WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will appear in court today to fight extradition to Sweden and his legal defense has been published online. The court hearing in Belmarsh, east London, will take place over the next two days.
Assange is wanted for questioning in Sweden over accusations of rape, molestation and unlawful coercion made by two women last August, charges which he denies. The WikiLeaks boss has not been charged and is supposedly only wanted for questioning.
Lawyers defending the Wikileaks boss will argue that if he is extradited to Sweden there is a risk that Assange will be extradited to the US where he could end up in Guantánamo Bay or even being executed.
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In an unprecedented move, Assange’s legal team will publish his entire defence online. You can read Julian Assange’s legal defence here.
Assange’s solicitor Mark Stephens said: “We’re intending to put our defence argument on my firm’s home page at 10am.
“You will see some pretty fundamental challenges to the European Arrest Warrant scheme.
“The EAW is meant for people who have been charged and are facing trial. There is a separate scheme, which should be used in cases like this, where someone is wanted for questioning.
“The fact that this isn’t happening is something I find really worrying.”
A ummary of Assange’s case has already been published and argues that WikiLeaks’ most wanted could be in danger if his extradition to Sweden leads to his forcable removal to the US.
“There is a real risk that, if extradited to Sweden, the US will seek his extradition and/or illegal rendition to the US, where there will be a real risk of him being detained at Guantánamo Bay or elsewhere,” Assange’s legal team said ina statement.
The document adds that “there is a real risk that he could be made subject to the death penalty” if sent to the US. Under European law, suspects cannot be extradited to jurisdictions where they may face execution.
Republican Mick Huckabee – a possible contender for the 2012 presidential election – has suggested the people responsible for leaking US diplomatic cables should be executed, while Sarah Palin has said that Assange “should be hunted down just like al-Qaeda”.
