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International Federation of Journalists slams court’s decision on Assange’s extradition

Earlier on Friday, London’s High Court allowed a US appeal for the extradition of the WikiLeaks founder

Julian Assange Jack Taylor/Getty Images

Julian Assange

© Jack Taylor/Getty Images

BRUSSELS, December 10. /TASS/. The Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) "strongly opposes" the decision of London’s High Court that allowed a US appeal for the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the organization said on Twitter.

"The High Court in London unblocked the extradition of WikiLeaks founder and journalist Julian Assange from Britain to the US. The IFJ strongly opposes this decision, and will support any effort Assange's legal team may take to appeal the ruling," the tweet reads.

The IFJ also called on US President Joe Biden "to end the years of politically motivated prosecution of Julian Assange by dropping the charges against him." The organization added that "the criminalization of whistleblowers and investigative journalists like Assange has no place in a democracy."

Earlier on Friday, London’s High Court allowed a US appeal for the extradition of the WikiLeaks founder. The case will now be remitted to Westminster Magistrates’ Court, which ruled earlier that Assange could not be extradited to the US due to the risk of suicide.

Assange has been held in London’s Belmarsh prison since April 2019. He was sent to the facility after Ecuador’s embassy had revoked his asylum status, ending Assange’s seven-year stay at the diplomatic facility. In January, a court of the first instance blocked Assange’s extradition to the US where he faces 18 criminal charges that can result in a sentence of up to 175 years in prison. In the United States, Assange is facing criminal charges for his role in the biggest leak of classified information in US history.

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