Wife of Assange calls on Britain to block ‘political’ extradition to US

Stella Assange, the wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, has urged the British government not to sign his extradition order to the US, calling it a “political case”.

Stella Assange, the wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Picture: AFP

Stella Assange, the wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, on Saturday urged the British government not to sign his extradition order to the US, saying his fate would have repercussions throughout Europe.

A British court last Wednesday issued a formal order to extradite the WikiLeaks founder to face trial in the US over the publication of secret files relating to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

The final decision now rests with Interior Minister Priti Patel, although Assange could yet appeal the decision.

“This is a political case, it has always been a political case,” Ms Assange told AFP on the margins of a demonstration in Brussels in support of her ­husband.

“The trick that has been played by the various governments, the UK government, the Australian government, the US government, is to say it’s before the courts,” Ms Assange added. “Now that the UK courts have issued the extradition order, there is no excuse.

“It is squarely in the political domain.”

The ruling last Wednesday by a magistrate in central London brings the long-running legal saga in the UK courts closer to a ­conclusion.

Assange’s lawyers have until May 18 to make representations to Ms Patel, and could also po­tentially launch further appeals on other points in the case.

The case has become a cause celebre for media freedom, with Julian Assange’s supporters accusing Washington of trying to muzzle reporting of legitimate ­security concerns.

Washington wants to put him on trial in connection with the publication of 500,000 secret military files relating to the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ms Assange said the grounds to appeal against extradition in the United Kingdom were “very narrow”, with the treaty “heavily tilted in favour of the US”.

The matters being raised “go to the heart of what it means to have a free and open society of having a free press”, she said.

She also raised the possibility of taking the matter to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary.

“It is the soul of European values – of democratic values – that is at stake,” Ms Assange added.

“Julian has been in Belmarsh prison now for three years.

“He is in an increasingly weakened state of health. He had a ministroke in ­October.”

The British government “is condemning war crimes in Ukraine, but it is going to show whether it is prepared to extradite a journalist for having exposed war crimes”, she said.

AFP