Protest in Brussels on Tuesday calling for the release of Julian Assange
A demonstration demanding the release of whistleblower Julian Assange will take place on Tuesday at 10:00 in front of the US Embassy in Brussels. The Free Assange Belgium Committee organises the action.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, a critical hearing will take place at the Royal Court of Justice in London on the US extradition request for Julian Assange. The US accuses the Australian journalist, programmer, internet activist and founder of the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks of stealing and publishing classified information about military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan and endangering the lives of informants.
FIDH urges the British judiciary not to extradite Julian Assange and to release him
Many observers will be present, including Brussels-based lawyer Alexis Deswaef, vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). "FIDH urges the British judiciary not to extradite Julian Assange and to release him," Deswaef told Belga.
War crimes
Australian Julian Assange was arrested by British police in 2019 after spending seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. His supporters say he is a courageous journalist who has exposed war crimes. If extradited to the US, he could face up to 175 years in prison.
Deswaef will address a gathering outside the Royal Court to explain how FIDH believes Julian Assange's case is vital to all journalists worldwide and how it is at the heart of the defence of human rights, as it concerns freedom of the press and freedom of expression.
As the hearing begins on Tuesday morning, a protest will be held outside the US embassy in Brussels to send the same message. Anthony Bellanger, general secretary of the International Federation of Journalists, and Stelios Kouloglou, member of the European Parliament, are expected to speak at the event.
This hearing is crucial
"This hearing is crucial," stressed the Free Assange Belgium Committee. "It will be up to two judges to decide whether Julian Assange's latest appeal can be heard by the High Court of Justice in the UK. If the appeal is granted, the case will continue in the UK. But if it is rejected, Assange's extradition to the United States will be confirmed and can only be prevented by the intervention of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)".
© BELGA PHOTO ANTONY GEVAERT
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