UK Judge Approves Extradition to U.S. of WikiLeaks’ Assange

Breitbart News reports that a British judge on Wednesday formally approved the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States to face spying charges.

The order comes after the U.K. Supreme Court last month refused Assange permission to appeal. The case will now go to Britain’s interior minister for a decision.

District Judge Paul Goldspring issued the order in a brief hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, as Assange watched by video link from Belmarsh Prison and his supporters rallied outside the courthouse, demanding he be freed.

The U.S. has asked British authorities to extradite Assange so he can stand trial on 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse. American prosecutors say Assange unlawfully helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.

Supporters and lawyers for Assange, 50, argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech for publishing documents that exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. They argue that his case is politically motivated.

Assange could face up to 175 years in jail if he is convicted in the U.S.