Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange stage protest in London

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange held a vigil in London on Wednesday demanding that he not be extradited to the US.

They gathered outside Australia House in the British capital.

Chanting slogans like "Free Julian Assange," the crowd carried signs with slogans including "Journalism is not a crime."

The protest came a day before the fifth anniversary of Assange’s arrest after spending seven years living in Ecuador’s Embassy in London.

Assange has been detained in a UK prison since 2019.

The US has charged him with hacking government computers and espionage after he acquired and published hundreds of thousands of classified documents between 2010 and 2011.

The UK High Court, in a pivotal 2021 ruling, decreed that Assange should be extradited, dismissing assertions over his fragile mental state and the risks he might face in a US correctional facility.

Following suit, the Supreme Court in 2022 upheld the decision, while then-Home Secretary Priti Patel affirmed the extradition order, intensifying the legal battle.

In his latest bid for a reprieve, Assange is seeking authorization to scrutinize Patel's determination and challenge the initial 2021 court verdict.

Last month, a UK High Court ruling granted Assange the right to appeal his extradition to the US and set a new hearing date for the case in May before adjourning it.