JULIAN Assange has won the right to ask the UK Supreme Court to block his extradition to the US.
The High Court has ruled that the Wikileaks founder may have raised a legal point that justices in the country’s highest court may wish to consider.
It means he can now petition the court for a hearing, which will delay any extradition from the UK for the time being.
He is wanted in the US over the publication of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011, which revealed how the US military forces had killed hundreds of civilians in unreported incidents during the war in Afghanistan.
Files leaked from the Iraq war showed that 66,000 civilians had been killed and prisoners tortured by Iraqi forces.
Last month, US authorities won an appeal against a previous UK court ruling that he could not be extradited due to concerns over his mental health.
They say the leaks broke the law and endangered lives, but Assange maintains that the case is politically motivated.
If convicted, Assange could face up to 175 years in prison.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel