Posted on 04/20/2022 10:08:23 AM PDT by bitt
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is one step closer to facing espionage charges in the US after a British judge formally approved his extradition.
The case will go to Britain’s interior minister for a decision, and Assange, 50, still has legal avenues of appeal.
A judge at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday issued the extradition order in a brief hearing, as Assange watched by video link from Belmarsh Prison. He stated his full name and date of birth.
It is up to Home Secretary Priti Patel to decide whether to grant the extradition.
The order comes after the UK Supreme Court last month refused Assange permission to appeal against a lower court’s ruling that he could be extradited.
The move doesn’t exhaust the legal options for Assange, who has sought for years to avoid a trial in the US on 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse related to WikiLeaks’ publication of a massive trove of classified documents more than a decade ago.
His lawyers have four weeks to make submissions to Patel, and can also seek to appeal to the High Court.
Assange lawyer Mark Summers told the court that the legal team had “serious submissions” to make.
American prosecutors say Assange unlawfully helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal 500,000 classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
You keep saying Assange exposed Underwear on the head. Stop.
The Abu Ghraib scandal broke on 28 April 2004 when photos taken by him and other soldiers at the prison were revealed on CBS News. The pictures showed naked prisoners heaped into a pyramid, forced to simulate sexual acts and adopt humiliating poses.May 16, 2018
WikiLeaks released the Collateral Murder video from the wounding of children, and killing two Reuters employees, along with the killing of about 12 other people..
https://youtu.be/HfvFpT-iypw
Oops, I accidentally deleted the name of the Abu Ghraib leaker. It was Joe Darby, a reservist serving in Iraq.
Assigned has plenty of gray mail he can use. Perfectly legal to do. All he has to do is let the U.S. prosecutors know just a few of the evidence he would be releasing if he is prosecuted. I have a bit of doubt that the U.S. actually wants him extradited. If the do, they intend for him to commit “suicide” in prison.
Problem is that he likely has people around the world who would unleash a devastating amount of damaging information.
Assange is a journalist, and does not deserve the designation as “enemy of the US”.
Hillary’s Epstein squad will get him in jail…
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