The High Court in London has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has the right to appeal against his extradition to the US.
Assange's legal team argued that Justices Victoria Sharp and Jeremy Johnson should not accept the assurances given by US prosecutors that the WikiLeaks founder could seek to invoke the rights and protections provided by the First Amendment of the US Constitution, CNN reported.
Assange's legal team argued that he could be discriminated against on the basis of his nationality because he was born in Australia and is a foreign national.
In a brief ruling, the judges said the US arguments were not sufficient, and allowed Assange to appeal in full on the free speech and nationality points.
No date has yet been set for the full appeal.
Assange is wanted by US authorities on espionage charges related to his organisation's publication of thousands of secret documents and diplomatic cables in 2010 and 2011. If found guilty, he will spend the rest of his life behind bars.
In March, the court postponed its extradition decision as judges sought a number of assurances, including from the US, that it would not seek the death penalty for the 52-year-old Australian citizen.
The Australian has not been free for 12 years.
Assange has spent the last five years in London's high-security Belmarsh prison, and before that spent nearly seven years hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in the British capital, trying to avoid arrest. He claims his extradition was politically motivated. / BGNES
