The British government has approved the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, where is wanted on espionage charges over the release of a massive trove of classified military records and diplomatic cables.
U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel rubber-stamped Assange’s transfer on Friday, bringing his years-long legal entanglement that much closer to an end. He is expected to appeal the decision, which he must do within 14 days.
“In this case, the U.K. courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr. Assange,” the home office said in a statement.
“Nor have they found that extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and to freedom of expression, and that whilst in the U.S. he will be treated appropriately including in relation to his health.”
A British judge previously ruled against deporting Assange, concluding that it could exacerbate his mental health problems and even put him at risk for suicide should he be placed in a maximum security facility. The high court however, overturned that decision in December after it got assurances from the U.S. government about his treatment, including that Assange would not be subjected to “special administrative measures,” nor would he be held at a maximum-security prison at any point.
His wife, Stella Assange, in a statement on Friday maintained that the 50-year-old Australian native “committed no crime and is not a criminal,” emphasizing that he is a “journalist and a publisher” who “is being punished for doing his job.” His supporters have similarly held up Assange as a hero who is being targeted because he exposed the United States’ wrongdoing amid conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. They’ve blasted the his prosecution as politically motivated and have dubbed it an attack on free speech.
“This is a dark day for Press freedom and British democracy,” she added. “Anyone who cares about freedom of expression should be deeply ashamed.”
The couple, who share two sons, married in a prison ceremony in March.
Assange is wanted in the United States on 18 counts, including spying, stemming from the publication of hundreds of thousands of classified military documents that the U.S. Government said put lives in danger. He’s been behind bars at Britain’s high-security Belmarsh Prison in London since 2019, when he was arrested for skipping bail related to a separate legal battle.
Before that, he spent seven years inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in a bid to doge extradition to Sweden, where he was accused of rape and sexual assault. The sex crimes case was ultimately dropped in November 2019.
If convicted of spying under the Espionage Act, Assange faces up to 175 years in prison.
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