Moscow, Mar 27 (Agency) The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has taken note of the ruling of the High Court of Justice in London regarding WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and will continue to monitor the proceedings closely, OHCHR spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell said on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, the court ruled that Assange has a real prospect of success on three of the nine grounds of appeal. The court, in particular, asked the US government to provide assurances that the WikiLeaks founder would be able to claim the First Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees freedoms related to religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. The court also asked that Assange be ensured trial without prejudice to his nationality, and that he would not face the death penalty.
The next hearing is scheduled for May 20 if the parties submit the necessary documents. Following the court’s decision, Assange’s wife Stella called on the US to drop its “shameful” case against her husband. “We note that the High Court has yet to make a final decision on leave to appeal, but has identified in the meantime a number of important human rights concerns for further assessment, with respect to due protection of freedom of speech and of the press, fair trial rights and non-application of the death penalty. It is important that these issues are comprehensively addressed. We will continue to follow the proceedings closely,” Throssell told RIA Novosti. Assange, an Australian citizen, was transferred to London’s high-security Belmarsh prison in April 2019 on bail breach charges. In the US, he faces prosecution under the Espionage Act for obtaining and disclosing classified information that shed light on war crimes and human rights violations committed by US troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. If convicted, the WikiLeaks founder could face up to 175 years in prison. One of the last means of preventing his transfer to the US may be an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. Assange lost his previous appeal at the UK High Court last June.