UK Court Delays Ruling On Julian Assange’s Extradition To The US
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The United Kingdom High Court delayed its ruling on whether Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks Founder, can be extradited to the United States.
Details: The Court stated it will not decide on extradition until the U.S. provides certainty that Assange, if convicted, will not be eligible for the death penalty and will be treated with First Amendment protections as if he were a US citizen. The US has been given three weeks to provide these assurances.
For Context: Assange faces 17 charges related to publishing classified documents via WikiLeaks. U.S. authorities allege that Assange recruited hackers to leak classified information, resulting in one of the most significant breaches of classified data in U.S. history. His defense argues the charges are political and that Assange's actions fall under regular journalistic activities of obtaining and publishing classified information. He has been in London's high-security Belmarsh Prison since 2019 after spending seven years in Ecuador's embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden on unrelated charges that were later dropped. If extradited and convicted in the U.S., Assange faces a potential 175-year prison term. His legal team has suggested that they would appeal to the European courts for intervention if the extradition goes forward.
How the Media Covered It: Assange’s legal proceedings are being covered moderately across the spectrum. NPR News (Lean Left bias) and CNBC (Center bias) detailed specific instances of military misconduct revealed through WikiLeaks, while Fox News (Right bias) briefly mentioned “alleged war crimes” included in the leaks. This summary was developed with the help of AllSides' AI technology.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
A U.K. court delays extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the U.S.
Julian Assange won't be heading to the United States — at least not immediately.
In a partial victory for the WikiLeaks founder, London's High Court on Tuesday delayed his extradition to the U.S., where he faces espionage charges for one of the biggest national security leaks in American history.
Assange's lawyers had asked the court to grant him one last appeal against his extradition.
The two-judge panel delayed a ruling on that. Instead, it gave the U.S. government three weeks to send assurances that Assange would get a fair trial...
From the Center
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will not be immediately extradited to the U.S., British court rules
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday was granted permission by a U.K. court to appeal his extradition to the U.S., where he is wanted on spying charges.
Assange will therefore not be extradited immediately, the court said.
The ruling from the Royal Courts of Justice in London means Assange will have the opportunity to pursue a new hearing, unless the U.S. provides “satisfactory assurances” on certain aspects that would address his grounds of appeal.
The court said it would give the U.S. three weeks to give assurances that Assange is...
From the Right
British court rules Julian Assange extradition on pause until US guarantees no death penalty
The British High Court on Tuesday ruled that the U.S. cannot extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on espionage charges unless American officials assure that he will not face the death penalty for his alleged crimes and will receive First Amendment protections.
"If assurances are not given then we will grant leave to appeal without a further hearing," Judge Victoria Sharp said. "If assurances are given then we will give the parties an opportunity to make further submissions before we make a final decision on the application for leave to appeal."
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