A UK High Court hearing to determine whether Julian Assange will be allowed a final appeal against his extradition to the United States concluded with no immediate decision, leaving the fate of the WikiLeaks publisher hanging in the balance. With Assange too unwell to attend the hearing himself, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reiterates its calls for his urgent release.

The two-day hearing on 20 and 21 February was presided over by judges Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Johnson, who heard Assange’s defence team argue why the extradition should be blocked, and lawyers for the US government present their arguments in response. The hearing concluded with the judges reserving their decision; they gave no indication of when it might come, other than setting some internal deadlines for lawyers to provide additional information – the last of which was 4 March.