As of: February 7, 2024, 1:14 p.m
By: Sandra Kathe
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Wikileaks founder Julian Assange faces up to 175 years in prison if extradited to the USA.
The British High Court is due to discuss the matter in February.
London – The future of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been uncertain for years.
While many are loudly calling for the journalist's release, the USA has been insisting for years on the extradition of the 52-year-old, who has been imprisoned in Great Britain since 2019.
A hearing on Assange's possible extradition is scheduled to take place at the High Court in London on February 20th and 21st.
But human rights experts have long warned that extradition would involve major risks.
Now, once again, a UN rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, has turned to the British government and clearly spoken out against extradition of Assange.
Edwards warned urgently that torture or other forms of ill-treatment cannot be ruled out in the event of US detention.
UN rapporteurs are independent experts who work unpaid and are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, for example.
Julian Assange has been in a high-security British prison since his arrest in 2019.
(Archive photo) © Dominic Lipinski/dpa
Espionage allegations: USA demands extradition of Wikileaks founder Assange
In the USA, Assange, whose disclosure platform Wikileaks published secret material from military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and is said to have put the lives of sources at risk, is to be charged with espionage.
The Espionage Act of 1917, under which Assange is to be prosecuted, not only provides for the death penalty in some cases, but also long prison sentences.
According to a report by the German Press Agency, Assange could face up to 175 years in prison if convicted.
The whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who was accused of obtaining Wikileaks information, was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 2013 and pardoned by US President Barack Obama in 2017.
Wikileaks founder Assange: UN expert warns of possible torture and ill-treatment
The controversial paragraph is criticized by many who see it as contradicting freedom of the press and freedom of speech.
Many of Assange's supporters also see him as a courageous journalist who used his work to expose war crimes.
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Before his arrest, Assange had avoided prison for several years by seeking protection in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
According to the UN expert, he has been suffering from depression for a long time and is at risk of suicide.
According to the UN expert, American assurances that he would be treated humanely were not sufficient for his extradition because they were not legally binding.
(saka with dpa)