WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will not survive if the UK extradits him to America, his wife Stella warns.
The High Court in London will begin the last appeal to which Assange is entitled on Tuesday, February 20, and his wife says he is physically and mentally very weak.
"This could very well be the last hearing for Julian," she told BBC Radio 4.
Assange is wanted in the United States on charges of espionage and the maximum penalty for that offense is 175 years in prison.
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The case against him was opened due to the release of thousands of confidential documents in 2010 and 2011, and US authorities believe that he broke the law and endangered the lives of others.
Assange believes that the accusations are politically motivated.
If his appeal is not approved on Tuesday in London, "he will not have the right to further appeal at this instance," Stella Assange told the BBC.
However, she mentioned the possibility of an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in order to obtain an urgent court order.
She pointed out that Assange will be able to use that legal right "within 24 hours", as shown by the experience of previous extradition cases.
Due to the stress of the trial, it is "very difficult" for Assange, because he knows that "anything can happen during this week".
"The outcome of this case will fundamentally determine whether he lives or dies," she believes.
Assange, an Australian citizen, has been in London's Belmarsh prison since 2019, while the court case over his extradition to America is still ongoing.
In 2021, the High Court ordered Assange to be extradited and rejected arguments about the Australian's impaired mental health, which the defense argued put him at risk of suicide in a US prison.
The Supreme Court upheld that ruling in 2022, and then British Home Secretary Priti Patel upheld the extradition order.
Last week, the Australian parliament adopted a document calling on the United Kingdom and the United States to release Assange.
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