WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, arrested in Great Britain, is taking action before the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom over his extradition dispute. Australian lawyers are appealing a British appeals court’s decision on possible extradition, his fiancée Stella Morris announced on Twitter on Thursday. He expressed an assessment that a decision could be taken at the earliest in the third week of January.

Assange is in custody in London. The US is seeking his extradition on espionage charges and the publication of classified documents on the WikiLeaks exposure platform on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to her fiancée, she had suffered a minor stroke in late October.

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In the United States, Australians face up to 175 years in prison. On 10 December, a British appeals court lifted a previously imposed ban on extradition of the 50-year-old man to the United States. The matter was returned to the London District Court, but with an order to refer it to Home Secretary Priti Patel for a final decision within 28 days. Against this decision of the appellate court, Assange’s lawyers have now approached the Supreme Court.

The matter has been causing a stir internationally for years. Assange’s supporters have repeatedly criticized the allegations and proceedings as politically motivated. Many see the whistleblower as a champion of press freedom. (dpa)