Sabra Lane: Britain's High Court's wrapped up a two-day hearing over whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be given a final chance in the UK's justice system to appeal his extradition to the United States. Two High Court judges are now considering whether a full appeal will be granted. It's not known when they'll deliver their verdict. Australian independent MP Andrew Wilkie was at the court and outside it. He said the US should drop the case and bring the matter to an end. Europe correspondent Steve Cannane reports.
Opinion: Free, free Julian Assange!
Steve Cannane: On a rainy day in London, hundreds of supporters of Julian Assange gathered outside the High Court for the second and final day of hearings as he seeks leave to appeal his extradition to the US. Among those supporters was Andrew Wilkie, the independent MP who last week successfully moved the motion in the Australian Parliament to recognise the importance of bringing the proposed extradition to an end.
Andrew Wilkie: Look, I thought it was very important that an Australian parliamentarian come to London, at least for today, to bear witness at what's going on in that courtroom. It's even more important, I think, that there's an Australian parliamentarian here to bear witness given the events of just last week when a thumping majority of the House of Representatives voted in favour of the motion that this matter must be brought to an end.
Steve Cannane: Inside the court, lawyers for the US argued that Julian Assange was not just practising ordinary journalism. Instead, he was conspiring with Chelsea Manning to unlawfully obtain classified material and trying to recruit others to do the same, including hackers. They also made the case that the WikiLeaks founder put informants' lives at risk by publishing the unredacted names of people in authoritarian countries who had been sharing information with the US. Outside the court, Andrew Wilkie, himself a former intelligence official, disputed that argument.
Andrew Wilkie: So that's just a furphy by the US government now to say that Julian Assange put people at risk and perhaps even had people killed. The official inquiries say that is not the case.
Steve Cannane: Yesterday, lawyers for Julian Assange made the case that the relevant treaty prohibited extradition to the US for political offences. Today, lawyers for the US argued that legislation introduced in the UK in 2003 omitted that exemption. Claire Dobbin, KC, acting for the US, said Mr Assange was being prosecuted for his actions, not his political opinions. Jennifer Robinson, a member of Assange's legal team, told AM outside the court there is a compelling case for an appeal to be granted.
Jennifer Robinson: I think the arguments put forward by our side were incredibly strong and compelling. The court was clearly engaged with them, particularly on the freedom of speech arguments. We heard our counsel give a robust defence of both Chelsea Manning's protected act, that that was protected by free speech as a whistleblower, and that Julian and receiving and publishing that information has engaged like the rest of the media.
Steve Cannane: A decision from the two High Court judges over granting an appeal could come within weeks. The US Justice Department was contacted for comment. This is Steve Cannane in London for AM.
