provided assurances that the WikiLeaks founder
wouldn’t face the severe treatment that his
lawyers said would put his physical and mental
health at risk.
In December, the High Court overturned the
lower court’s decision, saying that the U.S.
promises were enough to guarantee that
Assange would be treated humanely.
Monday’s news narrows Assange’s options, but
his defense team may still seek to take his case
to the European Court of Human Rights. Nick
Vamos, the former head of extradition at the
Crown Prosecution Service, said Assange’s lawyers
can also seek to challenge other points that he
had lost in the original district court decision.
Barry Pollack, Assange’s U.S.-based lawyer, said
that it was “extremely disappointing” that Britain’s
Supreme Court is unwilling to hear the appeal.
“Mr. Assange will continue the legal process
fighting his extradition to the United States to
face criminal charges for publishing truthful and
newsworthy information,” he said.
Assange’s British lawyers, Birnberg Peirce
Solicitors, said they can make submissions to
the Home Secretary within the next four weeks,
ahead of her making any decision.
American prosecutors say Assange unlawfully
helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea
Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and
military files that WikiLeaks later published,
putting lives at risk.
But supporters and lawyers for Assange
argue that he was acting as a journalist and
is entitled to First Amendment protections of
freedom of speech for publishing documents