Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is disappointed by the UK Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the appeal in the extradition case against Wikileaks publisher Julian Assange.
Reporters Without Borders calls on Home Office to block Assange extradition
"We call on the Home Office to act in the interest of journalism and press freedom by refusing extradition and releasing #Assange from prison without further delay" @RSF_inter https://t.co/2quvAtQXKr
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 17, 2022
After more than two years of extradition proceedings, the case will now be returned to the Home Office for a political decision.
RSF urges the Home Office to act in the best interests of journalism and press freedom by refusing extradition and releasing Assange immediately.
On March 14, Assange’s lawyers issued a statement announcing that the Supreme Court had denied Assange’s request to appeal on the grounds that “the application does not raise an arguable point of law.”
The case has now been returned to the Home Secretary for a decision on whether to approve or reject extradition, nearly three years after the same office approved the US government’s extradition request in the first place.
The UK’s Supreme Court has overturned a decision by the High Court to allow Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to appeal against extradition to the United States over his publication of classified military and diplomatic documents.
Assange faces a prison sentence of up to 175 years if extradited to the U.S., where he could face prosecution for publishing the documents.
