(Al Jazeera) – Ruling, which overturns an earlier decision, means Assange may be closer to extradition from a British prison to the US.
The United States government has won an appeal at Britain’s High Court over the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Friday’s ruling, which overturns an earlier decision, means 50-year-old Assange may now be closer to being sent from London’s high-security Belmarsh prison to the US, where he would face spying charges over WikiLeaks’ publication of secret military documents a decade ago.
The court said that US assurances were enough to guarantee Assange would be treated humanely and directed a lower court judge to send the extradition request to the home secretary, Priti Patel, for review.
Patel, who oversees law enforcement in the United Kingdom, will make the final choice on whether to extradite Assange.
But the legal saga is far from over, with Assange’s legal team expected to contest the latest decision.
Assange’s partner, Stella Moris, said Friday’s ruling was a “grave miscarriage of justice”, and promised Assange’s legal team would “appeal this decision at the earliest possible moment”.
Assange watched the proceedings via video link, from Belmarsh prison.
