WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
Highlights
- If extradited, he will face trial in US on charges related to publication of classified documents
- However, the move doesn't exhaust the legal options for Julian Assange in the UK
- He can appeal in High Court if his extradition is approved by Interior Minister Priti Patel
A British judge on Wednesday formally approved the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States to face spying charges. The case will now go to Britain's interior minister for a decision, and the WikiLeaks founder still has legal avenues of appeal.
The order comes after the UK Supreme Court last month refused Assange permission to appeal against a lower court's ruling that he could be extradited.
A judge at Westminster Magistrates' Court issued the order in a brief hearing. Home Secretary Priti Patel will decide whether to grant the extradition.
The move doesn't exhaust the legal options for Assange, who has sought for years to avoid a trial in the US on charges related to WikiLeaks' publication of a huge trove of classified documents more than a decade ago. His lawyers have four weeks to make submissions to Patel, and can also seek to appeal to the High Court.
