Julian Assange - latest: Wikileaks founder put people at ‘grave and imminent risk’, court hears

Australian wanted by US authorities over alleged conspiracy to disclose national defence information

No evidence Julian Assange's WikiLeaks publication harmed anyone, lawyer claims

Julian Assange put people at “grave and imminent risk” by including the names of people who helped the US in unredacted classified documents which he “indiscriminately and knowingly” published to the world, a court has heard.

The WikiLeaks founder failed to appear in the High Court for a second day running in his long-standing battle against extradition to the US, where he is accused of leaking confidential military secrets.

The 52-year-old Australian, who faces 17 charges of espionage and one of computer misuse, is wanted by US authorities over an alleged conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information following the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

His lawyers said that if extradited, he would face a “flagrant denial of justice” by prejudiced judges, and was being prosecuted for “ordinary journalistic practice”.

A judge ruled in 2021 that Assange should not be sent to the US, given there was a real risk of suicide, but ruled against him on all other issues.

Assange, who is in Belmarsh jail in London, is now seeking permission to challenge the judge’s dismissal of other parts of his case.

Read the events from court today below:

Key Points

[21 February 2024 06:00 · Holly Evans]

The many twists and turns of Julian Assange’s lengthy fight against extradition

The WikiLeaks founder faces extradition to the US over an alleged conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information.

Here is a timeline of some key dates spanning more than a decade of legal woes for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Read the full article here

[21 February 2024 07:00 · Holly Evans]

US bid to prosecute Julian Assange is ‘state retaliation’, court told

The United States’ bid to prosecute Julian Assange is “state retaliation”, the High Court has heard in his final bid for an appeal in the UK.

The WikiLeaks founder faces extradition to the US over an alleged conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information following the publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

In a January 2021 ruling, then-district judge Vanessa Baraitser said that Assange should not be sent to the US, citing a real and “oppressive” risk of suicide, while ruling against him on all other issues.

Read the full article here

[21 February 2024 08:03 · Athena Stavrou]

Assange misses first day of hearing due to illness

Julian Assange missed the first day of his extradition hearing on Tuesday due to illness, his lawyer said.

Assange, 51, has been held in London’s high security Belmarsh Prison for almost five years while US authorities seek to extradite him to face trial on espionage charges linked to the publication of hundreds of thousands of documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

In a January 2021 ruling, then-district judge Vanessa Baraitser said that Assange should not be extradited, but authorities in the US subsequently brought a successful challenge against this decision.

Lawyers for deeply controversial figure Assange will now ask for the go-ahead to challenge the original judge’s dismissal of other parts of his case against extradition in the two-day hearing.

The barrister said at the outset of the hearing on Tuesday that the Wikileaks founder is not attending the hearing as he is unwell.

It comes after his brother, Gabriel Shipton, told TalkTV that Assange’s health was “delicate” and “deteriorating” ahead of the hearing.

(AP)

[21 February 2024 09:00 · Athena Stavrou]

Full story of yesterday’s hearing as Assange prepares for final day

Julian Assange’s extradition hearing is entering its second and final day today, following a highly interesting opening day on Tuesday.

Hundreds of supporters, including his wife Stella Assange and former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice at the start of a two-day hearing on Tuesday.

Ahead of the hearing, Ms Assange told the crowd: “They just cannot get away with this. Julian needs his freedom and we all need the truth.”

Mark Summers KC told judges Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Johnson that the US prosecution of Mr Assange would be retribution for his political opinions, meaning it would be unlawful to extradite him under UK law.

The barrister said: “This is a paradigm example of state retaliation for the expression of political opinion. The district judge did not address it, had she done so, it would have been fatal to her decision.”

Read the full story by The Independent’s Crime Correspondent Amy-Clare Martin:

[21 February 2024 10:00 · Athena Stavrou]

Pictures: Supporters rally outside High Court on first day of hearing

Demonstrators chanted ‘free Julian Assange’ outside the Royal Courts of Justice (Guy Bell/Shutterstock)

Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice (EPA)

(PA)

[21 February 2024 11:00 · Alexander Butler]

Watch: No evidence Julian Assange's WikiLeaks publication harmed anyone, lawyer claims

[21 February 2024 12:00 · Amy-Clare Martin]

Protesters brave wet weather

Hundreds of protesters braved the wet weather to rally in support of Julian Assange on the second day of a last-ditch appeal bid.

Supporters carrying banners and yellow ribbons gathered outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, where the WikiLeaks founder’s legal team are seeking permission to appeal his extradition to the US to face spying charges.

Crowds were chanting “free, free Julian Assange” and “no extradition” as the doors to the historic court were opened on Wednesday.

High Court judges Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Johnson are expected to hear submissions for the US on the final day of the two-day hearing.

It comes after lawyers for Assange insisted his prosecution Mr Assange is “state retaliation” by the US and he is at risk of a “flagrant denial of justice” if he is extradited in a hearing on Tuesday.

[21 February 2024 12:01 · Amy-Clare Martin]

Assange put people at ‘grave and imminent risk’, court hears

Clair Dobbin KC, for the US, told the court the US prosecution of Mr Assange was “based on law and evidence” and not his political opinions.

She insisted that the WikiLeaks founder put people at “grave and imminent risk” by including the names of individuals who assisted the US in unredacted classified documents which he “indiscriminately and knowingly” published to the world.

“These were documents that disclosed to the world the unredacted names of human sources who had provided information to the US,” she said, adding that this separates Mr Assange from the New York Times and other news outlets which also published information exposed by WikiLeaks.

She added that WikiLeaks and Mr Assange had explicitly solicited classified documents and sought to recruit and work with computer hackers to obtain information illegally.

In written submissions, Ms Dobbin and James Lewis KC described the leak as “one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States”.

They continued: “It is specifically alleged against the appellant that by publishing this information on the WikiLeaks website, he created a grave and imminent risk that the human sources named therein would suffer serious physical harm.”

[21 February 2024 13:00 · Alan Rusbridger]

Opinion: Enough is enough – it’s time to set Julian Assange free

[21 February 2024 14:00 · Alexander Butler]

Watch live from High Court as Julian Assange appeals against extradition to US