A prominent human rights group on Monday praised a UK court's decision to reschedule WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's hearings on extradition to the United States until after November 2
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th April, 2020) A prominent human rights group on Monday praised a UK court's decision to reschedule WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's hearings on extradition to the United States until after November 2.
The court made its ruling earlier in the day, with the proceedings also fully suspended until May 4 to allow Assange's legal team and the US representatives to agree on the schedules. The decision came after Assange's lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, once again asked the court on Monday for the extradition hearing to be delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions imposed due to the health crisis. The three-week extradition hearings were previously scheduled to begin on May 18.
"The decision to postpone Julian Assange's extradition hearings is the right one. There is immense pressure on judicial systems everywhere due to the COVID-19 crisis, and it is imperative that courts still provide people with a fair process," Massimo Moratti, the deputy director of the Europe Office at Amnesty International, said in a press release.
Moratti added that the watchdog opposed Assange's possible extradition, as the WikiLeaks founder would be "at risk of serious human rights violations" in the US.
