Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been thrown an eleventh-hour legal lifeline by the UK’s high court. It's granted him leave to appeal against his extradition to the US.
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00:00 This is a legal victory for Julian Assange.
00:04 The High Court of the United Kingdom has granted him the right to appeal against his extradition
00:10 to the United States on the grounds that he wouldn't be guaranteed the right to use the
00:15 First Amendment right to free speech afforded to other American citizens and as a result
00:21 of that he could be disadvantaged because of his nationality.
00:26 Outside court his loyal supporters have showed their joy and relief at the court's decision
00:31 today but they're also disappointed that this does not guarantee his freedom nor does it
00:37 prevent his eventual extradition to the United States to face those 18 charges, 17 on espionage,
00:45 one on computer misuse relating to the publication of hundreds of thousands of classified documents
00:51 relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
00:55 We just want him free now, he shouldn't be in there anyway.
00:59 I'm worried that having an appeal he's just going to be there in Belmarsh for weeks, maybe
01:05 months more while the whole appeal process goes through and while they wait a decision
01:10 as well, getting sicker.
01:12 No he needs to be free.
01:15 The crime is he's still locked up, he needs to be free, that's it.
01:19 The court's decision today follows a hearing held in March in which the judges asked the
01:26 United States to provide assurances that if Mr Assange was to be extradited to face those
01:31 charges that he would be afforded a right to a fair trial.
01:36 The court's decision today shows that they were not satisfied by those assurances.
01:41 The judges have now asked the legal team of Julian Assange and also those representing
01:47 the United States to go away and work out a pathway forward.
01:51 Mr Assange was invited to attend court today but his legal team said that he wasn't able
01:57 to citing his deteriorating health condition.
02:01 [BLANK_AUDIO]