The UK High Court has ruled that the WikiLeaks founder has the right to a full appeal process
London’s High Court has granted jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange the right to a fresh appeal against a previous ruling that had ordered his extradition to the US.
The founder of the transparency website claims his prosecution in the UK is part of a larger Western effort to punish him for publishing leaked classified materials exposing the alleged war crimes of the US and its allies.
If handed over to the US, he would likely be kept in isolation for the rest of his life, his supporters fear.
Assange has been in British custody since April 2019, when Ecuador revoked his political asylum and allowed police to arrest him at its embassy in London. Assange has since been kept in a maximum security prison fighting the extradition request from the US. The American case against the publisher was revealed only after he was arrested in the UK.
American lawyers fought a legal battle against Assange in UK courts and finally secured London’s consent to hand him over in June 2022, when then-Home Secretary Priti Patel authorized the transfer. His defense team has since been trying to overturn the outcome through several appeals.
In March, the High Court ruled there was merit in the argument that the 52-year-old’s rights may be infringed upon in the US prison system. Washington reportedly offered additional assurances to treat Assange fairly.
