Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange Should Be Extradited: US Lawyers Tell UK Court
NDTV
Julian Assange is wanted in the United States on 18 criminal charges, including breaking a spying law, after his group published thousands of secret classified files and diplomatic cables in 2010.
Lawyers for the United States launched a fresh attempt on Wednesday to have Julian Assange extradited from Britain, arguing that concerns around the WikiLeaks founder's mental health should not prevent him from facing US justice.
The 50-year-old Australian is wanted in the United States on 18 criminal charges, including breaking a spying law, after his group published thousands of secret classified files and diplomatic cables in 2010.
Lawyer James Lewis, acting for the US government, told the Court of Appeal in London that a judge in a lower court had been wrong to rule that Assange could not be extradited because of a high risk he would commit suicide in a US prison.
A document outlining Lewis's arguments, presented to the court and released to media, said the United States had provided Britain with "a package of assurances" addressing the judge's concerns.
