Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is one step closer to being extradited to the United States, where he will face charges under the Espionage Act, after a London court handed his extradition order to the British government for clearance.

After a year-long legal fight, the court issued a formal extradition order on Wednesday, allowing UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to rubber-stamp his transfer to the US. Assange has the right to appeal the ruling.
Following the publication of thousands of confidential papers and diplomatic cables by Wikileaks in 2010, he is wanted in the United States on 18 felony counts. If found guilty, Assange could face a sentence of up to 175 years in jail. Assange participated in the hearing remotely from London’s Belmarsh Prison, where he has been imprisoned since being hauled out of the Ecuadorian embassy three years ago. He gave his entire name and birth date.
Since his detention, which occurred after Assange claimed diplomatic asylum in the embassy for seven years, his extradition has been the topic of countless court hearings. A magistrates’ court judgement in January 2021 determined that extraditing Assange would be “oppressive” due to his mental condition.

In December, however, the High Court overruled that judgement, ruling that Assange might be extradited to the United States based on guarantees from the US government concerning his treatment there. These included assurances that Assange would not face “special administrative measures” or be incarcerated in a maximum-security jail before or after his trial.
Inside Belmarsh jail, Assange married his long-term lover Stella Moris last month.