Julian Assange has appealed his extradition from the U.K., prolonging legal wrangling over whether the WikiLeaks founder should be sent to the U.S.—amid growing questions about the Biden administration’s appetite to pursue him over leaking classified material.
Gareth Peirce, a senior partner at Birnberg Peirce & Partners who is representing Mr. Assange, said that two appeals were filed on Thursday to the U.K. high court to contest his extradition. The court must now decide whether the appeals can be heard.
British Home Secretary Priti Patel recently approved an order to extradite Mr. Assange, an action that could have been a final step to his removal without the new filing. He had until Friday to bring the appeal. Mr. Assange’s lawyers are appealing both Ms. Patel’s decision and elements of a ruling by District Judge Vanessa Baraitser last year, which broadly focused on whether Mr. Assange would get a fair trial in the U.S. The details of the appeals weren’t made public.
The move likely delays by many months the prospect of Mr. Assange arriving in Virginia to contest charges of improperly obtaining and disclosing classified information and conspiring to hack a military computer.
Investigative Issues: WikiLeaks' Assange Appeals Extradition to U.S.
(AP Foto/Matt Dunham, Archivo)
