Assange Loses Appeal Against Swedish Extradition

After a lengthy court battle, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has lost his appeal against extradition to Sweden, where prosecutors want to question him about sexual assault allegations. Two judges at the High Court in London rejected the 40-year-old Australian’s arguments that his extradition would be unlawful. They ruled the Swedish arrest warrant stands and Mr Assange should face questioning over the allegations made by two former volunteers of his WikiLeaks organisation. Assange showed no emotion as the result was read out and outside court he said the European arrest warrant under which he has been held was too restrictive. Assange’s  lawyers are expected to apply to the UK Supreme Court for leave to appeal. They have 14 days to do so, but they will need to prove there is a wider issue of public importance at stake. Assange’s Swedish Lawyer Bjorn Hurtig said the ruling “was not entirely unexpected” but a lawyer for the women making the allegations criticized the court for having taken four months to reach its verdict. READ MORE