The UK government gave the go-ahead for the US to extradite the founder of the website. The decision is the culmination of a lengthy legal battle that began with the leaking of classified government documents about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Friday's decision, approved by the UK home secretary, is the latest in a series of legal battles that the Australian has lost in his attempt to stay in the UK. It is a blow to the man who has been in hiding for the last decade. The ability of news outlets to publish material deemed a threat to national security is at risk because of his prosecution.
It is a dark day for press freedom and for British democracy according to a statement shared on social media. He did not do anything wrong. He isn't a criminal. He is a journalist. The organization said that the man would appeal.
"Assange may have at least one more avenue of appeal, so he may not be on a flight to the United States just yet." This is another troubling development in a case that could affect the rights of journalists. The Espionage Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act are two of the charges against the man.
In December of 2021, a decision was made that the risk of suicide from imprisonment in the US could make it impossible to extradite him. The judge accepted assurances from the US that there would be access to psychological treatment.
The British Home Office told WIRED that the courts in the UK did not find it oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr. They have not found that he would be treated differently in the US than he would be in the UK.
The Home Office says that the legal team has 14 days to appeal. His next step would likely be to focus on the other arguments his team has made against the United States trying to extradite him, such as the threat to press freedom and the political bias against him.
Naomi Colvin is the director of the advocacy group Blueprint for Free Speech. The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, can be used to argue against the UK's commitment to human rights treaties. The political side of the decision could be challenged in a judicial review.
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