“@amnesty denied access again today to the court in the #Assange extradition hearing. We've made 3 applications requesting recognition as expert fair trial monitors. Judge states that no 'special provision' will be made for our trial monitor's attendance,” tweeted Julia Hall, who works on counter-terrorism and human rights for Amnesty International’s International Secretariat.
The hearing to decide whether Assange should be sent to the United States resumed on 7 September at the London Central Criminal Court, after six months of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The WikiLeaks founder, who has been locked up at the maximum-security prison of Belmarsh since his arrest at the Ecuadoran embassy in London in April 2019, is attending the trial from behind a glass panel, away from his defense team.
The hearing is expected to last at least three weeks, and it is highly probable that the verdict will be appealed by the losing side.