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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: Britain Assange Extradition Hearing (TV)
HEADLINE: British Judges to Rule on US Extradition of WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange
TEASER: Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange say that he would not get a fair trial in the US and that press freedom is at stake
PUBLISHED AT: 02/22/2024 at 8:15am
BYLINE: Henry Ridgwell
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: London
VIDEOGRAPHER: Henry Ridgwell
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: MAS, Reifenrath
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, APTN, Reuters
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB _X_ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 3:09
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO))
[[Julian Assange, the founder of the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks, this week launched a last-ditch legal bid to prevent his extradition from Britain to the United States on charges of espionage relating to the publication of thousands of stolen U.S. diplomatic cables and military documents. Henry Ridgwell has more from London.]]
((NARRATOR))
Julian Assange’s supporters staged a demonstration outside Britain’s High Court as the WikiLeaks founder sought to block his extradition to the United States on charges of espionage. Assange himself was not present owing to ill health.
During the two-day hearing that ended Wednesday, defense lawyers argued that Assange was simply doing his job as a journalist by publishing the stolen U.S. files.
((FOR RADIO: Simon Crowther is a legal adviser for Amnesty International.))
((Simon Crowther, Amnesty International Legal Adviser))
“Particularly when it covers issues such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, accusations of torture extrajudicial execution – these are really serious matters that are in the significant public interest. And as a result, they say it’s outside of the extradition treaty between the U.S. and the UK. The second argument they made, building on the first really, is that this is covered by freedom of expression.”
((NARRATOR))
Assange faces 18 U.S. federal charges relating to allegations of hacking and theft of classified material.
((FOR RADIO: Again, Simon Crowther.))
((Simon Crowther, Amnesty International Legal Adviser))
“The U.S. argue that Julian Assange’s revelations that he published endangered U.S. national security and put some of their sources at risk.”
((NARRATOR))
In 2010, WikiLeaks published a trove of stolen diplomatic cables relating to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which Assange said exposed abuses by the United States military. U.S. authorities say Assange revealed of the identities of informants, endangering their lives.
((OPT OUT))
Assange was first arrested in Britain in 2010 on unrelated allegations of rape and sexual assault in Sweden. He jumped bail and sought refuge inside the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he stayed for seven years.
In 2019, Assange was evicted from the embassy and imprisoned for breaching bail.
The British government signed an extradition order to the United States in June 2022, after failed legal challenges.
Assange’s wife Stella has repeatedly claimed that the 52-year-old’s life is in danger.
((Stella Assange, Wife of Julian Assange (in English) ))
“It's an attack on all journalists, all over the world. It's an attack on the truth and an attack on the public's right to know. Julian is a political prisoner and his life is at risk.”
((NARRATOR))
Demonstrations calling for Assange's release have been held in cities across the world.
The Australian parliament last week called for Assange to be allowed to return to his homeland.
((OPT IN))
A decision by the High Court is expected to take several days or weeks. If the judges rule in his favor, Assange could lodge an appeal against his extradition.
If the legal bid fails, the case could be taken to the European Court of Human Rights. However, Britain could seek to extradite Assange before European judges could rule on the case.
((Henry Ridgwell, VOA News, London.))
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