London court rejects WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's appeal against extradition to US

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has lost his appeal against extradition to the US on espionage charges. A judge in the London High Court denied Assange's appeal on Tuesday and with this Assange is “dangerously close” to being extradited to the US, where he is facing criminal charges. 

In the three-page judgement, London High Court Judge Justice Jonathan Swift rejected all eight grounds of appeal against the extradition order. The order in question was signed by then-UK home secretary Priti Patel in June last year. While the team is contemplating appealing against the decision, this will be Assange’s last chance to overturn the ruling.

“On Tuesday next week, my husband Julian Assange will make a renewed application for appeal to the High Court. The matter will then proceed to a public hearing before two new judges at the High Court and we remain optimistic that we will prevail and that Julian will not be extradited to the United States where he faces charges that could result in him spending the rest of his life in a maximum security prison for publishing true information that revealed war crimes committed by the U.S. government.” Assange’s wife, Stella Assange wrote on Twitter.

She also maintained that the next hearing would be heard before two new judges in a public hearing. 

Statement:

On Tuesday next week my husband Julian Assange will make a renewed application for appeal to the High Court. The matter will then proceed to a public hearing before two new judges at the High Court and we remain optimistic that we will prevail and that Julian will not…

— Stella Assange #FreeAssangeNOW (@Stella_Assange)

The 51-year-old publisher is wanted in the US on 18 criminal counts. His company WikiLeaks was accused of publishing thousands of classified criminal documents and diplomatic cables back in 2010 and 2011. In April last year, a London court issued a formal extradition order which was later given a stamp of approval by Patel. “The UK courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Assange. Nor have they found that extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and to freedom of expression, and that whilst in the US he will be treated appropriately, including in relation to his health,” the court stated in a statement at that time. 

Activists groups call the decision ‘absurd’ 

The judgement was condemned by activist groups and the supporters of Assange. “It is absurd that a single judge can issue a three-page decision that could land Julian Assange in prison for the rest of his life and permanently impact the climate for journalism around the world,” said Rebecca Vincent, the Director of Campaigns of Reporters Without Borders. “The historical weight of what happens next cannot be overstated; it is time to put a stop to this relentless targeting of Assange and act instead to protect journalism and press freedom. Our call on President Biden is now more urgent than ever: drop these charges, close the case against Assange, and allow for his release without further delay,” Vincent further added, as per the report by CNN. 

Assange is currently being held at the Belmarsh Prison in southeast London. He has been held in the high-security facility since he was forcibly removed from Ecuador’s central London embassy in 2019. In the past, the Eastern District of Virginia handed down a judgement in which Assange faced indictment on 18 counts. The court alleged that the WikiLeaks founder actively solicited classified information pushed by intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. If convicted the Australian editor can be sentenced to up to 175 years in prison.