US will appeal against UK judge decision to refuse Assange extradition
The United States would continue to seek the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Australian-born Julian Assange and US prosecutors are set to appeal Monday's decision to London's High Court, France 24 reported.
To note, a London court ruled on Monday that Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States to face charges including espionage.
US authorities have accused the 49-year-old WikiLeaks founder of conspiring to hack government computers and of violating an espionage law in connection with the release of confidential cables by WikiLeaks in 2010-2011.
In her ruling, Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected nearly all of the arguments put forward by Assange's lawyers, including that the charges were politically motivated and that he would not receive a fair trial in the US.
US government prosecutors have indicated they will appeal against the ruling in London's High Court, which could see the case go further to the UK's Supreme Court and delay an outcome for some time.
Assange's lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald QC, said he would apply for bail for his client on Wednesday, pending that appeal.
Assange has been in custody since April 2019, when he was arrested inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London and eventually jailed for breaching bail conditions, before the US Justice Department formally asked for his extradition in June 2019.