Assange wins right to appeal extradition to U.S.

A sticker with a photo of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen on a road sign outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Britain, on Jan. 24, 2022. Assange has won permission from a court here to appeal against his extradition from the United Kingdom (UK) to the United States, where he faces espionage charges. (Photo by Stephen Chung/Xinhua)

LONDON, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has won permission from a court here to appeal against his extradition from the United Kingdom (UK) to the United States, where he faces espionage charges.

The High Court in London decided on Monday that Assange had an arguable point of law that UK Supreme Court justices may want to consider.

However, the High Court refused him permission for a direct appeal, meaning the Supreme Court will first have to decide whether it should hear his challenge.

Assange's lawyers now have 14 days to prepare the application to the Supreme Court.

Last month, the High Court ruled that Assange can be extradited, as it overturned an earlier judgment based on concerns about Assange's mental health and risk of suicide in a maximum-security prison in the U.S.

Assange, 50, is wanted in the United States on allegations of disclosing national defense information following WikiLeaks's publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked military documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars a decade ago.

He has been held at south London's high-security Belmarsh Prison since 2019.