UK signs order on extradition of Julian Assange to US
2UK signs order on extradition of Julian Assange to US
British Home Secretary Priti Patel signed the decision to extradite Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, which published documents on crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the United States. Assange, 50, has 14 days to appeal the decision.
The British government has ordered the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States on espionage charges. Interior Minister Priti Patel announced that she had signed the extradition order.
The UK Home Office said in a statement, "The UK courts have not found that extradition of Assange to the US would result in an unfair or abuse of process. It is clear that extradition is incompatible with human rights, including the right to a fair trial and freedom of expression, and that extradition to the US would be unfair. "There has been no evidence that he will not be treated appropriately, including in his health, while he is still in his life."
That decision, however, marked a major breaking point in Assange's years-long battle to avoid prosecution in the United States. Assange has 14 days to appeal the decision.
Assange has 14 days to appeal the UK's extradition decision to the US.
On the other hand, last April, a judge in England approved Assange's extradition, leaving the final decision to the government. The decision came after a legal battle that went all the way to the UK Supreme Court.
US FOUND 17 CRIMES OF SPYING AGAINST ASSANGE
More than a decade ago, the United States asked British officials to extradite Assange so that he could be charged with 17 espionage and computer abuse charges for WikiLeaks' release of numerous classified documents about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.