WIKILEAKS

Britain Clears Assange Extradition

Faces sexual-abuse charges in Sweden.

A British high court ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be extradited to Sweden, where he faces sexual-abuse allegations. The British government is expected to announce an extradition within 10 days, and on the appointed date, Assange will be handed over to Swedish authorities. The British Supreme Court ruled 5–2 that the extradition request had been “lawfully made” and the request followed the laws of the European Extradition Treaty. Although this is Britain’s highest court, Assange could appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. Assange was accused in 2010 of “four offenses of unlawful coercion and sexual misconduct, including rape” by two WikiLeaks volunteers in Stockholm.