Julian Assange Lodges Appeal Against UK’s Decisions To Extradite Him

Wikileak founder; Julian Assange on Friday, appealed against a decision to extradite him to the United States, as supporters staged protests ahead of his 51st birthday.

Julian Assange, who turns 51 on Sunday, has been held in a high-security prison since 2019. Mr. Assange is wanted by American authorities over documents leaked in 2010 and 2011 related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

He has been in prison since he was dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2019, where he had been living since 2012.

His wife Stella was among people who gathered outside the British Home Office in central London on Friday to step up calls for the WikiLeaks founder to be released from prison.

He could face decades in jail if found guilty, but supporters portray him as a martyr to press freedom after he was taken into UK custody following a years-long stay in Ecuador’s embassy.

“He’s been in prison for telling the truth,” supporter Gloria Wildman, 79, told AFP at Friday’s protest.

“If Julian Assange is not free, neither are we, none of us is free,” she said.

He will spend his birthday in Belmarsh Prison in London on Saturday while a lengthy legal battle continues over whether he can be extradited.

Britain’s home secretary Priti Patel approved the extradition to the US last month, but an appeal application was submitted to the High Court on Friday.