WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, wanted in the US over the alleged leak of classified documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is expected to make submissions to UK Home Secretary Priti Patel after he lost an appeal against his extradition in the UK Supreme Court.
The 50-year-old’s lawyers had argued that he should not be taken to the US because of a real and “oppressive” risk of suicide and won the right to appeal in Britain’s highest court. However, on Monday the Supreme Court concluded that his application did not “raise an arguable point of law”. The case will now go to Priti Patel for a sign off on his extradition to the US, with four weeks’ time for his lawyers to make representations to the minister directly.
“We regret that the opportunity has not been taken to consider the troubling circumstances in which requesting states can provide caveated guarantees after the conclusion of a full evidential hearing,” reads a statement from his law firm Birnberg Peirce.
“In Mr Assange’s case, the court had found that there was a real risk of prohibited treatment in the event of his onward extradition,” the spokesperson said.
Under the next steps in the legal process, the case will now be remitted to Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, whose function thereafter is limited to referring the decision for extradition to the Home Secretary. The Min then decides whether to order or refuse extradition to the United States on a number of statutory bases. The defence is entitled to make submissions to the Home Secretary within the following four weeks.