UK judges delayed decision on Assange’s last-ditch extradition appeal bid amid concerns he could face death penalty in US. Russia’s foreign ministry said UK’s judicial system was a ‘mockery’.
Russia called Britain’s judiciary a “farce” on Tuesday over its treatment of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who must wait weeks to learn if he can appeal against extradition to the United States.
The 52-year-old, who has been held in a London prison since 2019, is wanted by the United States over his role in WikiLeaks’ publication of classified documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A British court ruled on Tuesday that Assange cannot be extradited to the United States on espionage charges unless US authorities guarantee he will not get the death penalty, giving the Australian editor a partial victory in his long legal battle.
“The entire justice system of the [United] Kingdom has become a farce – a mockery in front of the world,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Telegram.
She said Assange had “devoted his life to uncovering the secrets of a conglomerate of British and American intelligence agencies” and had become a “victim” of the UK legal system.
The US has indicted Assange multiple times between 2018 and 2020 on charges criticised by campaign groups, including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders.
Russia often points to the Assange case to deflect criticism of its own judiciary, which rights groups say has been weaponised against dissent.
High Court judges in London said they would not grant a new appeal unless US authorities give further assurances within three weeks about what will happen to him. The ruling means the legal saga, which has dragged on for more than a decade, will continue and Assange will remain inside London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison, where he has spent the past five years.
Judges Victoria Sharp and Jeremy Johnson said the US must guarantee that Assange, who is Australian, “is afforded the same First Amendment protections as a United States citizen, and that the death penalty is not imposed”.
