The London High Court will commence Julian Assange's last UK appeal against US extradition today, for the crime of reporting the uncomfortable true.
The United States seeks to prosecute the 52-year-old Australian journalist, founder of WikiLeaks scoops website, for covering the 2010 leak of classified US war crimes documents.
Following numerous UK court defeats, Assange's pending two-day appeal could lead to a full hearing; a loss would shift his battle to European courts, including a potential plea to the European Court of Human Rights.
Stella Assange fears for her husband's life if extradited, citing grave mental and physical health concerns. Despite global calls to dismiss charges, including from major media and the Australian parliament, the US maintains its stance against Assange for a massive security breach.
Currently imprisoned in London's Belmarsh Prison since 2019, Assange originally sought asylum to circumvent a Swedish extradition request on now-dropped sexual assault charges.
The UK High Court initially blocked his US extradition, reversing only when America assured against maximum security imprisonment and severe confinement measures. After the UK Supreme Court and former Home Secretary
Priti Patel sided with US extradition, Assange is challenging these decisions.
He risks a 175-year maximum sentence in the US, though WikiLeaks states US assurances are unreliable. Meanwhile, Australian PM Anthony Albanese has publicly condemned the prolonged legal ordeal, urging an end to it. Assange has a family with Stella Assange, who became involved with his case as his attorney.