Julian Assange can be extradited to U.S., court rules

PanARMENIAN.Net - Wikileaks founder Julian Assange can be extradited from the UK to the U.S., the High Court has ruled. The U.S. won its appeal against a January UK court ruling that he could not be extradited due to concerns over his mental health, the BBC reports.

Judges were reassured by U.S. promises to reduce the risk of suicide. His fiancee said they intended to appeal.

Assange is wanted in the U.S. over the publication of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011.

Senior judges found the lower judge had based her decision in January on the risk of Assange being held in highly restrictive prison conditions if extradited.

However, the U.S. authorities later gave assurances that he would not face those strictest measures unless he committed an act in the future that merited them.

Giving the judgement, Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett said: "That risk is in our judgment excluded by the assurances which are offered.

"It follows that we are satisfied that, if the assurances had been before the judge, she would have answered the relevant question differently."