WikiLeaks: Britain Approves Extradition Of Assange To US – Nation World News

London Serious blow for Julian Assange: After years of back-and-forth, Great Britain approved the extradition of the WikiLeaks founder to the United States. Conservative Home Secretary Priti Patel signed the same order, as her ministry announced in London on Friday.

The founders of the disclosure platform have been fighting against being extradited to the United States for more than ten years. The 50-year-old has been lodged in a London jail since 2019. WikiLeaks announced it would go back to court.

The US judiciary wants to prosecute Assange for espionage charges. If convicted, the Australian faces up to 175 years in prison. He is accused, along with whistleblower Chelsea Manning, of stealing and publishing secret material from US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, threatening the lives of American informants.

His lawyers argue that no one was harmed. Supporters see Assange as a courageous journalist who brought war crimes to light and who should now be an example.

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A Home Office spokesman upheld the decision, saying: British courts have not found in this case that it would be oppressive, unfair or an abuse of process to extradite Mr. Assange.

Their fundamental rights including the right to due process and freedom of expression are not affected. Assange now has two weeks to appeal. Those around him fear that he will be kept in solitary confinement and will not have a fair trial, despite assurances to the contrary from Washington.

WikiLeaks spoke of a dark day for press freedom and British democracy. Patel made himself an ally of the United States, which wanted to criminalize investigative journalism.

Manch also accused US intelligence agencies of being involved in a plot to assassinate Assange. The legal dispute over extradition has been going on for years. Late last year, the High Court lifted the extradition ban because of the risk of suicide. After the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal against it, it was now the Home Secretarys turn.

Assange has been held in Belmarsh Maximum Security Prison since his arrest in April 2019. Prior to this, he had dodged law enforcement officers for several years at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. They initially searched for her in Sweden because of rape allegations. However, these charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence.

It is still unclear whether the 50-year-old will actually be extradited. According to his supporters, the legal recourse is not yet exhausted. We will take legal action. The next appeal will be in the High Court. The WikiLeaks statement said that we will fight loudly and shout loudly in the streets.

The federal government also pointed out that the decision to extradite is still controversial. Deputy government spokesman Kristian Hoffmann said in Berlin: According to the current state of knowledge, perhaps a more legal route is possible. It will be watched very closely.

The German Association of Journalists called on the United States to drop the charges. If President Joe Biden condemns Russian war crimes in Ukraine, he should not take excessive legal action against US war crimes investigators.

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WikiLeaks: Britain Approves Extradition Of Assange To US - Nation World News