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By Karla Adam, Updated: Monday, December 5, 7:41 PM
LONDON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange prolonged his stay in Britain on Monday, winning the right to petition the Supreme Court to hear his case against extradition to Sweden over sex crime allegations.
On Monday, two High Court judges in London ruled that Assange’s case raised a question of “general public importance,” which means he now has 14 days to lodge a written appeal to the Supreme Court, the highest court in Britain. The Supreme Court will then decide whether to hear his appeal.
The ruling represented an important lifeline for Assange who, if he had lost his bid, would have been extradited within 10 days to Sweden, where his alleged crimes include rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion.
Speaking to a battalion of journalists outside the Royal Courts of Justice in central London, Assange said: “I think that is the correct decision and I am thankful. The long struggle for justice for me and for others continues.”
While rejecting one of Assange’s main arguments for appeal, the High Court judges said he could apply to the Supreme Court on the specific issue of whether the European arrest warrant under which he was detained a year ago is flawed because it was signed by a public prosecutor. His lawyers argue that this is not a “judicial authority” as required by law.
But Judge John Thomas told the courtroom on Monday that the likelihood of Assange successfully applying for an appeal “may be extraordinarily slim.”
If the Supreme Court rejects his bid, he could still apply to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. However, extradition experts said that this would not prevent the British from sending him to Sweden.
The legal odyssey of the 40-year-old Australian began last December, following his arrest over claims of sexual abuse by two women he met in Sweden in August 2010.
In previous court testimony, prosecuting authorities claimed that Assange had unwanted sex with “SW” while she slept, and that another woman “AA,” was a victim of coercive, unprotected sex.
Assange denies any sexual misconduct, but concedes he was cold to the women. In his “unauthorized autobiography,”Assange writes: “I may be a chauvinist pig of some sort but I am no rapist.”
Assange has also suggested the case is part of a global plot to discredit him following WikiLeaks’s release of hundreds of thousands of confidential U.S. government files.
In February, a lower court ruled in favor of his extradition to Sweden, and last month the High Court in London upheld the decision. In seeking to appeal to the Supreme Court, Assange’s lawyers had to make a case that an issue of constitutional or general public importance was at stake.
As part of his restricted bail conditions, Assange will continue to live at a supporter’s mansion northeast of London where he is required to wear an electronic tag and check in daily with local police.
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