Assange Begins Final Legal Battle To Avoid Extradition

February 19, 2024 5:11 am

LONDON (AP) — Julian Assange’s lawyers will begin their final U.K. legal challenge to stop the WikiLeaks founder from being sent to the United States to face spying charges. The 52-year-old has been fighting extradition for more than a decade, including seven years in self-exile in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and the last five years in a high-security prison. It’s his last legal avenue in Britain, set to start Tuesday. If the judges rule against Assange, he can ask the European Court of Human Rights to block his extradition. Supporters worry he could be put on a plane to the U.S. before that happens. Assange has been fighting extradition for more than a decade.