UK court rules in favor of Julian Assange’s extradition

UK High Court rules that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange can be extradited to the US.

The decision is seen as a major win for the US which has won its appeal against a January ruling that deemed it unfit for Assange to be extradited because of his mental health.

Julian Assange is wanted in the US after he leaked thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011.

The High Court Judges were convinced by the US that Assange would be treated well and the risk of suicide would be minimized.

Assange’s fiancé however, has announced to appeal against the ruling.

The Judges found that the earlier ruling was based on Assange’s supposed captivity in a confined prison which was presumed to be a health risk.

As the US assured that he would not be held under the strictest measures, the Judges found that the same circumstances no longer applied.

The US promised it would only impose stricter measures on Assange if any future offenses were committed while he’s in custody.

Assange’s fiancé Stella Moris labelled the ruling as “dangerous” and “misguided,” and raised concerns over the US assurances.

Not much is expected to change now, as the Judges who made the ruling are two of the UK’s senior most. Their decision will definitely play a vital role in all future judgements related to the case. Many experts no longer see Assange winning an appeal after this ruling.

Wikileaks’ editor-in-chief has criticized the decision, and said this fight is “about the right of a free press.” Assange’s legal team will also look towards the Supreme Court, but it seems unlikely that the court would take the case as it would need to review the law itself.

Since the law has a set precedent, a review today is deemed impossible by legal experts.

According to Assange’s legal team, once extradited and convicted in the US, he can face a sentence of about 200 years in prison. The US however, has said the maximum penalty Assange could get would be of about 6 years or so.

Assange remains in prison while he is fighting against his extradition because of his history of absconding.

Authorities no longer trust Julian Assange’s promises as in the past he took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy for 7 years, consequentially violating his bail conditions.