Wikileaks founder Julian Assange scored a minor victory Monday in one of his latest efforts to avoid extradition to the United States. The British Supreme Court has ruled that he may appeal his extradition to the High Court. That does not mean that the Supreme Court has to hear the appeal.
Monday’s decision extends Assange’s legal battle to avoid being sent to the US. There, the Australian is accused of espionage for publishing hundreds of thousands of classified documents about American military and diplomatic activities. He faces up to 175 years in prison.
Also read: The Fall of Assange and WikiLeaks
More than a year ago, a British judge ruled in Assange’s favor. He was not allowed to be extradited to the US because the harsh prison regime would possibly encourage him to commit suicide. Last month, however, the Supreme Court overturned that decision on the basis of American promises. The US would have guaranteed to treat Assange humanely. The 50-year-old Australian’s defense appealed against the decision.
Assange has been held in a maximum-security prison in London since 2019 for violating the conditions of his release in a previous case. He should have been released after 50 weeks, but as long as the legal battle surrounding his extradition to the US is not over, he will remain in prison. Assange previously spent years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London because he feared being extradited to the US.