US Granted Permission to Appeal UK Court Decision Blocking Julian Assangeâs Extradition
The United States will be allowed to challenge a UK court ruling that blocked Washingtonâs extradition request for imprisoned WikiLeakâs co-founder Julian Assange.
The US government has received “limited permission” to challenge the UK decision not to send Assange to the United States to stand trial, WikiLeaks said on Wednesday.
Londonâs High Court ruled in January that the imprisoned journalist should not be extradited, citing concerns about his mental health and wellbeing.
BREAKING: The US has been granted limited permission to appeal Januaryâs decision that Julian #Assange should not be extradited
"The new revelations concerning the DoJ's lead witness confirm what we all knew: that the case against Julian has been built on lies" | Stella Moris pic.twitter.com/ueGSEDxcyX
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) July 7, 2021
Assange has spent more than two years behind bars at Londonâs maxim-security Belmarsh Prison. The US Justice Department has charged the Australian journalist under the Espionage Act, accusing him of leaking classified information in 2010. At the time, WikiLeaks published documents detailing abuses, including possible war crimes, carried out by the US military in Afghanistan and Iraq. If found guilty, Assange could be sentenced to 175 years behind bars.
RELATED CONTENT: Two Major Developments in Julian Assangeâs Case Could be Game-Changing
There have been increasing calls for Assangeâs release following the decision to block his extradition, with many arguing that there is no longer sufficient reason to keep him in prison.
The US case against the journalist suffered a major setback last month, after a key witness admitted to an Icelandic news outlet that he’d fabricated accusations against the Australian.
Featured image: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange makes a speech from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy, in central London, Britain February 5, 2016. Š Reuters/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
(RT)
