The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Assange planning to commit suicide if he is extradited to US: Wife
The legal fight to stop Julian Assange being sent to the United States is to continue despite the home secretary signing an order to extradite the WikiLeaks founder for espionage.
His wife Stella pledged to fight the decision with “every available avenue”, saying: “I’m going to use every waking hour fighting for Julian until he is free.”
She said her husband had told her “recently” he planned to kill himself if he was extradited.
The Australian has spent more than three years in Belmarsh Prison in London after he was dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy where he had been living since 2012.
Home Secretary Priti Patel made her decision yesterday, which WikiLeaks said was the “very last day” it could be announced.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Extradition requests are only sent to the home secretary once a judge decides it can proceed after considering various aspects of the case.”
They added: “Mr Assange retains the normal 14-day right to appeal.
“The UK courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr Assange.
“Nor have they found that extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and to freedom of expression, and that whilst in the US he will be treated appropriately, including in relation to his health.”
Jennifer Robinson, lawyer for Mr Assange, said they would appeal.
She said: “We have 14 days and we will appeal this all the way – if necessary to the European Court of Human Rights.”
A WikiLeaks spokesman said: “This is a dark day for press freedom and for British democracy.
“Anyone in this country who cares about freedom of expression should be deeply ashamed that the home secretary has approved the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States, the country that plotted his assassination.
“Julian did nothing wrong. He has committed no crime and is not a criminal.
“He is a journalist and a publisher and he is being punished for doing his job.
“Foreign laws now determine the limits of press freedom in this country and the journalism that won the industry’s most prestigious prizes has been deemed an extraditable offence and worthy of a life sentence.
“We will not let that happen. Julian’s freedom is coupled to all our freedoms.
“We will fight to return Julian to his family and to regain freedom of expression for us all.”
Mrs Assange said: “Julian is a political prisoner. We will use every avenue to appeal this decision.
“I will dedicate every waking hour to fight for justice until he is free.”
She said the appeal would include evidence the CIA had allegedly tried to kill her husband, adding: “I spoke to him last night as well and he had a lot of anxiety.
“He couldn’t sleep. But Julian is a fighter.”
Asked if she thought their two young children would ever be reunited with their father as a free man, Mrs Assange said: “We have that image and that hope.
“That’s what drives us.” She added: “If he is extradited to the US, the conditions he will be under will be oppressive.
“It will drive him to take his own life.