UK court to rule on request to send Assange to US for trial

LONDON — Britain’s High Court is acceptable to regularisation Friday connected whether to overturn an earlier determination and let WikiLeaks laminitis Julian Assange to beryllium sent to the United States to look espionage charges.

A little tribunal justice earlier this twelvemonth refused an American petition to extradite Assange to the U.S. to look spying charges implicit WikiLeaks’ work of concealed subject documents a decennary ago. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser denied extradition connected wellness grounds, saying Assange was apt to termination himself if held nether harsh U.S. situation conditions.

Appealing against that determination astatine the High Court successful London, an lawyer for the U.S. authorities denied that Assange’s intelligence wellness was excessively fragile to withstand the U.S. judicial system. Lawyer James Lewis said Assange “has nary past of superior and enduring intelligence illness” and does not conscionable the threshold of being truthful sick that helium cannot defy harming himself.

U.S. authorities person besides told British judges that if they hold to extradite Assange, helium could service immoderate U.S. situation condemnation helium receives successful his autochthonal Australia.

U.S. prosecutors person indicted Assange connected 17 espionage charges and 1 complaint of machine misuse implicit WikiLeaks’ work of thousands of leaked subject and diplomatic documents. The charges transportation a maximum condemnation of 175 years successful prison, though Lewis said “the longest condemnation ever imposed for this discourtesy is 63 months.”

Assange, 50, is presently being held astatine London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison.

Whichever broadside loses Friday’s determination is apt to appeal.