Assange ‘not at risk’ and can be extradited to US

The High Court has ruled that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange can be extradited to the United States.

50-year-old Assange is wanted in the US over an alleged conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information following the WikiLeaks publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

US authorities brought a High Court challenge against a January ruling by the then district judge, Vanessa Baraitser, that Assange should not be sent to the US, in which she cited a real and "oppressive" risk of suicide. After a two-day hearing in October, the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett, sitting with Lord Justice Holroyde, ruled in favour of the US this month.

The senior judges found Judge Baraitser based her decision on the risk of Assange being held in highly restrictive conditions if extradited, but the US later gave assurances that he would not face those measures - either pre-trial or post-conviction - unless he committed a future act that required them. Lord Burnett said: "That risk is in our judgment excluded by the assurances which are offered. [We] are satisfied that, if the assurances had been before the judge, she would have answered the relevant question differently." The Judge added: "That conclusion is sufficient to determine this appeal in the USA's favour."

The judges ordered that the case must return to Westminster magistrates' court for a district judge to formally send it to the Home Secretary Priti Patel.

Assange's partner, Stella Moris, called the ruling "dangerous and misguided" and said they intend to appeal.

E&K Solicitors

Rusholme

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