Julian Assange loses appeal against Swedish extradition

WHAT'S HAPPENED?
Julian Assange has lost his High Court appeal against extradition to Sweden, where prosecutors want the WikiLeaks boss to answer accusations of rape, two counts of sexual molestation and unlawful coercion made by two women in Stockholm last year.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Assange lost his case on four grounds, writes legal commentator David Allen Green in the New Statesman. The two judges ruled that "the warrant had been validly issued, the offences specified existed in both Sweden and the United Kingdom, the request was proportionate, and the conduct alleged amounted to a criminal offence".

Green adds the verdict was "no great surprise" because for Assange to have succeeded "would have effectively required the High Court to undermine the entire European Arrest Warrant system".

WHAT NEXT?
Assange could be extradited within 10 days, according to The Guardian. However, November 26 would be a more realistic time-frame. Assange has 14 days to decide whether he wants to take his case to the Supreme Court on the grounds that it is of "public importance". If Assange is allowed to appeal, the hearing is unlikely to take place until next year. ·