٠٠:٠٤:٣٤Stella Assange, wife of detained WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, expressed deep concerns about her husband's well-being and condemned the ongoing legal process in an interview following a press conference in London on Wednesday.
"[We feel] outrage, incredulity, shock and the process is a misnomer. It is not a process, it is a punishment under the semblance of a legal process. It is a means to silence a journalist and to keep him imprisoned indefinitely," she said.
It comes ahead of a critical court hearing on May 20, which could finally decide whether he will be sent to the US. Stella also said that it was 'paradoxical' that both extradition and release were both so close.
"We know that from Biden's statement recently saying that they are considering it, which means that we just need to press harder," she said, referring to the US president's on camera comments last month that he was considering Australia's request to drop the prosecution.
"This administration has looked into this case and that there are many people that have looked into this case and consider it a danger and something that should not be pursued," she said.
"Of course, there are other interests, there are other parts of the administration, the same parts that wanted to kill Julian during the Trump days," she added, on allegations from a report that the CIA discussed abducting and even killing her husband in 2017. The US agency has not commented.
"It is a battle between interests that want to keep and maintain the ability to commit state crimes with impunity and to cover up wrongdoings and the ones who want to allow the press to continue to do its job and to embarrass those in power even when it comes with a cost for those in power," Stella stated.
She also warned that if Assange were extradited to the US, he would face conditions that would 'amount to torture'.
"The US is going to put him in isolation and the type of isolation that Julian would face would amount to torture," she said. "He is in difficult conditions now, but nothing compared to what the US would do to him."
"He is under enormous pressure, as you can imagine, but he shares my sense that there is a hope for a release," she added.
Assange's wife also emphasised the importance of public opinion in shaping the outcome of the case and highlighted the role of protests outside the courts in bolstering Australia's stance against the US.
Julian Assange has been detained in London's high-security Belmarsh prison since 2019, facing extradition to the US on 18 charges related to the release of classified documents. His legal team contends that he would not receive a fair trial in the US and that his life could be in danger.
The UK case is currently adjourned until May 20. Judges have asked Washington for 'assurances' that an extradition and the case would not contravene freedom of expression, wouldn't involve any prejudice during a trial regarding Assange's nationality and would not mean the death penalty in the case of conviction.
Assange was granted political asylum by Ecuador in London in 2012 but was dragged from the embassy by UK police and arrested in 2019.
'Difficult conditions now, but nothing compared to what the US would do to him' - Julian Assange’s wife ahead of decisive UK hearing
Stella Assange, wife of detained WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, expressed deep concerns about her husband's well-being and condemned the ongoing legal process in an interview following a press conference in London on Wednesday.
"[We feel] outrage, incredulity, shock and the process is a misnomer. It is not a process, it is a punishment under the semblance of a legal process. It is a means to silence a journalist and to keep him imprisoned indefinitely," she said.
It comes ahead of a critical court hearing on May 20, which could finally decide whether he will be sent to the US. Stella also said that it was 'paradoxical' that both extradition and release were both so close.
"We know that from Biden's statement recently saying that they are considering it, which means that we just need to press harder," she said, referring to the US president's on camera comments last month that he was considering Australia's request to drop the prosecution.
"This administration has looked into this case and that there are many people that have looked into this case and consider it a danger and something that should not be pursued," she said.
"Of course, there are other interests, there are other parts of the administration, the same parts that wanted to kill Julian during the Trump days," she added, on allegations from a report that the CIA discussed abducting and even killing her husband in 2017. The US agency has not commented.
"It is a battle between interests that want to keep and maintain the ability to commit state crimes with impunity and to cover up wrongdoings and the ones who want to allow the press to continue to do its job and to embarrass those in power even when it comes with a cost for those in power," Stella stated.
She also warned that if Assange were extradited to the US, he would face conditions that would 'amount to torture'.
"The US is going to put him in isolation and the type of isolation that Julian would face would amount to torture," she said. "He is in difficult conditions now, but nothing compared to what the US would do to him."
"He is under enormous pressure, as you can imagine, but he shares my sense that there is a hope for a release," she added.
Assange's wife also emphasised the importance of public opinion in shaping the outcome of the case and highlighted the role of protests outside the courts in bolstering Australia's stance against the US.
Julian Assange has been detained in London's high-security Belmarsh prison since 2019, facing extradition to the US on 18 charges related to the release of classified documents. His legal team contends that he would not receive a fair trial in the US and that his life could be in danger.
The UK case is currently adjourned until May 20. Judges have asked Washington for 'assurances' that an extradition and the case would not contravene freedom of expression, wouldn't involve any prejudice during a trial regarding Assange's nationality and would not mean the death penalty in the case of conviction.
Assange was granted political asylum by Ecuador in London in 2012 but was dragged from the embassy by UK police and arrested in 2019.
Stella Assange, wife of detained WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, expressed deep concerns about her husband's well-being and condemned the ongoing legal process in an interview following a press conference in London on Wednesday.
"[We feel] outrage, incredulity, shock and the process is a misnomer. It is not a process, it is a punishment under the semblance of a legal process. It is a means to silence a journalist and to keep him imprisoned indefinitely," she said.
It comes ahead of a critical court hearing on May 20, which could finally decide whether he will be sent to the US. Stella also said that it was 'paradoxical' that both extradition and release were both so close.
"We know that from Biden's statement recently saying that they are considering it, which means that we just need to press harder," she said, referring to the US president's on camera comments last month that he was considering Australia's request to drop the prosecution.
"This administration has looked into this case and that there are many people that have looked into this case and consider it a danger and something that should not be pursued," she said.
"Of course, there are other interests, there are other parts of the administration, the same parts that wanted to kill Julian during the Trump days," she added, on allegations from a report that the CIA discussed abducting and even killing her husband in 2017. The US agency has not commented.
"It is a battle between interests that want to keep and maintain the ability to commit state crimes with impunity and to cover up wrongdoings and the ones who want to allow the press to continue to do its job and to embarrass those in power even when it comes with a cost for those in power," Stella stated.
She also warned that if Assange were extradited to the US, he would face conditions that would 'amount to torture'.
"The US is going to put him in isolation and the type of isolation that Julian would face would amount to torture," she said. "He is in difficult conditions now, but nothing compared to what the US would do to him."
"He is under enormous pressure, as you can imagine, but he shares my sense that there is a hope for a release," she added.
Assange's wife also emphasised the importance of public opinion in shaping the outcome of the case and highlighted the role of protests outside the courts in bolstering Australia's stance against the US.
Julian Assange has been detained in London's high-security Belmarsh prison since 2019, facing extradition to the US on 18 charges related to the release of classified documents. His legal team contends that he would not receive a fair trial in the US and that his life could be in danger.
The UK case is currently adjourned until May 20. Judges have asked Washington for 'assurances' that an extradition and the case would not contravene freedom of expression, wouldn't involve any prejudice during a trial regarding Assange's nationality and would not mean the death penalty in the case of conviction.
Assange was granted political asylum by Ecuador in London in 2012 but was dragged from the embassy by UK police and arrested in 2019.