Status: 04/20/2022 1:27 p.m
A court in London has formally approved the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Assange to the US. Now the British Home Secretary still has to agree. Under US law, Assange faces 175 years in prison.
In the legal battle over the extradition of Julian Assange to the US, the WikiLeaks founder’s extradition to the United States has come a step closer. The Westminster Magistrates Court issued the formal extradition order in London. This will now go to British Home Secretary Priti Patel for a final decision.
However, Assange’s lawyers have four weeks to present further grounds for objection. Attorneys have previously said they will appeal Patel’s decision if approved, and may seek appeals against other aspects of the lawsuit.
Espionage or investigative journalism?
The US judiciary wants to put the 50-year-old on trial for allegations of espionage. Assange faces up to 175 years in prison if convicted in the United States. He is accused of having stolen and published secret material from US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan together with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, thereby endangering the lives of US informants.
His supporters, on the other hand, see Assange as an investigative journalist who has brought war crimes to light and who is now to be made an example of.
Procedure criticized as politically motivated
The legal dispute over a possible extradition to the USA has been going on for around two years. The High Court gave the go-ahead. An appeal against this was dismissed by the highest British court, the Supreme Court, as inadmissible.
The organization Reporters Without Borders called for the release of the WikiLeaks founder. “We are calling on the Home Secretary to act in accordance with Britain’s commitment to defending press freedom and to refuse extradition,” London representative Rebecca Vincent told dpa. Assange, who has been imprisoned for more than three years, must be released from prison immediately.