Julian Assange a step closer to extradition to US

British court rules the WikiLeaks founder’s case will proceed and will be sent to the Home Secretary Priti Patel for final approval.

Former Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, speaks to supporters of Julian Assange outside court before an extradition hearing at The City of Westminster Magistrates Court on April 20 in London, England.

Julian Assange is one step closer to being extradited to the United States to face a raft of espionage charges, a British court has ruled.

Westminster chief magistrate and senior district judge Paul Goldspring said that the Assange extradition case would proceed and will now be sent to the Home Secretary Priti Patel for final approval.

But it appears that Assange won’t be on a plane across the Atlantic any time soon.

Assange’s legal team, headed by Mark Summers QC, said it would make submissions to Mrs Patel before a deadline of May 18 arguing that the WikiLeaks founder should remain in Britain.

His legal counsel is also expected to launch a cross appeal in the UK courts, particularly on the question of whether Assange is a political prisoner and they may also initiate a case in the European Court of Human Rights.

Mr Summers told the judge “this is brief and significant moment in this case”. Assange attended the hearing via a video link, dressed in jeans, tie and jacket and confirmed his name and date of birth.

Mr Summers said the judge had no option but to send the matter to the Home Secretary but foreshadowed that “ there are fresh developments in this case” with serious omissions to be canvassed about the United States sentencing and other matters.

Around 50 protesters outside the court were so loud that their chants to “free Julian Assange” could be heard inside the courtroom.

Assange in 2017.

Assange, 50, who has been in London’s Belmarsh prison for the past three years, the last two as a remand prisoner, has been embroiled in a succession of legal appeals, including to the British High Court and to the Supreme Court to stop his extradition since he was removed from the Ecuador Embassy in April 2019.

But the US government has successfully argued that the risk of oppressive conditions in the United States jail system has been mitigated because the WikiLeaks founder could serve any prison sentence in an Australian jail.

The US government has also provided a diplomatic note that Assange would not be subject to Special Administrative Measures, or sent to a Supermax prison, to assuage the original magistrate’s concerns he may commit suicide.

The US government wants to prosecute Assange on 18 espionage counts involving the receipt and publication of hundreds of thousands of US documents relating to the Iraq and Afghanistan War logs, the US State Embassy cables and Guantanamo files in 2010 and 2011. If he is convicted don all the charges the maximum sentence Assange would face is 175 years.

Assange’ wife Stella said that her husband had embarrassed the United States, which then plotted to murder him.