Wikileaks' Julian Assange loses extradition fight

Julian Assange has failed in his appeal against an extradition order from the UK to Sweden to face charges of rape and sexual assault, although the Wikileaks founder plans to appeal the verdict.

Two judges at the High Court in London today ruled that a previous verdict of extradition should be upheld. Swedish authorities want Assange to answer allegations of raping one woman, and sexually molesting another in Stockholm.

However, lawyers for the 40-year-old Australian have already confirmed that they will take his appeal against today's verdict to the Supreme Court.

They now have 14 days to bring their case to the highest court in the UK, on grounds that it pertains to issues of public importance.

In February, district Judge Howard Riddle said at the City of Westminster Magistrates' Court that Assange should be extradited to face police charges in Sweden.

In today's ruling, the judges dismissed Assange's argument that the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) against him was invalid because it had not been issued by a "judicial authority".

Instead, they said that the EAW that led to Assange's arrest and all legal proceedings was "lawful" and "proportionate".

According to BBC News, the judges added: "This is self-evidently not a case relating to a trivial offence, but to serious sexual offences.

"Assuming proportionality is a requirement, it is difficult to see what real scope there is for the [appeal] argument in circumstances where a Swedish Court of Appeal has taken the view, as part of Swedish procedure, that an arrest is necessary."

Wikileaks sprung into the headlines in late 2010 after publishing hundreds of thousands of controversial US embassy and diplomatic cables.

However, Assange said last month that the whistleblowing site had temporarily suspended all publishing operations as it fights a financial blockade.

He added that if the financial boycott by firms such as the Bank of America, Visa, MasterCard, PayPal and Western Union was not lifted by the New Year, then WikiLeaks will "simply not be able to continue".