WikiLeaks founder can still appeal.
British Interior Minister Priti Patel on Friday approved the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, where he faces criminal prosecution.
The American authorities have charged Assange with 18 counts. These include accusations of espionage related to the publication by WikiLeaks of a huge array of confidential military documents and diplomatic dispatches, which, according to Washington, put people’s lives at risk.
“In this case, the courts of the United Kingdom did not consider that the extradition of Assange would be repressive, unfair or would be an abuse of law,” the British Home Office said in a statement.
“They also did not consider that extradition would be incompatible with his rights, including the right to a fair trial and freedom of expression,” the statement says. “[They felt] that he would be treated properly in the United States, including with regard to his health.”
Patel’s decision, however, does not mean the end of Assange’s legal battle with his accusers, which have been going on for more than a decade.
He can still appeal to the High Court in London and eventually take his case to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. However, if the appeal is rejected, Assange must be extradited within 28 days.
