Assange’s long fight against extradition to the US | National

Imprisoned WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been fighting for years to avoid extradition from Britain over the 2010 publication of thousands of secret US documents.

Below is a timeline of his legal troubles after he agreed to plead guilty to revealing military secrets in exchange for his release from prison. This ended his years of legal drama:

– 2010: Charges for assault –

In July 2010, Assange’s whistleblowing website WikiLeaks began publishing hundreds of thousands of leaked U.S. military documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, some of which detailed U.S. abuses.

Later, a huge amount of secret American diplomatic cables follow, showing that Washington spied on the leadership of the United Nations and that Saudi Arabia put pressure on the US to attack Iran, among other things.

In November that year, a Swedish prosecutor issues an arrest warrant for Assange on sexual abuse allegations involving two women.

Assange denies the claims and says they had consensual sex, but is arrested after reporting to police in London. A week later he is released on bail.

– 2012: Embassy reception –

In February 2011, a British judge ruled that Assange could be extradited to Sweden.

He is appealing, claiming the Swedish charges are a pretext to transfer him to the US, where he faces charges over Wikileaks.

In June 2012, he took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Ecuador, then ruled by left-wing President Rafael Correa, granted him asylum.

In May 2017, Swedish prosecutors dropped the sex abuse investigation after failing to obtain Assange’s transfer.

In December, Ecuador grants Assange nationality, but Britain prevents him from being granted diplomatic status.

– 2019: arrest, prison –

In January 2018, Ecuador, now ruled by conservative President Lenin Moreno, said hosting Assange had become “untenable.”

Tensions peaked in April 2019 when Moreno said Assange had “repeatedly violated the terms of his asylum” and revoked his citizenship.

The next day, British police drag Assange out of the embassy and arrest him on a US extradition request.

In May he will be sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for breaching bail in 2010.

The legal process for his extradition to the US begins.

Meanwhile, Swedish prosecutors reopen the rape investigation.

– US charges –

In May 2019, the US Department of Justice accused Assange of violating the US Espionage Act by publishing military and diplomatic files in 2010. If convicted, he faces a prison sentence of up to 175 years.

Assange makes his first appearance since being in prison via video link.

– Swedish charges withdrawn –

In November 2019, Swedish prosecutors dropped the rape investigation because “the evidence is not strong enough” despite “credible” claims from Assange’s alleged victim.

– 2020: Trump claim –

In February 2020, Assange’s lawyers claimed that then-US President Donald Trump had promised him a pardon if he denied that Russia had leaked him damaging emails about Hillary Clinton before the 2016 presidential election.

The White House denies the claim.

– 2021: victory, then setback –

Assange’s supporters are celebrating after a London court blocked his extradition in January 2021, saying he would be a suicide risk if sent to the US.

But an appeal to the Supreme Court overturned the verdict and sent the case back to the original court, after the US promised he would not be held in isolation in prison and would receive proper medical treatment.

– 2022: Permission to appeal –

Judges give Assange permission to appeal in January 2022. But in March, the Supreme Court declined to hear the challenge.

On June 17, 2022, the British government approves his extradition, in what Wikileaks calls a “dark day for press freedom and for British democracy.”

Assange is appealing the government’s decision.

– ‘He will die’ if extradited –

Assange’s wife Stella tells a press conference in February 2024 that her husband “will die” if sent to the US, saying his physical and mental health is “in decline”.

In May, Assange will be allowed to appeal the 2022 court ruling that approved his extradition, with a two-day hearing in London later scheduled for July 9.

– 2024: Plea deal and release –

Assange has agreed to plead guilty to a single conspiracy to obtain and disseminate national defense information, according to US court documents released on Monday evening.

WikiLeaks says “Julian Assange is free”, writing on X that he has left prison and fled Britain after being granted bail by a High Court judge.

Assange will appear before a court in the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory in the Pacific Ocean close to his native Australia, on Wednesday morning local time.

He is expected to be sentenced to 62 months in prison, with credit for the five years he has already served behind bars in Britain, meaning he could walk free.

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