Britain’s High Court has granted U.S. authorities permission to expand their grounds for appealing an earlier U.K. court decision to block the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, where he is wanted on espionage chargesLONDON -- Britain's High Court on Wednesday granted U.S. authorities permission to expand their grounds for appealing an earlier U.K. court decision to block the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, where he is wanted on espionage charges. District Court Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled in January that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions. Two judges agreed Wednesday to grant the U.S. authorities permission to expand their grounds of appealing Baraitser's decision to block the extradition. Assange, wearing a dark face mask, listened in by video link from London’s high-security Belmarsh prison, where he has been held since 2019. A group of protesters, including Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of Britain's opposition Labour Party, held placards reading “Journalism is not a crime” and shouted “Free Julian Assange!” to the beat of a drum as police looked on.

Source: ABC News August 11, 2021 11:23 UTC