London: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Monday won a victory in his ongoing battle against extradition from the United Kingdom (UK) to the United States after the High Court in London granted him permission to appeal.
Assange had been granted permission to appeal only if the U.S. government was unable to provide the court with suitable assurances that Assange is permitted to rely on the First Amendment (free speech) for protections, reports Xinhua News Agency. The U.S. government had to assure that Assange, who is Australian, shall not be prejudiced at trial by reason of his nationality and is afforded the same protections as a U.S. citizen. The U.S. side also had to provide assurance that Assange would not be sentenced to death if convicted.
Assange’s legal team criticized the assurances provided by the U.S. government at the hearing, arguing that “based on the principle of the separation of powers, the U.S. court can and will apply U.S. law, whatever the executive may say or do.”
Most of the assurances were “blatantly inadequate,” said Edward Fitzgerald KC, representing Assange. (IANS)
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