WikiLeaks' Julian Assange files appeal against his extradition to US
In a punitive measure, Australian-born Assange's legal team on Friday lodged an appeal against the extradition decision of the UK High Court.
- World News
- 2 min read
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has filed an appeal against his extradition to the United States by the UK's top court. Assange, who turns 51 on July 3, is being held in a high-security prison since 2019 and is wanted in Washington on charges of espionage. His wife Stella, and dozens others demonstrated outside Britain’s interior ministry demanding Assange's release and raising voice for freedom of the press. UK's Home Secretary Priti Patel approved the extradition last month. “We’re not at the end of the road here,” Stella Assange, who married the Australian publisher, told the reporters of the agencies.
In a punitive measure, Australian-born Assange's legal team on Friday lodged an appeal against the extradition decision of the UK High Court, his brother Gabriel Shipton told the press. “We’re going to fight this. We’re going to use every appeal avenue," he reportedly said. A UK court had earlier overturned the verdict of Westminster Magistrate Court, which had halted the extradition order owing to concerns about Assange's mental health and conditions in United States prison. The case went to the Britain government for a decision while Wikileaks' founder still had some legal options.
Priti Patel signs Assange's extradition order
On June 17, UK's Home Office confirmed that Priti Patel, the home secretary, had signed the extradition order for the WikiLeaks' founder to Washington. Assange is wanted in the US over an alleged conspiracy to leak the classified defence information relating to America's Afghanistan and Iraq wars. He was ordered to be handed to the US authorities over criminal charges and 18 counts related to his media company's release of vast troves of confidential, sensitive, and classified US Army records and data on military operations, which America argues has caused national security concerns. The decision to extradite Assange to the US is a turning point in his years of battle to avoid being handed to Washington's authorities. He still has 14 days to appeal the decision.