London court permits WikiLeaks founder Assange to appeal extradition to U.S.

A British court on Monday permitted WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to appeal his extradition to the United States, after previously delayed it in March.

At that time the U.K. court gave the United States three weeks to assure that he would receive a fair trial, be permitted to use the First Amendment in his arguments, and guarantee he would not face the death penalty.

The High Court on Monday permitted Assange to challenge the extradition order, Politico reported. The decision followed a Monday hearing that largely addressed the issue of the First Amendment.

The U.S. is seeking Assange's extradition to face charges under the Espionage Act in connection with the publication of classified materials. He was first charged in 2010.

Assange resided in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for years to avoid extradition to Sweden in an unrelated case, though he has been confined to a British prison since 2019.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.