Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has appealed the British government’s decision to extradite him to the US, where he will face trial for exposing US war crimes by publishing documents he received from whistleblower and former Army soldier Chelsea Manning.
The appeal was lodged by Assange’s legal team to the High Court of London and came after British Home Secretary Priti Patel ruled to extradite the WikiLeaks founder. No further details have been made public about the appeal.
“The legal team representing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his extradition case in the UK has filed an appeal at the High Court of Justice,” journalist Kevin Gosztola, who follows the Assange case closely, wrote on Twitter. “There aren’t many details his attorneys can share until the High Court decides whether to grant a hearing or not.”
Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, confirmed the news and called on the Australian government to take action on behalf of the Wikileaks founder, who is an Australian citizen. “We also urge the Australian government to intervene immediately in the case to end this nightmare,” Shipton told Reuters. Australia’s new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, recently rejected calls for him to intervene in the case.
If extradited to the US, Assange faces 17 counts of espionage and one count of conspiracy to commit a computer crime. But Assange used standard journalistic practices to obtain the leaks he was indicted for, something many human rights groups, journalist organizations, and UN officials have pointed out.
