800 protest in Barcelona in support of Julian Assange ahead of extradition hearing

Some 50 demonstrations took place on Tuesday evening across Catalonia in support of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, ahead of his extradition hearings in British courts this week.

Around 800 people turned out in the Catalan capital in front of the British Consulate to demand freedom for Assange. 

Other gatherings were held in Tarragona, Lleida, Reus, and Els Pallaresos, all organized by the group Free Assange Wave Catalunya.

The demonstrations coincided with the first of two days of Assange’s final hearings to avoid extradition to the United States, where he is accused of allegedly violating the 1917 Espionage Act, which could lead to a sentence of up to 175 years in prison.  

If his efforts to appeal the case don’t succeed, Assange's only legal recourse will be to take his case to the European Court of Human Rights.

Since 2019, Assange has been held in the British high-security prison Belmarsh, while the US extradition case is contested in the British courts. 

In 2010, Assange published classified U.S. government and military documents on military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq, provided by whistleblower Chelsea Manning.    

Barcelona play pays tribute to Assange 

On March 1, Barcelona theater Teatre Gaudí will premiere the play ‘Assange. El poder de la informació’, based on a book of the same name about Assange.  

According to actor, Joan Frank Charansonnet, who will play the Wikileaks founder, the audience will get will understand many things about how Assange is and his life through the play. 

The play will run from March 1 until March 31.