UK govt approves extradition of WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange to US

The British government on June 17, approved the extradition of Wikileaks' founder Julian Assange to the US where he is wanted on charges of espionage.  A UK court had earlier overturned the verdict of Westminster Magistrate Court, which had halted the extradition order owing to concerns about Assange's mental health and conditions in United States prison. The decision of the appellate court was to be challenged. UK Supreme Court had maintained that Assange could not appeal against a lower court's decision, raising his chances of extradition. The case went to the Britain government for a decision while Wikileaks' founder still had some legal options. 

Priti Patel signs extradition order

On June 17, UK's Home Office confirmed that Priti Patel, the home secretary, had signed the extradition order for the WikiLeaks' founder to Washington. Assange is wanted in the US over an alleged conspiracy to leak the classified defence information relating to America's Afghanistan and Iraq wars. He was ordered to be handed to the US authorities over criminal charges and 18 counts related to his media company's release of vast troves of confidential, sensitive, and classified US Army records and data on military operations, which the US argues has caused national security concerns. The decision to extradite Assange to the US is a turning point in his years of battle to avoid being handed to Washington's authorities. He still has 14 days to appeal the decision. 

Washington had won an appeal over Assange’s extradition in London's High Court. A judge ruled against the Lower court verdict over ‘assurances’ given by Washington about the media mogul’s safety as he is suicidal and suffers from mental health deterioration. Assange, held at the high-security Belmarsh Prison in the UK, had also suffered a stroke resulting in drooping right eyelid, memory lapse, and other neurological damages as he battled to avoid being extradited to the US. Washington pledged not to hold the WikiLeaks' founder in a so-called "ADX" maximum-security prison in Colorado. Assange has been confined in the UK prison since 2019 after he was arrested for violating his bail conditions. WikiLeaks' founder is an Australian citizen and was arrested back in 2019. He had spent nearly six years in the Ecuadorian embassy.