Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder are seeking permission to appeal against his extradition at high court hearing
Julian Assange faces the risk of a “flagrant denial of justice” if tried in the US, his lawyers have told a permission to appeal hearing in London, which could result in the extradition of the WikiLeaks founder within days if unsuccessful., who published thousands of classified military and diplomatic documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, could be jailed for up to 175 years – “a grossly disproportionate punishment” – if convicted in the US, the high court heard on Tuesday.
Fitzgerald told the court that if Assange was extradited there was “a real risk that he’ll suffer a flagrant denial of justice”. In written arguments, Fitzgerald said: “This legally unprecedented prosecution seeks to criminalise the application of ordinary journalistic practices of obtaining and publishing true classified information of the most obvious and important public interest.”
Assange faces 17 charges of espionage, which Fitzgerald said was manifestly a political offence and politically motivated, as well as one of computer misuse.