UK court backs Assange extradition to Sweden

[cali]

By Michael Holden

LONDON | Wed May 30, 2012 5:17am EDT

(Reuters) - Britain's Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden over alleged sex crimes, but gave him two weeks to seek to reopen the case.

Judges at Britain's highest court rejected by a majority of 5-2 Assange's argument that a European arrest warrant for his extradition was invalid.

Two lower courts have already ruled in favor of the extradition of Assange, a self-styled anti-secrecy campaigner and bane of Washington.

Swedish prosecutors want to question Assange over allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two female former WikiLeaks volunteers, and he has been fighting a lengthy legal battle against extradition since his arrest in Britain in December 2010.

<snip>

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/30/us-britain-assange-court-idUSBRE84T0BQ20120530