Julian Assange Faces Final Extradition Decision Today—Live Updates on Court Showdown

The fate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has entered a critical phase as London’s High Court prepares to decide whether he can mount one final appeal against extradition to the United States, a ruling his legal team says could come “within days.” Supporters rallied outside the Royal Courts of Justice this morning, echoing wife Stella Assange’s warning that the decision is “decisive” for her husband, who has fought removal from the UK for more than a decade. Assange, 52, faces 18 U.S. charges—most under the Espionage Act—linked to the 2010-11 publication of hundreds of thousands of classified military and diplomatic cables. Washington insists the leaks endangered lives, while press-freedom groups argue the prosecution could criminalize standard investigative journalism practices. If judges rule the American assurances on humane treatment and a fair trial sufficient, Assange could be on a plane to the U.S. within 24 hours, forcing his lawyers to seek an emergency injunction from the European Court of Human Rights. Adding a new twist, prominent U.S. attorney Barry Pollack—longtime counsel for Assange—filed notice Monday that he will also represent ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in a Manhattan narco-terrorism case. Pollack’s dual-track defense schedule underscores the high-stakes, trans-Atlantic pressure on a lawyer who has argued for years that Assange’s prosecution is politically motivated. Australian officials continue behind-the-scenes diplomacy: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says “enough is enough” and has asked President Joe Biden to drop the case, an overture Biden recently confirmed he is “considering.” Canberra’s intervention could give the court added reason to pause extradition, legal analysts say, because diplomatic solutions sometimes emerge when domestic remedies are exhausted. Marketed as a champion of transparency by supporters and a reckless leaker by critics, Assange has spent nearly five years in London’s Belmarsh Prison after seven years in Ecuador’s embassy. Press-freedom advocates warn his extradition would set a precedent enabling governments to prosecute journalists worldwide for publishing state secrets. Human-rights groups also spotlight his mental-health decline and the harsh conditions he could face in a U.S. super-max facility. The High Court’s impending judgment will therefore reverberate far beyond one man’s liberty—testing the boundaries of national security, free speech, and the reach of U.S. criminal law. For Assange, it may be the last legal fork in a 14-year odyssey that has reshaped the global debate over secrecy and accountability.