Julian Assange appeals to court against his extradition to the United States

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who turned 51 on Sunday, has been held in a high-security prison since 2019 after appealing to Britain’s High Court today against his extradition to the United States. Dozens of Assange’s supporters demonstrated outside the British Home Office to demand his release. His wife, Stella, was among them.

British Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the extradition last month, but for her part, the court confirmed to AFP that they received an application for an appeal from Assange on Friday.

As Patel announced her decision, Stella Assange told reporters, “We are not at the end of the road here (meaning the U.K.) and we will fight this. We will use all avenues of appeal.”

Assange is wanted for allegedly violating U.S. espionage laws by releasing military and diplomatic documents related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2010, and will face trial upon extradition. If found guilty, he could face decades in prison, but supporters have described him as a martyr defending press freedom. Assange is in British custody after years of asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy.

“He’s in jail for telling the truth,” supporter Gloria Wildman, 79, said at Friday’s protest. She said, “If Julian Assange is not free, we are not free, none of us are free.”