Julian Assange is one step closer to facing federal charges in the United States, where he is accused of publishing classified diplomatic cables and crucial military files from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
The British government formally ordered WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be extradited on Friday, but Assange has two weeks to appeal the decision of the UK’s Home Office.
Assange was detained in the United Kingdom in April 2019 after the US published an indictment accusing him of a criminal conspiracy that resulted in “one of the greatest compromises of sensitive information in US history.”
In the United States, where would Assange be tried?
In the Eastern District of Virginia, a federal grand jury accused Assange. If he loses his appeal and is extradited, the Albert V. Bryan U.S. Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., will be his first court appearance. District Judge Claude M. Hilton has been appointed to the case.
If Assange is found guilty, he may face up to ten years in prison for each of the 17 most serious felony charges leveled against him, however, the Justice Department adds that “actual sentences for federal offenses are often less than the maximum punishments.”