Julian Assange
Can Be Extradited to the US, , UK Court Rules.
The court ruling was issued
in London on Dec. 10.
It reverses a lower-court
ruling that blocked the U.S.
State Department petition
to have Assange extradited.
The WikiLeaks founder faces charges related to the Espionage Act that could result in a
prison sentence lasting decades.
Lawyers for Assange
stated that the ruling
will be appealed.
In reversing the ruling, the British court focused on assurances from the Biden administration that U.S. prison conditions would not be too harsh for Assange.
The lower-court ruling that blocked extradition hinged on these consequences of his potential transfer to the U.S.
If convicted in the U.S., Assange would
fulfill his prison sentence in Australia.
WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief
Kristinn Hrafnsson reacted
to the court's ruling.
[Assange’s life] is once more under grave threat, and so is the right of journalists to publish material that governments and corporations find inconvenient, Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief,
via 'The New York Times'.
This is about the right of a free press to publish without
being threatened by a
bullying superpower, Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief,
via 'The New York Times'.
Free press activists also had strong reactions to the ruling. .
This is an utterly shameful development that has alarming implications not only for Assange’s mental health, ... , Rebecca Vincent, Reporters Without Borders,
via 'The New York Times'.
... but also for journalism and press freedom around the world, Rebecca Vincent, Reporters Without Borders,
via 'The New York Times'.
Assange has been in a British prison since 2019 after his seven-year sanctuary at the Ecuador Embassy in London came to an abrupt end