WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s lawyers told London’s High Court on Monday that he should not be extradited to the United States over the mass leak of secret US documents as he may not be able to rely on his right to free speech.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the court ahead of what could be the culmination of 13 years of legal battles, with two judges due to declare whether they are satisfied by US assurances that Assange, 52, can rely on the First Amendment right if he is tried for spying in the US.
Assange’s legal team say he could be on a plane across the Atlantic within 24 hours of the decision, but that he could also be released from jail or find himself yet again bogged down in months of legal battles.
His lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said the judges should not accept the assurance given by US prosecutors that Assange could seek to rely upon the rights and protections given under the First Amendment, as a US court would not be bound by this.
“We say this is a blatantly inadequate assurance,” he told the court.
Fitzgerald accepted a separate assurance that Assange would not face the death penalty, saying the US had provided an “unambiguous promise not to charge any capital offence”.
