Julian Assange extradition to the United States moved one step closer today, with a London court issuing an order for his transfer to the United States to face espionage charges.
For years, Mr Assange has attempted to halt the transfer through the courts. A district judge prohibited the handover in January 2021, stating that he was at real risk of suicide if he were extradited to America.
However, the decision was reversed by the US Supreme Court on appeal. The UK’s highest court, the Supreme Court, ruled earlier this month that Mr Assange’s team could not appeal the decision to extradite him to the United States. There are many protests in England about the decision.
Julian Assange extradition to US
The Westminster Magistrates’ Court has now issued an order to extradite the WikiLeaks founder, bringing his transfer to the United States closer. It is now up to Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, to grant it.
At a short hearing on Wednesday, a judge issued the injunction, but it does not conclude Mr. Assange’s legal options. His attorneys now have four weeks to file comments with Ms. Patel and may also appeal to the High Court.
Rebecca Vincent, a director at Reporters Without Borders who was at the hearing, reported that Assange’s team will not be able to appeal the arrest order until it has been signed.
Who is Julian Assange?
The founder of the WikiLeak, a whistleblower who leaked hundreds of thousands of confidential documents relating to the Afghan and Iraqi conflicts, is sought by the United States.
What did Julian assange do?
Assange is sought by the United States for allegedly publishing a series of classified material on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, which he obtained as a result of his work as an intelligence contractor. After his group leaked a series of secrets obtained by US army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, Julian Assange became a worldwide sensation.
The leaks included 75,000 documents from the war in Afghanistan and more than 390,000 army field reports from the Iraq conflict.
Since being dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he had been taking refuge, Assange has been imprisoned at Belmarsh prison for three years.
