Julian Assange’s push for freedom has received a boost after judges at the UK high court in London granted him the right to appeal his US extradition.

As was the case on March 26 when the decision over his potential extradition was pushed back until today, it is a small victory for the WikiLeaks founder, and organisations like ours who have been fighting for his freedom.

The ruling was brief, in which two senior judges said the US calls for extradition were not sufficient and that they would allow the appeal to go ahead.

However, as we know all too well, this is far from a finished ordeal, and instead it can be looked at as some much-needed relief in the bigger picture. We must not forget that Assange is still being kept in torturous conditions for almost five years in Belmarsh prison, on top of the seven years inside the Ecuadorian Embassy.

Assange faces a 175-year sentence in a maximum-security prison if he were to be moved to the US for the crime of for revealing governments’ lies and exposing their very crimes against humanity. Powerful players are still desperate to lock Assange away for the rest of his life, so we cannot let up in our opposing struggle which is to see him walk free.

Today’s announcement should provide further encouragement for all of those made their voices heard, like our members who went out on the streets across Europe in recent months to demand freedom and justice for Assange.

Assange will not be extradited for now, and DiEM25 and our allies in the Progressive International will not stop fighting for his total freedom.

DiEM25’s past campaigns, including the whistleblower fund and petitions, have been pivotal in garnering support for Assange. Our progressive values implore us to stand for a free press, and we must remain valiant until this fight is conclusively won.

Yanis Varoufakis reacts to the ruling

“Julian is NOT on trial. Joe Biden and the British judges are,” DiEM25 co-founder and close friend of Assange, Yanis Varoufakis, tweeted. “That today they granted him the right to appeal his extradition is not a victory – just one more chance for Biden and the British judges to stop declaring to the world their guilt of aiding and abetting war crimes.”

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