Julian Assange ‘mired in US politics’

Julian Assange appeared via video link on Monday with his lawyers claiming that the extradition request for him was mired in US politics.

Julian Assange in May last year. Picture: AFP

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appeared via video link in a London courtroom on Monday, his first public appearance since the coronavirus pandemic, with his lawyers claiming that the extradition request for him was mired in US politics.

Mr Assange looked tired on the link, having been summoned to the video room of Belmarsh prison after the jail had initially failed to organise his appearance.

Judge Vanessa Baraitser adjourned the administrative call-over until he could be present.

During the short hearing, a monthly check to deal with case matters, Mr Assange’s lawyer, ­Edward Fitzgerald, insisted that a new US indictment against his ­client, which had been drawn to the court’s attention via a courtesy email rather than a formal request at this stage, had been “sprung on us’’.

Mr Fitzgerald said it would be improper if a new indictment would postpone the hearing until after the November election in the US. “If it’s going to happen, if they are going to mount a fresh request and drop the existing request, can it happen as soon as possible?’ he said.

He added that US Attorney-General William Barr might use the Assange case for political ­purposes.

“It’s a fact that Mr (Donald) Trump has described the defence case as a plot by the Democrats,’’ Mr Fitzgerald said, before being warned by the judge that he should reserve his comments ­because the new indictment had not yet been served on the court.

The counsel acting for the US government, Joel Smith, said he was not able to commit to any timetable in regards to filing the new indictment.

Last month, the US Department for Justice issued a superseding indictment saying while there were no new charges, the fresh indictment broadened the scope of the conspiracy and ­included accusations of recruiting hackers.

Judge Baraitser said that the deadline for submitting documents to the file “expired today’’.

She said any new documents, apart from any psychiatry report, would have to be presented to the court on a new date with all parties present to request directions from the court.

Editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks Kristinn Hrafnsson said in a statement outside the court: “What the US is doing is truly unprecedented. A new indictment is being introduced halfway into extradition proceedings, which have been a year in the making.

“The ‘new’ superseding indictment actually contains nothing new. All the alleged events have been known to the prosecution for years. It contains no new ­charges.

“What’s really happening here is that despite its decade-long head-start, the prosecution is still unable to build a coherent and credible case.

“So they’ve scrapped their previous two indictments and gone for a third try. They are wasting the court’s time and flagrantly disregarding proper process.”

The extradition trial will re-start on September 7 at the Old Bailey and is scheduled for three weeks, although it could extend to four. Mr Assange has been asked to appear for a final administrative call-over at Westminster ­Magistrates Court on August 14.