Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Technology
Michael Holden and Kanishka Singh

WikiLeaks' Assange lodges appeal against U.S. extradition

Protesters ride on a bus during a 'Free Assange' demonstration to mark WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's birthday, in London, Britain, July 1, 2022. REUTERS/John Sibley

WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange has appealed to the High Court in London to block his extradition to the United States to face criminal charges, his brother said on Friday, the latest step in his legal battle that has dragged on for more than a decade.

Assange, 50, is wanted by U.S. authorities on 18 counts, including a spying charge, relating to WikiLeaks' release of vast troves of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables which Washington said had put lives in danger.

Protesters ride on a bus during a 'Free Assange' demonstration to mark WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's birthday, in London, Britain, July 1, 2022. REUTERS/John Sibley

Last month, Home Secretary Priti Patel approved his extradition, with her office saying British courts had concluded his extradition would not be incompatible with his human rights, and that he would be treated appropriately.

Australian-born Assange's legal team have lodged an appeal against that decision at the High Court, his brother Gabriel Shipton confirmed. The court must give its approval for the appeal to be heard, but it is likely the legal case will take months to conclude.

"We also urge the Australian government to intervene immediately in the case to end this nightmare," Shipton told Reuters.

The saga began at the end of 2010 when Sweden sought Assange's extradition from Britain over allegations of sex crimes. When he lost that case in 2012, he fled to the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he spent seven years.

When he was finally dragged out in April 2019, he was jailed for breaching British bail conditions although the Swedish case against him had been dropped. He has been fighting extradition to the United States since June 2019 and remains in jail.

"We're going to fight this. We're going to use every appeal avenue," his wife Stella Assange told reporters after Patel approved his extradition.

(Reporting by Michael Holden, Editing by William Maclean)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.