A British appeals court has cleared the way for the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, where he faces more than a dozen criminal charges related to espionage.
On Friday, an appellate panel of three High Court judges said Judge Baraitser should have notified the DoJ of her view before issuing her ruling “to afford it the opportunity to offer assurances to the court.” The panel added that “the U.S.A. has now provided the United Kingdom with a package of assurances which respond to [Judge Baraitser’s] specific findings.”
Kristinn Hrafnsson, the editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks, said the case against Mr. Assange was an assault on press freedom. “Julian’s life is once more under grave threat, and so is the right of journalists to publish material that governments and corporations find inconvenient. This is about the right of a free press to publish without being threatened by a bullying superpower,” Mr. Hrafnsson said Friday.
Mr. Assange, 50, has long feared facing criminal charges in the U.S. In 2012, he sought refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London after a British court upheld his extradition to Sweden to stand trial for sexual assault. He denied the Swedish charges but felt certain the Swedes would turn him over to U.S. prosecutors.
This charade between the UK and US demonstrates why Snowdon should never go to any country that will capitulate to US pressure.
Good old Murica. Free speech until 'elite' crimes get talked about.