He was detained by UK police in 2019. 

What’s going to occur now? 

If Assange, who didn’t attend Monday’s listening to resulting from sick well being, had misplaced his bid to lodge a brand new attraction, his authorized avenues within the UK would have been exhausted. Now that the court docket has agreed he ought to be allowed to attraction, he could have quite a lot of months to organize his case, the BBC reported. He’ll stay behind bars within the infamous Belmarsh Jail for now. 

Is that this new attraction the final avenue for Assange?

There are a couple of different potential wrinkles within the case. Whereas Assange’s authorized staff dismissed a information story in March that claimed the US was contemplating providing him a plea deal, President Joe Biden has mentioned he’s “contemplating” an Australian authorities request to drop the prosecution. 

“We’re contemplating it,” Biden mentioned in April, in keeping with the BBC. 

Ought to all else fail, Assange will nonetheless be capable of carry his case to the European Courtroom of Human Rights. That court docket might delay a possible extradition by a number of years whereas it seems to be into whether or not the UK has complied with its obligations beneath the European Conference on Human Rights, Al Jazeera reported.