British judge Paul Goldspring approved on Wednesday the extradition to the United States of Julian Assangefounder of WikiLeaks, to stand trial for espionage over the leak of secret US documents, which could carry a prison sentence of up to 175 years.
“In plain and non-legal terms, I am obliged to send your case to the minister so that she can make the decision,” Judge Goldspring told Assange and his legal team, present via videoconference, from one of the courtrooms. of Westminster Magistrates, according to Spanish newspaper version The country.
Thus, the final decision will be made by the Minister of the Interior of the United KingdomPriti Patel, to whom the judge has sent his approval and who must finally resolve the Assange case within the next two months.
For its part, the journalist’s legal team announced his client’s decision to fight his possible delivery to the end, and has until May 18 to present allegations.
This novelty in the legal case comes a month after the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom denied Assange the possibility of appealing against the decision to USA, taken by a lower court, which ruled that he could be extradited.
UK Supreme Court denies Assange permission to appeal US extradition
Then his lawyers argued that the possible risk of suicide in an American prison was very high, but they failed to convince the magistrates of the high court.
The ruling of the British high court closed the way to a legal battle that began in January 2021, when Judge Vanesa Baraitser, of first instance, denied handing over Assange to the US considering that he presented a risk of suicide and that prison conditions in that country could exacerbate it.
According to information from The country, Minister Patel can only exercise her prerogative to prohibit extradition in specific cases covered by the 2003 Extradition Law, and always in accordance with the agreements with the country requesting this procedure. The eventual decision of the head of the Interior in the United Kingdom may be appealed by the parties – the US justice or Assange -, but only if the High Court authorizes it, adds the media.
Once the extradition is approved by Minister Patel, and in the event that there is no other legal recourse, Assange should be handed over to the US authorities within 28 days, according to the British government website. Assange’s defense would still have the option of resorting to the European Court of Human Rights, the media points out.
The US government asked the British authorities for the extradition of the founder of WikiLeaks to try him on 18 charges of espionage and one of misuse of computers, accusing him of having helped the US Army Intelligence analyst, Chelsea Manning, to steal documentation classified.
Assange’s defense alleges that he was acting as a journalist and that he has the right to freedom of expression, and that it protects him from publishing the crimes committed by the US army during the invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
BREAKING: A UK judge has ordered the extradition of Julian Assange to the US where he will face a 175 year sentence for publishing
The decision will now move to UK Home Secretary Priti Patel – the defense have until May 18 to make submissions https://t.co/m1bX8STSr8 pic.twitter.com/BqEZH0O49O
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 20, 2022
Since 2012, when the US made the extradition request, the Swedish-born journalist took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he received political asylum and Ecuadorian nationality thanks to the government of Rafael Correa.
Those privileges were withdrawn in 2019 by the then Ecuadorian president, Lenín Moreno, and he was immediately arrested by the British police. Since then, he has been incarcerated in Belmarsh High Security Prison, south London.
