Overview

• The UK High Court has put Julian Assange's extradition on hold, awaiting further US assurances regarding his First Amendment rights and protection against the death penalty.
• Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, is facing charges in the US that could lead to a sentence of up to 175 years for publishing classified documents.
• The court's decision extends Assange's legal battle, which has seen him detained in London's Belmarsh Prison since 2019.
• Assange's supporters argue he is a journalist who exposed US military misconduct, while the US accuses him of endangering lives by leaking classified information.
• The case has sparked international debate over press freedom and the extraterritorial application of US laws.