Assange’s defense appeals UK decision to extradite him

The defense of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sent a second appeal to the London High Court against the decision of the head of WikiLeaks to extradite him to the United States. The defendants are the US government and UK Home Secretary Priti Patel.

“Julian Assange filed another appeal against extradition to the United States,” the statement reads. message on the WikiLeaks website. It also notes that the complaint includes “significant new evidence” in the case, which should work in favor of the journalist.

In June 2022, British Home Secretary Priti Patel approved extradition of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the United States. “On June 17, after consideration by both the Magistrates’ Court and the High Court, a decision was made to extradite Mr. Julian Assange to the United States. Mr Assange retains his usual 14-day right of appeal,” the country’s Interior Ministry said. Reuters explained that Assange could appeal to the London High Court or try to take his case to the UK Supreme Court. However, if the appeal is rejected, Assange will have to be extradited within 28 days.

On April 20, the Westminster Magisterial Court of Great Britain issued an extradition order for Assange to the United States, but Patel had to make the final decision. In January last year, the Westminster Court rejected the request of the US Department of Justice to extradite Assange due to concerns for the mental health of the convict. The Justice Department later appealed, and in December the Court of Appeal for England and Wales allowed the WikiLeaks founder to be extradited.

US authorities have been trying to extradite the founder of Wikileaks since his 2019 detention. Assange faces 18 criminal charges, for which he faces a total of up to 175 years in prison. They are associated with the publication by WikiLeaks of tens of thousands of secret US government documents, including diplomatic correspondence and information about the crimes of the US army in third countries.

Assange, 50, has been held in Belmarsh Prison in London since April 2019, where he was sent because he failed to appear in court in 2012. At that time, Assange was accused of sexual assault in Sweden, which he called custom-made. The case was later closed. Assange was detained in the UK, but released on bail. The British authorities had to decide on his extradition, but Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he received political asylum.