Julian Assange Wins Right to Appeal Extradition to US
High Court Ruling a Major Victory for the Embattled Journalist
Assange Free to Challenge Extradition on Multiple Grounds
In a major victory for free speech advocates, a London court on Monday ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal his extradition to the United States. Assange has been fighting extradition since his arrest in Britain in 2010 on a Swedish warrant over sex crime allegations that were later dropped.
The extradition hearing was set to begin in February 2020, but the judge adjourned the proceedings after Assange's lawyers argued that he was too mentally ill to stand trial. The High Court's ruling on Monday means that Assange can now challenge the extradition on multiple grounds, including the claim that he would not receive a fair trial in the United States.
Assange's lawyers have argued that the extradition request is politically motivated and that he would be at risk of torture or even death if he were sent to the US. The US government has accused Assange of conspiring with former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to steal and publish classified documents.
The ruling is a major setback for the US government, which has been seeking to extradite Assange for years. It is also a victory for free speech advocates, who have argued that Assange's prosecution is an attempt to silence a journalist who has published information that is critical of the US government.
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