UK judge orders Julian Assange to be extradited to the US
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will be extradited to the US after all, following a long legal battle, after a UK judge ordered him stateside to face a 175-year sentence.
The US Department of Justice indicted Australian-born Assange on 18 counts, including breaking spying laws and conspiring to hack government computers.
The decision will now move to home secretary Priti Patel, who will have to approve the order. Though defence lawyers may yet appeal to the High Court.
Assange, who married Stella Moris in Belmarsh prison last month, has always denied any wrongdoing.
Back in December, Washington won the latest stage of its legal bid in the High Court to have the WikiLeaks founder extradited to face charges – leaving his only option being the Supreme Court.
However, the Supreme Court has already refused to allow Assange to appeal against his extradition, on the grounds that the application does not “raise an arguable point of law”.