BY Aliyah Shahid
Thursday, February 24th 2011, 7:29 AM
Sexual Offenses,Crime,Government and Politics,Espionage and Intelligence,Trials,Extradition,Crime and Law,Bradley Manning,United Kingdom,Howard Riddle,United States,WikiLeaks.org,Sweden,Julian Assange
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden on sexual assault allegations, a British judge ruled Thursday.
WikiLeaks boss Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault, a British judge ruled Thursday.
The 39-year-old Australian has been fighting extradition since he was arrested and bailed in December.
He has vehemently denied the allegations made by two women in August last year, calling them a "smear campaign" against his whistleblower website.
Assange's lawyers have a week to appeal the decision.
Judge Howard Riddle ruled the claims made by the women were extraditable offenses and a Swedish warrant was issued properly.
"There is simply no reason to believe there has been a mistake" in issuing the warrant, Riddle said.
Earlier this month, Assange's legal team argued that he would not receive a fair trial in Sweden.
Assange is concerned an extradition to Sweden could make it easier for him to be handed over to the U.S. on possible charges relating to WikiLeaks' release of top-secret U.S. cables.
The accusations in Sweden stem from the two women who maintain Assange refused to wear a condom during sex - and refused to take an AIDS test.
Assange will now be detained in custody, according to London's Guardian, because there is no bail in Sweden until a possible trial or release.
He could face up to four years in jail if he's found guilty.
Approximately a dozen WikiLeaks and Assange supporters gathered outside the court before the hearing on Thursday, holding signs reading "Free Julian Assange and Bradley Manning," the army private suspected of leaking the U.S. cables to WikiLeaks.
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