Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, was granted permission to appeal his extradition to the United States on espionage charges by the High Court.
This ruling permits the 52-year-old’s attorneys to now contest the extradition at a comprehensive appeal hearing.
Significantly bolstered by the ruling, Assange had intended to file an emergency injunction to prevent his removal in the event that his appeal failed.
Furthermore, if required, his legal team had promised to petition the European Court of Human Rights.
On Monday, however, High Court judges granted Assange permission to appeal his removal to the United States, where he is confronted with one charge of computer misuse and seventeen offenses under the Espionage Act, which collectively carry a maximum prison sentence of 175 years.
Nearly fifteen years ago, WikiLeaks disclosed thousands of classified U.S. military documents pertaining to the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts.
This action has prompted the charges. Prosecutors in the United States assert that Assange assisted U.S. Army intelligence analyst and whistleblower Chelsea Manning in stealing and leaking the classified information.
In March, two British judges had postponed the ruling in anticipation of assurances from the Biden administration concerning the manner in which Assange would be treated in accordance with United States law.
For the process of extradition to continue, the court mandated that Assange be afforded protections under the First Amendment and be shielded from any form of prejudice based on his nationality.
Assange was also spared the imposition of the death penalty, as ordered by the justices.
Discourse centered on assurances pertaining to the First Amendment and safeguards against prejudiced treatment throughout the proceedings on Monday.
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