UK court delays extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to US
Newsy
Assange faces espionage charges in the U.S. for publishing a trove of classified documents that exposed military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A British court ruled Tuesday that Julian Assange can’t immediately be extradited to the United States on espionage charges, in a partial victory for the WikiLeaks founder.
Two High Court judges said they would grant Assange a new appeal unless U.S. authorities give further assurances about what will happen to him. The ruling means the legal saga, which has dragged on for more than a decade, will continue.
The case has been adjourned until May 20.
Judges Victoria Sharp and Jeremy Johnson said that if no assurances are filed by the U.S., they will grant Assange permission to appeal extradition on grounds including breach of freedom of expression, and because he might receive the death penalty.
“If assurances are not given then we will grant leave to appeal without a further hearing," they said. "If assurances are given then we will give the parties an opportunity to make further submissions before we make a final decision on the application for leave to appeal.”
