Julian Assange to Continue Extradition Fight

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will be allowed to stay in Britain a little bit longer. Two High Court judges in London ruled today that Assange had the right to petition the Supreme Court to hear his case against his extradition to Sweden over sex crimes allegations.

The Washington Post reports that Assange will have 14 days to lodge a written appeal to the Supreme Court. The court will then decide if it will hear Assange’s case.

The two High Court judges, John Thomas and Duncan Ouseley, said that Assange raised a question of “general public interest” and that Assange should be allowed to bring his case to the Supreme Court. After the ruling, Assange said:

“The High Court has decided that an issue that arises from my own case is of general public importance and may be of assistance in other cases and should be heard at the Supreme Court… I think this is the right decision and I am thankful. The long struggle for justice for me and for others continues.”

The Washington Post reports that if Assange had lost his ruling he would have been extradited to Sweden within 10 days. Assange faces charges of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion in Sweden.

Assange’s lawyers argued that the warrant for his arrest was flawed because it was signed by a public prosecutor. The judges agreed but said that the chances of Assange winning his appeal are “extraordinarily slim.”

Claes Borgstrom, the lawyer who is representing Assange’s alleged victims, said that the High Court’s decision is just delaying the inevitable. Borgstrom told the CS Monitor:

“My clients have waited for over a year for a legal conclusion of this and now they will have to wait even longer. Then it will still end with Assange being transferred to Sweden. The rules are very clear about this.”

Do you think Julian Assange will be extradited to Sweden?