LONDON – The British government approved an extradition order on Friday for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, confirming a court decision that he could be sent to the United States to stand trial on espionage charges, despite whether his legal battle against the decision is likely. end.
While the order is a blow to Mr Assange, who is seen by human rights groups as a potential challenge to press freedom, he is likely to again appeal the decision in a British court, a path that legal experts say is still open.
A spokesman for the Home Office said that “on June 17, after being considered by both the Magistrates Court and the High Court, the extradition of Mr Julian Assange to the US was requested”, adding that “Mr. . Assange retains the right of a normal appeal for 14 days.”
The Home Office pointed out that the UK court’s ruling did not suggest that “the extradition of Mr Assange would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process.”
In addition, the courts did not find that extradition “would be inconsistent with his human rights, including the right to a fair trial and freedom of expression, and while in the United States, he will be treated appropriately, including in relation to his health. ”
His defensive team has yet to say what happens next. The approval of the order by Priti Patel, the home secretary, is just the latest twist in a long court battle and has come after a British court ordered the extradition of Mr. Assange in April.
In 2019, Mr. Assange was charged in the United States under the Espionage Act in connection with the collection and publication of classified government documents about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on WikiLeaks 2010. Those documents was leaked by Chelsea Manning, a former military intelligence analyst. , before being published by the website.
Throughout the lengthy legal battle against his extradition, Mr Assange remained incarcerated at Belmarsh prison in London, where he had been held for nearly three years. Mr. Assange married her partner Stella Moris in prison this year.
He was arrested in London in 2019 after seven years hiding in the Ecuadorian Embassy in an attempt to avoid detention while fighting his extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning in a rape investigation. That case was later dropped.
Under current government guidance, Ms. Patel can only block extradition requests in a small number of cases. That includes cases involving people who have previously been extradited or moved to the UK from elsewhere, others involving people facing the death penalty or who could be charged. additionally, the crimes were not reported after their transfer.
But if there are no issues involved, Ms. Patel would have no reason to refuse the extradition request and be obligated to comply, according to the Home Office.
However, Mr Assange’s legal team can still apply to appeal to the UK’s Supreme Court on both Ms Patel’s decision and potentially some other points of interest about the US request. The High Court will then decide on which points Mr. Assange can appeal, if any. This process can take several months.
Once his options are exhausted in the UK courts, Mr Assange could also try to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, although it remains unclear how much jurisdiction the body will have over his decision. Britain after it left the European Union.
Human rights groups express concern about Mr. Assange being extradited to the US may threaten press freedomand when the court made a decision on his case, several organizations denounced the move.
