Sexual Abuse: Brit to extradit Assange to Sweden

London, Feb 24: After the three-month long battle, finally, the British court ordered WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to rush to Sweden to face accusations of sexual abuse. Assange has denied all allegations against him.

The verdict by the British court on Thursday, Feb 24 is believed as a crucial turning point for Assange and the future of the whistle-blower Wikileaks. Assange and his team has so far tried to establish the fact that the sexual abuse case have been implemented to stop them from exposing the wrongdoings of the government.

"I must order that Mr Assange be extradited to Sweden," stated Belmarsh Magistrates Court Judge Howard Riddle while delivering the judgment on 39-year-old Assange.

While pronouncing the verdict, the judge also accused Assange's Swedish lawyer of making a deliberate attempt to mislead the court. "It would be a reasonable assumption from the facts that Mr Assange was deliberately avoiding interrogation before he left Sweden," added the judge.

Assange's lawyer confirmed that he will appeal against the British court's verdict to extradite to Sweden and if he would fail, he will rush to Sweden withing ten days.

The defence had argued that the allegations against Assange were not offences in English law and therefore not extraditable. But the judge said that the alleged offences against Miss A, sexual assault and molestation, met the criteria for extradition offences and a fourth against Miss B, an allegation of rape, "would amount to rape" in this country.

Assange was arrested on Dec 7, 2010 under a European Arrest Warrant, and spent nine days in Wandsworth prison before being released on bail.

However, Assange's celebrity status has not proved as fruitful to him, though dozens of supporters gathered outside the court with banners and placard which were showing slogans like - "Free Julian Assange and Bradley Manning."

OneIndia News