The supreme court in London has reaffirmed its rejection of Julian Assange’s appeal against his extradition to Sweden, turning down an unusual last-minute request to reopen the case.
In a short statement, issued only two days after Dinah Rose QC submitted a written plea for the case to be reheard, the court declared her application “is without merit and it is dismissed”.
The terse phrasing suggests a degree of judicial disapproval of the extended process and leaves Mr Assange’s lawyers with the choice of appealing the decision to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg or agreeing to the extradition requests.
Mr Assange is wanted in connection with accusations of sexual assault and rape in Sweden. He disputes the allegations.
He is being sought under a European arrest warrant. The supreme court case revolved around the question of whether a prosecutor, in this case in Sweden, constituted a “judicial authority” as the European arrest warrant specifies. The supreme court found by a majority of five to two against Mr Assange, saying the warrant was valid.
In its statement refusing to reopen the case, the supreme court said it had agreed unanimously extradition proceedings should not begin for another two weeks. – (Guardian service)