Julian Assange supporters gather outside court as extradition hearing starts – By Matthew Weaver and Jamie Grierson (The Guardian) / Feb 20, 2024
Two-day hearing will weigh up whether WikiLeaks founder can be granted leave to appeal against 2022 decision
Protesters have gathered outside court in support of Julian Assange as the WikiLeaks founder launches his latest attempt to fight his extradition to the US.
A two-day hearing in the high court in London will consider whether Australian-born Assange, who has been held in Belmarsh prison for almost five years, can be granted leave to appeal against an extradition decision made in 2022 by the then home secretary, Priti Patel.
However, at the start of Tuesday’s hearing lawyers for Assange told the court he would not be attending proceedings as he is unwell.
Speaking at a press conference last week, his wife, Stella Assange, said that if the appeal was unsuccessful, Assange would apply to the European court of human rights for a rule 39 order to stop extradition while it considers his case.
