UK high court overturns ruling, opens door for Assange to be extradited
An appellate court in London on Friday overturned a lower court’s ruling from earlier this year and opened the door for Julian Assange to be extradited to the U.S. to face espionage charges.
An appeal is almost certain in a case that has attracted international attention. Assange’s detractors see him as a traitor over his WikiLeaks’ publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents a decade ago. His supporters see his imprisonment as an affront against the free press.
A lower court judge refused an American request to extradite Assange to the U.S. to face spying charges. A judge said Assange, 50, who is currently being held at London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison, could kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions.
An attorney for the U.S. government who appealed the decision denied that Assange’s mental health was too fragile to withstand the U.S. judicial system and even assured the court that any sentence handed down could be carried out in an Australian prison. – READ MORE
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