The British government confirmed this Friday (17) that the founder of the WikiLeaks platform, Julian Assange, will be extradited to the United States, where he is accused of publishing confidential documents.
“Under the Extradition Act 2003, the minister will sign an extradition warrant if there is no reason to prohibit it,” a Home Office spokesman said, according to France Presse, confirming that Home Secretary Priti Patel had signed Assange’s extradition with a deadline of 15 days to appeal this decision.
The 50yearold Australian, who denies any wrongdoing, has been in Belmarsh Maximum Security Prison in England since 2019. Before that, he was at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for seven years.
In March, Assange’s defense were denied the opportunity to appeal the extradition request, as he only needed Secretary Patel to sign the extradition order so that he could be extradited to the United States.
UK court authorizes extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to US
The United States is demanding his extradition to face trial on 18 counts related to the disclosure of extensive military records and confidential diplomatic documents for more than a decade. In the USA he faces a prison sentence of 175 years.
Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, marries in prison
In March, Assange married his longtime partner Stella Moris in the maximum security prison in southeast London. Four guests attended the small ceremony: two official witnesses and two guards.