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UK certifies US extradition request for Assange
Certifying the request is the first stage of the extradition process, which will now move to the Westminster Magistrates Court.
Home secretary Sajid Javid on Thursday said he has certified the extradition request submitted by the United States for Julian Assange. The WikiLeaks founder is currently lodged in the Belmarsh jail where he is serving a 50-week sentence for skipping bail.
Certifying the request is the first stage of the extradition process, which will now move to the Westminster Magistrates Court. The US is included in the Type A of category 2 territories of UK’s extradition process (India is in Type B).
Javid said: “It (extradition) is a decision ultimately for the courts, but there is a very important part of it for the home secretary and I want to see justice done at all times and we’ve got a legitimate extradition request, so I’ve signed it, but the final decision is now with the courts.”
The first hearing in the magistrates court in the US extradition case is likely to be held on Friday.
Assange, 47, faces indictment on 18 counts in the US, including charges under the Espionage Act and for computer hacking. He has been sentenced to 50 weeks in jail for skipping bail after spending seven years in the Ecuador embassy in London.
