UK Supreme Court judges will decide whether Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange’s case to block extradition to the US is of sufficient important to the law to be heard.
Last year, the High Court ruled that Assange should be extradited to the US after he lost his case on the mass leak of military cables and confidential documents in 2010 and 2011.
The Supreme Court today refused leave to appeal by the Lord Chief Justice Lord Burnett of Maldon.
However, Justice Burnett “certified” a point of law, opening the door for Supreme Court judges to evaluate the case. The point of law certified is: “In what circumstances can an appealate court receive assurances from a requesting state which were not before the court of first instance in extradition proceedings?”
Following the original ruling by District Judge Vanessa Baraitser, that Assange could not be sent for trial as he would be at risk of suicide while held in a US prison. The Lord Chief Justice said that Mr Assange’s case had raised a legal question over the circumstances in which judges received and considered assurances from the US about how he would be treated in prison.