On Tuesday, London’s High Court began the final round for the time being in the legal dispute over the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the USA, where he faces 175 years in prison.
Assange is being prosecuted in the USA because he published videos and documents on the Wikileaks platform documenting US war crimes. Assange has already spent 7 years in detention in asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy and has been in solitary confinement in a British maximum security prison for 5 years since his arrest in 2019.
Julian is not present at the hearing due to his failing health. A podium is set up in the square, from which various supporters and Julian’s family motivate and keep the crowd informed before the trial during the break and at the end of each day.
Each trial day ends at around 4.30pm and is accompanied by loud drumming and continuous chants of “Free, free, free Assange now”, “There is only one decision, no extradicion” and “US, UK hands off Assange” from the activists outside the gates.
There are activists of all ages and from all over the world on site. Many media organisations are here with their cameras, reporting and interviewing, including numerous human rights and peace activists from Berlin and Cottbus, who were accompanied by Mathias Tretschog, the founder of the Stop the WAR in Yemen peace initiative, with his camera.
Even if the court has not yet made a decision on a possible appeal in the Assange case, the hope that the Australian journalist and publisher will be released is the last to die!
