Shameful day for press freedom: UK denied WikiLeaks founder’s petition to appeal extradition to US

The UK Supreme Court on Monday rejected Julian Assange’s appeal of the decision to extradite him to the US, where the WikiLeaks co-founder faces espionage charges.

The Supreme Court has not yet officially released its reasoning in the matter. The decision was announced by WikiLeaks and Assange’s partner Stella Moris on social media.

It is now up to Home Secretary Priti Patel to authorize the extradition.

Assange filed a petition to appeal in December, arguing that US assurances not to hold him in solitary or subject him to psychological torture were unreliable – and citing Amnesty International to that effect.

For the publication of State Department cables and Pentagon documents pertaining to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US has charged Assange under the Espionage Act, and seeks to imprison him for up to 175 years.

Assange has denied all accusations, with his defenders and supporters pointing out he was not under US jurisdiction, had engaged in journalism that is legal in the US, and that accusations of him conspiring to hack the Pentagon’s computer systems were based on discredited testimony of a convicted Icelandic criminal.

 This represents an unprecedented attack on press freedom and the public’s right to know  seeking to criminalize basic journalistic activity.

more on source: rt.com/news/551901-assange-extradition-appeal-wikileaks

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