Julian Assange gets right to appeal extradition to US

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal against extradition to the United States, the London High Court has ruled. Two judges of the High Court gave this verdict on Monday. As a result, Assange is currently staying in the UK, said BBC. News Independent.

Assange has been granted leave to appeal against an order to extradite him to the US to stand trial in a case of leaking military secrets.

The decision means Julian Assange will be able to challenge US assurances about how his potential trial will be conducted and whether his right to free speech will be violated.

Lawyers for Assange, 52, hugged each other in court after the ruling, the latest in a legal battle.

In 2010 and 2011, WikiLeaks leaked thousands of classified US documents. Since then, Assange has been in the UK for more than a decade.

In February this year, the UK government approved Assange's extradition to the US to face trial over the leak of classified documents. Assange's lawyers appealed to the High Court against this decision. They said that the case against Assange is politically motivated.

A High Court ruling in March then ruled that Assange would not be given the death penalty in the United States, unless he was guaranteed a legal battle against extradition in the United Kingdom. Assange will also be allowed to appeal his extradition to the United States if not guaranteed.

The judges said that the High Court was assured by the United States in these matters last month.

Assange is currently in Belmar’s prison. Now he will have a few months to prepare the appeal.

Assange will give his views on how a possible trial in the US Court of Appeal will be conducted and whether being born in Australia as a foreign national will protect his right to free speech during the trial.

Assange claims that the documents he leaked in 2010 revealed US war crimes.

Prosecutors said the leak of the document put many lives at risk.