Shane Holohan Creative

We are at the final stretch. After years of legal hearings and judicial deliberations, today, Britain’s High Court judges get their last chance to decide whether to wash their hands of Julian Assange and let him be extradited to the United States – where he will disappear in a supermax prison maze never to be heard of again until he dies. Julian is not on trial. He has already been declared a hero of journalism and of everyone around the world who believe in the right of the public to know what crimes their governments have perpetrated in their name, behind their backs. Britain’s High Court is on trial. This is the Court’s last chance to restore a small part of the British courts’ dignity that was sacrificed by judges who, year in year out, allowed themselves to be deployed as the legal agents of war criminals. But, let us make no mistake: It is not just Britain’s judges that are on trial. So are we – citizens, journalists, organisations and politicians who claim to care for universal human rights and press freedom. History will deliver its own verdict in due course on us depending on whether we stand with Julian while the judges deliberate – and on whether we continue to stand with Julian the day after the High Court verdict. Let us commit to passing History’s test, even if the United Kingdom’s High Court judges fail it.