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Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is likely to be extradited to the United States as per the latest ruling in London’s High Court. On December 10, 2021, the British court overturned the ruling that mentioned the journalist’s mental condition as being unfit for the American criminal justice system.
However, Assange's fiance Stella Morris said in an official statement that the team will appeal against the latest decision to have him extradited to the U.S.:
"We will appeal this decision at the earliest possible moment. I want to emphasize that the High Court accepted all the medical evidence and the conclusions of the magistrate that if Julian is extradited and placed under extreme conditions of isolation, it will drive him to take his own life.”
The U.S. reportedly assured the London High Court that Julian Assange would not be subjected to extremely crucial measures and would be treated humanely under the U.S. justice system. However, the Press Association noted that Stella Morris mentioned the assurances were not reliable:
“That extradition is oppressive. Yet the High Court decided against Julian on this occasion on the basis of political assurances, non-assurances, that the U.S. has given to the U.K. government. I say non-assurances… Amnesty International says non-assurances… Amnesty International has analyzed these assurances and has said that they are inherently unreliable. They incorporate the possibility of breaking those assurances in their very wording."
After being granted asylum by Ecuador in 2012, Julian Assange took refuge in the Embassy of Ecuador in London that year. However, his asylum was withdrawn in 2019, following which he was arrested on charges of breaching bail conditions. He has since been detained in London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison.
The renowned editor is currently wanted in the U.S. and faces criminal charges.
Everything to know about Julian Assange’s fiance, Stella Morris
Stella Morris is a professional lawyer and part of Julian Assange’s legal team. She was born in South Africa in 1983 and lived in London for nearly 20 years. She holds Spanish and Swedish nationality.
Not much is known about Morris’ personal life as she is mostly out of the public eye. The 37-year-old garnered media attention after her relationship with Assange came to light in 2015.
The duo reportedly met in 2011 for professional reasons and went on to develop a romantic relationship which they kept under wraps for nearly six years amid Julian Assange’s ongoing legal issues.
Morris secretly conceived two children with Assange while he was hiding in the embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden and facing charges of inappropriate behavior and misconduct. The journalist denied the accusations and the charges were later dropped.
The mother-of-two has continued to fight her partner’s legal battles and strongly stands against his U.S. extradition. Last month, she also registered to get married to Assange inside the London prison and mentioned that the circumstances the couple find themselves in will not create an “interference” to their wedding plans.
Why was Julian Assange convicted?
Julian Assange was convicted nearly a decade ago for allegedly accessing and publishing national defense information in Wikileaks, including hundreds of sensitive documents related to U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Reports suggest that Julian Assange is facing 17 espionage charges and one charge of misusing a computer to obtain sensitive government information. The charges could lead to up to 175 years in prison in America.
Earlier this year, district Judge Vanessa Baraitser denied Julian Assange’s U.S. extradition citing his diminishing mental health condition that is making him “too fragile” to face prison conditions in the country. However, the ruling was denied in the latest hearing as lawyer James Lewis claimed Assange does not have any “history of serious and enduring mental illness".
The London High Court has asked a lower court judge to review the extradition request by the home secretary, who currently oversees law enforcement in the U.K. The home secretary will reportedly make the final decision on Julian Assange’s U.S. extradition.
