London CNN —WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has fended off the threat of immediate extradition to the United States after the High Court in London asked the US to provide more assurances.
US authorities say Assange, 52, put lives at risk by publishing secret military documents and have for years been seeking his extradition on espionage charges.
If the US fails to give these assurances, Assange would be allowed to appeal his extradition at a further hearing in May.
Assange has fought extradition for the last five years from London’s Belmarsh prison, and for seven years before that was holed up as a political refugee at the Ecuadorian embassy in the UK capital.
But the court refused to grant him leave to appeal on the ground that the prosecution is politically motivated.
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