Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Sunday, Aug 31, 2025

Julian Assange’s extradition battle: What you need to know

Julian Assange’s extradition battle: What you need to know

A British High Court has ruled that Julian Assange can be extradited to the US to face espionage charges. Here’s how the WikiLeaks co-founder ended up behind bars and what could come next.

Assange was placed in London’s Belmarsh Prison in 2019 after nearly seven years of hiding inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in the UK capital.

Who is Julian Assange?


Australian-born Assange co-founded WikiLeaks, a group that publishes classified materials “involving war, spying and corruption,” according to its website.

WikiLeaks famously released a video of US military choppers gunning down civilians in Baghdad in 2007, among other things. The organization also released confidential correspondence between US diplomatic missions around the world, causing further embarrassment for Washington.

Why does Washington want Assange extradited?


The US Department of Justice charged Assange with espionage in 2019, over his role in “one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States.”

According to the indictment, WikiLeaks illegally obtained roughly 90,000 Afghanistan war reports, 400,000 Iraq war reports, 800 Guantanamo Bay detainee assessment briefs, and 250,000 US Department of State diplomatic cables.

How did Assange end up in British jail?


The journalist first got into trouble after a rape investigation was opened against him in Sweden. Fearing extradition, Assange jumped bail and hid in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in 2012, where he requested asylum. The rape case against him was eventually dropped.

Assange was ejected from the embassy in 2019 after Ecuador accused him of violating asylum terms. He was immediately arrested by British police and sentenced later that year to 50 weeks in jail for skipping bail.

In January, a London court refused to hand Assange over to the US, citing health concerns. “I find that the mental condition of Mr Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America,” judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled at the time.

The US appealed the decision and won. Ruling in favor of extradition on Friday, Lord Chief Justice Ian Burnett said that Washington provided additional assurances that reduce the risk of Assange committing suicide behind bars. “That risk is in our judgment excluded by the assurances which are offered,” Burnett said.

What’s next for Assange?


Assange’s fiancée, Stella Moris, said his legal team will appeal the decision “at the earliest possible moment.” If the appeal gets thrown out, it will ultimately be for the British government to decide whether to extradite Assange.

In the US, the WikiLeaks co-founder could face up to 175 years in jail, if found guilty on all charges, according to his legal team. Assange’s supporters, family and loved ones repeatedly warned that his health had deteriorated significantly over the years he had spent in confinement.

In 2019, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Nils Melzer, whose team visited Assange in Belmarsh, said that he showed “all the symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
×