Assange loses appeal against extradition

Assange loses appeal against extradition

London court rules WikiLeaks founder should be sent to Sweden to face questioning over sexual assault allegations. Last Modified: 02 Nov 2011 10:25

Assange's lawyers argued the case against the WikiLeaks founder was legally flawed [GALLO/GETTY] A UK court has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be extradited to Sweden for questioning over alleged sexual crimes. In a judgment Wednesday, Judges John Thomas and Duncan Ousely said that Assange, who was in court to hear the verdict, should be sent to Sweden to be questioned over the alleged rape of one woman and the molestation of another in Stockholm last year. The ruling in London's high court came 11 months after Assange was arrested over the allegations. He will have two weeks in which to lodge an appeal. However, any appeal to the supreme court, the UK's highest judicial body, can be done only on a point of law considered to be of general public interest. Swedish authorities want to quiz the 40-year-old over accusations of rape and sexual assault made by two former female volunteers for his WikiLeaks organisation. The case has cast a shadow over Assange and his whistle-blowing website which published a cache of more than 250,000 secret US diplomatic cables last year and caused a media sensation. A British judge approved the Swedish request for the computer expert's extradition in February, but Assange appealed against that decision. His lawyers have argued the Swedish demand is legally flawed and that the sex was consensual. Assange, who is free under strict bail conditions, has also accused the United States of putting pressure on Britain, Sweden and the media. Last month, Assange, an Australian citizen, said WikiLeaks would stop publishing secret cables and devote itself instead to fundraising because of a financial blockade on payments to the site by US firms such as Visa and MasterCard. He said if the blockade was not ended by the turn of the year, WikiLeaks would not be able to continue.