Julian Assange faces US extradition after UK approves transfer
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be sent to the US to face criminal espionage charges, the British government ruled.
Assange now has 14 days to launch an appeal against the decision, after which he will be extradited across the pond where he will face spying charges.
He is wanted by US authorities on 18 counts, including espionage.
UK’s Home Secretary Priti Patel signed the extradition order on Friday. This follows a British court ruling in April that Assange could be sent to the US.
American prosecutors say Assange unlawfully helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal 500,000 classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.
“Today is not the end of the fight. It is only the beginning of a new legal battle. We will appeal through the legal system,” Wikileaks said in a statement on Twitter.
The UK’s Home Office said “the UK courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr. Assange.”
“Nor have they found that extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and to freedom of expression, and that whilst in the U.S. he will be treated appropriately, including in relation to his health,” the Home Office said in a statement.
Assange previously spent seven years in Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault.
The charges were dropped in 2019 because so much time has elapsed.
That year, Assange was arrested and has since been locked up in Belmarsh high-security prison in England.
The case was thrust into the open more than a decade ago when the US asked British authorities to extradite Assange to the US so he could stand trial to face the charges against him.
Assange’s arrest sparked mass fury across the globe, as journalism organizations and human rights groups long called for the UK to refuse the US’s extradition request.
His supporters argue he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech. It’s also argued his case is politically motivated.
Assange’s lawyer, Mark Summers, says he could face up to 175 years in jail if he is convicted in the US.
In December, the High Court overturned the lower court’s decision, saying that the US promises were enough to guarantee that Assange would be treated humanely.
In March, Assange and his former lawyer Stella Moris married in a prison ceremony.
With Post wires
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