US now closer than ever in extraditing the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange

Julian Assange, pictured in 2017, at the Ecuadorian embassy. (Photo: AP via WA)

The US is one step closer to extraditing Julian Assange to face charges related to the WikiLeaks cables, following a victory in the UK's High Court.

Lord Justice Holroyde reversed a previous judge's decision that Assange should not face criminal charges in the United States due to his risk of suicide. He directed the court to refer his case to UK Home Secretary Priti Patel, who would assess whether the Australian citizen should be extradited to the United States.

Stella Moris, Assange's partner and mother of two of his children, stated that the "abusive and vindictive" prosecution would be appealed.

"Julian's attorneys intend to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court," she told supporters outside the court.

"How long can this continue?" We will fight; each generation faces an epic battle, and this is ours," she stated.

Assange will stay imprisoned at Belmarsh.

Patel, an ardent Brexiteer, is security, immigration, and foreign policy hawk.

The US Department of Justice is seeking Assange to release hundreds of thousands of classified cables obtained through hacking more than a decade ago.

His attorneys have contended that his behavior was consistent with a journalist, a designation already rejected by British courts.

However, Assange has argued through his lawyers that he may commit himself if he is incarcerated in a US supermax jail. Earlier this year, a judge accepted this as a justification for refusing to extradite him to the United States.

The US government appealed, which resulted in Friday's High Court judgment, and supplied the court with additional guarantees that Assange would not be detained in solitary confinement and could spend any sentence in Australia.

"These assurances are solemn undertakings made by one government to another," Holroyde explained.

"The United States has now provided the United Kingdom with a package of assurances that address the specific findings of the District Judge," he said.

He stated that the judge was satisfied that he would not be put in a supermax jail and receive mental health treatment.

"The case should be remanded to the Westminister Magistrate's Court with a directive to the District Judge to refer it to the Secretary of State, who will decide whether Mr Assange should be extradited to the United States," he stated.

Publish : 2021-12-10 17:20:00

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