WikiLeaks founder Assange has appealed to the UK Supreme Court against his extradition to Sweden. The case will therefore be further investigated and Assange’s extradition will be postponed for the time being. The Australian is accused of sex offenses in Sweden.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has appealed to the UK Supreme Court against his extradition to Sweden. As the court announced, it is examining an application by the 40-year-old Australian to take the case again, taking into account other documents. Two weeks ago, the court upheld two lower court verdicts against Assange.
However, the court had granted the lawyers a period of 14 days to apply for a retrial. Assange’s extradition was thus postponed for the time being.
A court spokeswoman said it was not yet clear when a decision would be made on Assange’s new application. If the defense is unsuccessful with the application, Assange still has to go to the European Court of Human Rights. The Strasbourg judges have the option of temporarily stopping an extradition. However, legal experts consider this unlikely.
Worldwide attention with Wikileaks
Assange has been accused of sexual offenses in Sweden. The Australian rejects the allegations and describes them as politically motivated. He also fears that he will ultimately be extradited to the United States.
Two years ago, Assange caused a worldwide sensation because WikiLeaks published thousands of secret US documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, among other things. It was the largest disclosure of classified documents in US history. The US government sees the Australian as a traitor. In the anti-censorship movement, on the other hand, he is celebrated like a hero.