British Court Denies Assange Bail Despite COVID-19 Fears
With prisoners in some countries being released from jail over worries the COVID-19 Coronavirus will spread in the facilities, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange – already in poor health in a London jail – was denied bail after a court hearing.
The United States wants him extradited to face charges for releasing classified videos and information showing US forces killing Iraqi civilians with a drone attack. Newspapers who published the information have been left untouched.
His lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, told Westminster Magistrates Court that Assange, 48, had suffered from four respiratory tract infections during the years he spent living in the Ecuadorean embassy in London before his arrest. Fitzgerald also said Assange had heart problems which put him at increased risk from the virus, which especially targets those with underlying conditions. Support for Assange is based on his journalistic work which should not constitute legitimate grounds for prosecution.
“The emphasis is not on flight but survival,” Fitzgerald said, adding that there was no serious risk of Assange absconding. He said that if Assange fell ill with the virus in prison, “the risk could be fatal,” the Reuters news agency reported.
Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected the arguments and said Assange had stated he would rather commit suicide than face extradition to the United States where he could spend decades in prison.
“As matters stand today, this global pandemic does not as of itself provide grounds for Mr. Assange’s release,” she said although some governments are letting prisoners out.
She said his past conduct showed he would do anything to avoid extradition and that he was a flight risk if released, referring to his seven years spent in the Ecuadorean Embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he was wanted at the time to answer questions on alleged sex crimes before the charges were dropped.
Fitzgerald told the court that Assange had a partner who had lived in Britain for more than 20 years and that if he were granted bail he would live with her. He added that the couple had children. Fitzgerald further said that with Belmarsh on lockdown, it was impossible for lawyers to speak to Assange to prepare his case for the second part of the extradition hearing, due to resume on May 18.
Clair Dobbin, a lawyer representing the U.S. authorities, said Assange would run to avoid extradition. “Mr. Assange judges himself above the law,” Dobbin said. “He has already demonstrated he is capable of going to any lengths to avoid that possibility.”