UK Judges to Deliver Ruling on Assange's Right to Appeal US Extradition

LONDON (Sputnik) - The London High Court on Monday is expected to deliver its decision on whether it will allow WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to appeal to the UK Supreme Court about a previous verdict approving his extradition to the United States.

In December, the London High Court ruled in favour of a US appeal to extradite Assange, overturning an earlier decision that the Australian journalist cannot be extradited to the US due to health issues and the inhumane conditions he might face in the US prison system.

Following the verdict that opened the door to his extradition to the US, Assange asked the High Court judges to certify a number of points of law of general public importance in order to appeal to the Supreme Court.

"Only if the High Court judges certify at least one can his appeal be sent to the Supreme Court", Assange's fiancée, Stella Moris, explained on Twitter.

Moris, who also forms part of the WikiLeaks founder's defence team, added that if the London High Court refuses to certify any points, the case goes back to the Westminster Magistrates Court, where the whole process began, and thereafter to Home Minister Priti Patel, who has the power to refuse extradition.

Assange is wanted by the United States on espionage charges after WikiLeaks published thousands of classified documents that shed light on war crimes committed by American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. If put on trial and convicted in the US, Assange might be sentenced to up to 175 years in prison.

The whistleblower has been on remand at the Belmarsh maximum-security prison in southeast London since October 2020, after serving an 11-month sentence for breaking bail after staying in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for seven years.