UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has signed an order to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the US. Assange faces espionage charges in the US and is wanted for trial. Assange, in 2010, published military and diplomatic files and could face up to 175 years in jail if found guilty, although the exact sentence is difficult to estimate.
A London court issued a formal extradition order in April, leaving Patel to rubber-stamp his transfer to the US after a years-long legal wrangle, a CNN report reads.
Patel's office, in a statement, said Assange has a 14-day right to appeal the decision. Assange's supporters, have over the years, held protests and campaigns to try and prevent the deportation.
His wife Stella, with whom the 50-year-old has two children in secret, has pleaded for his release from custody. WikiLeaks told AFP, "Julian did nothing wrong. He has committed no crime and is not a criminal. He is a journalist and a publisher, and he is being punished for doing his job." the group said that the decision to extradite is a political one because Assange published proof that the US committed war crimes and covered them up.
"The UK courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr Assange. Nor have they found that extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and freedom of expression, and that whilst in the US he will be treated appropriately, including in relation to his health," Britain's Home Office told CNN.
Assange is currently at the high-security Belmarsh Prison in London. He has been held there since he had been dragged out of the Ecuador Embassy, where he was holed up for three years.
