British minister authorizes extradition of Julian Assange to US

British Home Secretary has allowed Julian Assange to be extradited to the United States. Minister Priti Patel found no reasons to refuse the extradition request, so she must grant permission. Assange can still appeal.

The question was whether Patel had legal grounds to refuse the extradition request. The United States promised, among other things, not to execute Assange if he was surrendered. Because of these promises, Patel appears to have no reasons to refuse the request, so she approved the request on Friday.

Assange cannot be extradited immediately, writes The Guardian. He has 14 days to appeal. It is expected that Assange’s legal team will do so, focusing on freedom of expression and whether the extradition request is politically motivated.

The British court has ruled several times that there is no objection to the extradition. Assange could face up to 175 years in prison in the United States, including for violating US espionage law when he leaked classified information about wars. Assange spent years in the Ecuadorian embassy until 2019.