Judge Sends Assange Extradition Decision to UK Government

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange supporters hold placards as they gather outside Westminster Magistrates court In London, on April 20, 2022. Alastair Grant/AP Photo

LONDON—A British judge on Wednesday formally approved the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States to face spying charges. The case will now go to Britain’s interior minister for a decision, though the WikiLeaks founder still has legal avenues of appeal.

The order, which brings an end to the years’-long extradition battle closer, comes after the UK Supreme Court last month refused Assange permission to appeal against a lower court’s ruling that he could be extradited.