New York, March 14, 2022 — In response to the U.K. Supreme Court’s announcement Monday refusing an appeal by Julian Assange to prevent his extradition to the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement:
“We are deeply disappointed that the U.K. Supreme Court has denied the latest attempt by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to appeal his extradition to the United States,” said CPJ Executive Director Robert Mahoney. “The U.S. prosecution of Assange under the 1917 Espionage Act sets a harmful precedent and undermines investigative reporting globally. We urge the U.K. Home Secretary to block his extradition.”
The decision is a reversal of a British court’s January ruling to allow Assange to appeal his case against the extradition, as CPJ documented at the time. According to news reports, Assange has not exhausted all of his legal options in the British courts, and his lawyers said they will continue fighting the extradition request, which will be referred back to lower courts.
If extradited and convicted in the United States, Assange faces up to 175 years in prison on 18 charges under both the Espionage Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.
This content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists and was authored by Erik Crouch.
