The High Court in London has postponed Assange's extradition, demanding that the US fulfil a number of conditions
The US must guarantee that he will not be sentenced to death if convicted
The High Court in London has set a number of conditions for the US government to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. If Washington fails to fulfil them, Assange will be able to appeal the extradition decision, according to the court's ruling published on 26 March, DW reports.
In particular, the court requires the US to provide "satisfactory guarantees" within three weeks that Assange will be able to invoke the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees freedom of speech, and that he will not be sentenced to death if convicted.
The case will continue on 20 May. If the WikiLeaks founder were denied an appeal, he could be extradited to the US within days.
During the two-day hearing in February, Assange's lawyers argued that the charges against their client were politically motivated and that the US request for his extradition was illegal.
Julian Assange, 52, is accused by the US authorities of conspiring to hack into government computer networks and illegally publishing defence-related classified information in 2010. This includes the theft and publication of classified materials about US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
US prosecutors want to bring him to trial for the theft and disclosure of such information and are seeking Assange's extradition to the United States.
According to the representative of the prosecution, Claire Dobbin, the founder of WikiLeaks is being tried not for his political position, but for an act that endangered the lives of many people.
Earlier, Assange's defence claimed that his prosecution was politically motivated. For his supporters, on the contrary, he is a hero who exposed the abuse of power and misconduct of the United States in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In the United States, Assange faces 175 years in prison.
Background. As reported, the United Kingdom has approved the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States.
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