AN order to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been signed by Priti Patel, the Home Office has confirmed.
WikiLeaks called it a “dark day” for press freedom and British democracy.
The journalist is facing espionage charges in the US after leaking documents on the whistleblowing site the American government insists endanger its national security.
The Australian's lawyers have said they will mount an appeal against the Home Secretary's decision.
Assange has been living in Britain since 2012 and was granted asylum by Ecuador, living in its embassy in London until 2019.
He is currently an inmate at HMP Belmarsh in the capital.
Stella Moris leaves Belmarsh prison with Julian Assange's father, Richard Assange and his brother Gabriel Shipton after marrying WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on March 23, 2022 in London/Getty Images
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Sweden issued an international warrant for Assange’s arrest in 2010 over allegations of sexual assault from two women.
Assange has always maintained his innocence and said the country’s actions were a pretext for having him extradited to the US.
Editors of leading US papers such as The Washington Post and The New York Times, which have published stories originating from Wikileaks scoops, criticised the US Government’s decision to charge Assange under the Espionage Act as a threat to freedom of speech and the press.
He has protested he will not receive a fair trial in the US and Assange’s lawyers claim he would be at risk of committing suicide if extradited.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Under the Extradition Act 2003, the Secretary of State must sign an extradition order if there are no grounds to prohibit the order being made. Extradition requests are only sent to the Home Secretary once a judge decides it can proceed after considering various aspects of the case.
“On 17 June, following consideration by both the Magistrates Court and High Court, the extradition of Mr Julian Assange to the US was ordered. Mr Assange retains the normal 14-day right to appeal.
“In this case, the UK courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr Assange.
“Nor have they found that extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and to freedom of expression, and that whilst in the US he will be treated appropriately, including in relation to his health.”
A WikiLeaks spokesman said: “This is a dark day for press freedom and for British democracy. Anyone in this country who cares about freedom of expression should be deeply ashamed that the Home Secretary has approved the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States, the country that plotted his assassination.
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“Julian did nothing wrong. He has committed no crime and is not a criminal. He is a journalist and a publisher, and he is being punished for doing his job.
“It was in Priti Patel’s power to do the right thing. Instead she will forever be remembered as an accomplice of the United States in its agenda to turn investigative journalism into a criminal enterprise.
“Foreign laws now determine the limits of press freedom in this country and the journalism that won the industry’s most prestigious prizes has been deemed an extraditable offence and worthy of a life sentence.
“The path to Julian’s freedom is long and tortuous. Today is not the end of the fight. It is only the beginning of a new legal battle.
"We will appeal through the legal system, the next appeal will be before the High Court.
"We will fight louder and shout harder on the streets, we will organise and we will make Julian’s story be known to all.
“Make no mistake, this has always been a political case. Julian published evidence that the country trying to extradite him committed war crimes and covered them up; tortured and rendered; bribed foreign officials; and corrupted judicial inquiries into US wrongdoing. Their revenge is to try to disappear him into the darkest recesses of their prison system for the rest of his life to deter others from holding governments to account.
“We will not let that happen. Julian’s freedom is coupled to all our freedoms. We will fight to return Julian to his family and to regain freedom of expression for us all.”
Patel has introduced the National Security Bill, which among other measures, could result in whistleblowers, journalists and publishers jailed for life if they are found to have endangered "the safety or interests of the UK".
Assange married his partner Stella Moris at a ceremony in Belmarsh in March.
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