(NewsNation) — After more than a decade of legal battles and attempts to stay out of the United States, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange makes his final case to England’s High Court on Tuesday.
Assange has been accused of releasing hundreds of thousands of U.S. military files from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars back in 2010.
The U.S. claims the WikiLeaks founder has put lives at risk by exposing the information.
Supporters of Assange, however, say he exposed wrongdoing, calling him a hero and a champion of free speech.
Assange faces extradition back to the U.S. and up to 175 years in prison on charges of spying. He has been charged with 18 counts relating to espionage after his website — WikiLeaks — published troves of highly classified American government documents.
Prosecutors say he worked with U.S. intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to steal diplomatic cables and military files.
Since then, he has been on the run from American authorities.
He was first arrested in London in 2010, but he fled to the Ecuadorian Embassy in England — technically out of reach of British authorities — where he stayed for seven years.
Tuesday marks the beginning of a two-day process in which Assange’s attorneys will ask the High Court for a final appeal.
If he loses, he could be extradited to the U.S.
His wife, Stella Assange, says in that case she fears for his life.
“Julian will be put in a hole if he is extradited. There is no doubt about that. He will be put in a hole so far and deep in the ground that I don’t think I will ever see him again,” Stella Assange said.
If he loses the appeal, Assange will need to be extradited within 28 days, BBC reported.
Some organizations, including the New York Times and Amnesty International, have called for the U.S. to drop charges against Assange, claiming his extradition threatens press freedoms and freedom of speech.