A London Court Rejects Julian Assange's Request to Overturn Arrest Warrant

A court in London on Tuesday, February 6, rejected Julian Assange's request to overturn his arrest warrant. As a result, he will not be able to leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has sought asylum for about five years. Nevertheless, Mr. Assange's lawyers immediately submitted another petition to the judicial authorities, arguing that his prosecution should be halted as it is not in the public interest. The outcome of this new request is still unclear. According to Reuters, 46-year-old Julian Assange sought asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London about five years ago to avoid extradition to Sweden over allegations of sexual assault. He has denied the allegations, and during this time, his prosecution by Swedish courts has also been dropped. Mr. Assange has stated that if extradited to Sweden, he might be handed over to the United States, where he would be prosecuted for leaking diplomatic and military documents. Supporters view Mr. Assange as a whistleblower hero exposing government abuses of power, while opponents and critics consider him a criminal who jeopardized the security of Western nations and the lives of people in many countries by leaking classified secrets. His supporters claim that Mr. Assange has fallen ill during his stay at the Ecuadorian embassy, with documents presented to a London court indicating that he suffers from depression, dental pain, and shoulder pain. If he leaves the Ecuadorian embassy, he will be arrested by British police for breaching bail conditions and refusing to surrender to authorities for extradition to Sweden. Reuters adds that Mr. Assange's lawyers argue that following the dropping of charges against him in Sweden, the issuance of an arrest warrant in Britain is no longer justified. However, the judge in London rejected this argument. The judge stated during Tuesday's court session, 'I am not yet convinced that his arrest warrant should be revoked.' After the judge's ruling, Mr. Assange's lawyer asked him to consider the argument regarding the incompatibility of his prosecution with the public interest. The court session to examine this issue continued. If the judge accepts this argument, it is unlikely that Julian Assange will soon leave the Ecuadorian embassy, as he fears that the U.S. has charged him and that the British government will arrest him based on an extradition order to the U.S. Mr. Assange's supporters hope that a victory in court will force the British government to clarify whether such an extradition order has been issued by the U.S. The British government stopped its 24-hour surveillance operation around the Ecuadorian embassy in October 2015, which cost about $18 million. However, a 'covert operation' to arrest Julian Assange if he leaves the Ecuadorian embassy remains on the British police's agenda.