The WikiLeaks portal described “dark day for freedom of the press and british democracy” the UK decision.
“Anyone in this country who cares about free speech should be deeply ashamed that the Home Secretary has approved his extradition to the US, the country that planned his assassination.”he pointed out in a statement released on his social networks.
In that text, WikiLeaks anticipated that it will appeal the decision, something that it can only do if the British High Court authorizes it, with the possibility of ultimately going to the European Court of Human Rights.
According to the spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior, “The British courts did not conclude that it would be oppressive, unfair or procedural abuse to extradite Mr Assange.”
“They also did not conclude that the extradition was incompatible with his rights, including the right to a fair trial, and with freedom of expression, and (guaranteed) that during his stay in the United States he will be treated appropriately, also with respect to his health,” he added as quoted by the AFP news agency.
The US justice system wants to judge him for disseminating, as of 2010, more than 700,000 secret documents on US diplomatic and military activities, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Among those documents was a video showing civilians, including two Reuters journalists, being shot dead by a US helicopter gunship in Iraq in July 2007.
Accused of espionage, if convicted Assange could be sentenced to 175 years in prison, in a case that human rights organizations denounce as a dangerous attack on press freedom.
The US government claims, for its part, that the 50-year-old Australian endangered the lives of numerous informants by publishing classified documents.
Assange was held in London’s high-security Belmarsh prison in 2019 for violating his parole when he took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden on rape charges that have since been dropped.
Source: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
