Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

El juicio de extradición de Assange a Estados Unidos se reanudó en Londres

Assange's extradition trial to the United States resumed in London

A London court resumed the trial on Monday to decide whether the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange , should be extradited to the United States, which wants to try him for espionage in a case that his defenders denounce as key to press freedom.

Dressed in a dark suit and a maroon tie, Assange confirmed his identity at the beginning of the hearing and formally declared that he rejected extradition. It was his first public appearance since February, when a first week of hearings were held before the case was postponed.



The Australian, 49, was due to return to court in April but the process was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The hearings are now expected to last three to four weeks and be marked by protests.

The United States charges him with espionage for releasing more than 700,000 classified documents on US military and diplomatic activities in 2010, mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan, which revealed acts of torture, civilian deaths and other abuses.

In recent weeks, the United States has presented new evidence against the WikiLeaks founder, accusing him in particular of having hired hackers.

Held in a high-security London prison since his arrest in April 2019 at the Ecuadorian embassy, ​​where he lived for seven years, Assange could face 175 years in prison if found guilty by US justice.

But for his supporting committee, they are "politically motivated charges" that "represent an unprecedented attack on press freedom."

Before ruling, the English courts must ensure that the United States' request is not disproportionate or incompatible with human rights.

His lawyers have tried to have the new accusations dropped from the proceedings, arguing that he had not had time to prepare, since communication with his client has been difficult due to restrictions related to the pandemic.

What happens is abnormal and liable to create an injustice, denounced his lawyer Mark Summers.

However, they managed to convince Judge Vanessa Baraitser to be analyzed "during the examination of the extradition request and not before."

Several dozen people, including British designer Vivienne Westwood, demonstrated outside the courthouse on Monday with banners reading "Imprison War Criminals, Free Julian Assange!"

"The future of journalism is at stake," said WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, while Assange's father, John Shipton, denounced an "abusive trial."

Assange's partner, Stella Moris, who says she fears that Assange will take his own life, delivered a petition with 800,000 signatures against his extradition to the British prime minister's office.

Allowing the extradition of Julian Assange on this basis would have a chilling effect on freedom of the press and ultimately could hamper the work of the press as a provider of information and public guardian in democratic societies, warned the Council of Europe.

United States defends that Assange is not a journalist but a "hacker" and claims that he helped intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal these secret documents before exposing the material to the eyes of the world.

US also accuse him of having conspired with members of the hacker groups LulzSec and Anonymous and of having had unauthorized access to a government computer system of a NATO country.

Assange's lawyers have been warning for months about the fragile physical and mental state of the Australian, who in previous appearances appeared confused and with difficulties to express himself or was simply absent due to health problems.

In the February hearings they assured that US President Donald Trump had promised to forgive him, if he denied that some emails published by WikiLeaks and that contributed to the defeat of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential elections had been leaked by Russia.

The White House has denied this accusation.

According to the Australian's defense, Trump wants to make an example case of Assange in his "war against investigative journalists" and Assange would not have a fair trial in the United States.

"The political persecution is evident," said former Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón, who coordinates his team of lawyers internationally, on the sidelines of the February hearings.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
×