By Mourad Anouar
By Mourad Anouar
Morocco World News
Oklahoma, May30, 2012
Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, is likely to be extradited by U.K. to Sweden for questioning about rape claims after challenging a technicality of his detainment 18 months ago.
Today’s ruling turned on a technicality concerning whether it was a “judicial authority” that had issued European Arrest Warrant and the court ruled that it had.
Dinah Rose, Assange’s lawyer, told the court today the extradition might be stayed for 14 days if this decision is challenged by applying to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, which would have two weeks to respond, according to the U.K. Crown Prosecution Service, which represents Sweden in the case.
It is to note that Assange was arrested in London on Dec. 7, 2010, and placed under virtual house arrest. The Swedish Prosecutor then issued a European Arrest Warrant for Assange in November 2010, seeking his extradition to Sweden for questioning over allegations of sexual offenses. This extradition was opposed by Assange.