LONDON, March 26. /TASS/. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will not be extradited to the US immediately and his lawyers will be able to further challenge the decision on his extradition, according to London’s High Court ruling.
"Mr. Assange will not, therefore, be extradited immediately. The Court has given the Government of the United States 3 weeks to give satisfactory assurances: that Mr. Assange is permitted to rely on the First Amendment to the United States Constitution (which protects free speech), that he is not prejudiced at trial (including sentence) by reason of his nationality, that he is afforded the same First Amendment protections as a United States citizen and that the death penalty is not imposed," the ruling said.
If those guarantees are not given, Assange will have the right to challenge the decision on his extradition and the court will review the concerns put forward by his attorneys, who insist that his life and well-being will be threatened if he is extradited to the US.
UK experts forecast that the US may provide assurances that Assange will not receive a death sentence while the potential appeal will focus on whether he has the right to the First Amendment protections.
In the United States, Assange is facing criminal charges for his role in the biggest leak of classified information in US history. The charges carry a potential sentence of 175 years in prison.