US Guarantees Assange Will Not Face Death Penalty, Paving Way for Extradition

The US government has provided assurances requested by the High Court in London, meaning Julian Assange’s one possible ground for appeal is negated.
US Guarantees Assange Will Not Face Death Penalty, Paving Way for Extradition
Stella Assange, wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, delivers a speech in front of the Home Office as protesters gather to Demand Julian Assange's Immediate release, in London on May 17, 2022. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Rex Widerstrom
Updated:
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The United States has submitted the assurances required by the High Court in London at its most recent hearing of the Julian Assange extradition case: that he can rely on the First Amendment right to free speech as part of his defence, is not “prejudiced at trial” due to his Australian citizenship, and that there would be no new charges which could result in the death penalty being imposed.

The Court had said that, in the absence of those assurances, it would hear further submissions from the Wikileaks founder’s lawyers on why he should not be extradited.

Rex Widerstrom
Rex Widerstrom
Author
Rex Widerstrom is a New Zealand-based reporter with over 40 years of experience in media, including radio and print. He is currently a presenter for Hutt Radio.
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