Assange appeals ruling on extradition
Source: Agencies |
March 4, 2011, Friday
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WIKILEAKS founder Julian Assange has launched an appeal against a ruling that he should be extradited from Britain to Sweden over alleged sex crimes, his lawyer said yesterday.
Last week Assange, who infuriated the US government by publishing thousands of secret US diplomatic cables, was told by a British judge he could be sent to Sweden to face questioning over complaints by two female WikiLeaks volunteers.
The 39-year-old Australian computer expert vowed to fight the extradition decision and his lawyers have now lodged papers appealing the verdict at London's High Court.
One volunteer accuses Assange of sexually molesting her by ignoring her request for him to use a condom during sex; the second says he had sex with her while she was asleep and that he was not wearing a condom, an allegation which falls into the least severe of three rape categories in Sweden.
Assange's lawyers claim he will not get a fair trial in Sweden, as rape cases are held in secret. They criticize the European arrest warrant system used to seek his extradition, and say there are political motivations for the prosecution.
"Those are issues that should concern any right-thinking person and the question will come to whether we should be sending people to countries which don't respect minimum human rights standards," Assange's lawyer Mark Stephens said.
WikiLeaks caused a media and diplomatic uproar last year when it began publishing more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables, revealing secrets like Saudi leaders had urged US military action against Iran.
Last week Assange, who infuriated the US government by publishing thousands of secret US diplomatic cables, was told by a British judge he could be sent to Sweden to face questioning over complaints by two female WikiLeaks volunteers.
The 39-year-old Australian computer expert vowed to fight the extradition decision and his lawyers have now lodged papers appealing the verdict at London's High Court.
One volunteer accuses Assange of sexually molesting her by ignoring her request for him to use a condom during sex; the second says he had sex with her while she was asleep and that he was not wearing a condom, an allegation which falls into the least severe of three rape categories in Sweden.
Assange's lawyers claim he will not get a fair trial in Sweden, as rape cases are held in secret. They criticize the European arrest warrant system used to seek his extradition, and say there are political motivations for the prosecution.
"Those are issues that should concern any right-thinking person and the question will come to whether we should be sending people to countries which don't respect minimum human rights standards," Assange's lawyer Mark Stephens said.
WikiLeaks caused a media and diplomatic uproar last year when it began publishing more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables, revealing secrets like Saudi leaders had urged US military action against Iran.
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