Julian Assange’s extradition to the United States took another step forward today, as a London judge ordered his transfer to the nation to face espionage charges.
The founder of WikiLeaks is wanted in the United States for the release of hundreds of thousands of confidential documents related to the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Assange has been attempting to stop the extradition through the courts for years, and in January 2021, a district judge blocked the extradition, stating that if he travelled to America, he would be at serious risk of suicide.
The US, on the other hand, was given the opportunity to appeal the verdict, and the Supreme Court ruled in their favour.
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Assange’s lawyers were told last month that they would be unable to challenge the decision to extradite him to the United States by the UK’s highest court.
Julian Assange: Who is he and what does he do?
Julian Assange is the founder of WikiLeaks, a website known for publishing hundreds of sensitive papers and revealing various scandals and secrets. WikiLeaks is a “multinational media organisation and affiliated library,” according to the organization’s official website.
Julian Assange, the organization’s publisher, launched it in 2006. WikiLeaks “specialises in analysing and publishing enormous datasets of censored or otherwise restricted official materials concerning war, spying, and corruption.”
Why is Julian Assange wanted in the US?
After WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of secret papers connected to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, Assange is wanted in the United States for an alleged conspiracy to reveal national defence material.
Following the publication of thousands of confidential papers and diplomatic cables by Wikileaks in 2010, he was charged in the United States with 18 criminal counts.
If found guilty, Assange could face a sentence of up to 175 years in jail.
He has always maintained that he is innocent of any misconduct.
According to Assange’s legal team, releasing sensitive information exposed US malfeasance and was in the public interest.
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