Julian Assange wins High Court victory in case against extradition to US | Julien Assange

Julian Assange has scored a victory in his battle against extradition from the UK after judges at the High Court in London granted him permission to appeal.

Two judges postponed their decision in March on whether Assange, who is trying to avoid prosecution in the United States on espionage charges linked to the publication of thousands of diplomatic and classified documents, could bring his case before another appeal hearing.

Assange had only been granted leave to appeal if the Biden administration was unable to provide the court with appropriate assurances “that the plaintiff (Assange) is entitled to rely on the First Amendment, that the plaintiff suffers no prejudice at trial, including the sentence, because of his nationality, that he enjoys the same protections of the First Amendment (freedom of speech) as a United States citizen and that the death penalty is not imposed”.

Monday’s legal debate focused on whether Assange would benefit from First Amendment protections. Assange’s team did not dispute the assurances about the death penalty, accepting that it was an “unambiguous promise from the executive”.

Assange was indicted on 17 espionage charges and one computer misuse charge, exposing him to a maximum of 175 years in prison, for publishing a trove of classified US documents on his website almost 15 years ago.

US prosecutors say Assange, 52, encouraged and aided US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to steal diplomatic cables and military files released by WikiLeaks, putting lives at risk.