UK allows US request for Julian Assange extradition to come before courts

The U.K. has signed an order that lets an American bid to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange come before the British courts, Home Secretary Sajid Javid said Thursday.

Speaking on BBC radio, Javid said a court hearing on the U.S. extradition request will take place on Friday. “Yesterday I signed the extradition order, certified it, and that will be going in front of the courts,” he said.

The document that Javid has signed is simply to confirm that the U.S. has made a valid request, and “it doesn’t prejudge what’s going to happen” to Assange, which will be for the courts to decide, said Thomas Garner, an extradition lawyer in London who isn’t involved with the case. “It’s a formality,” because without Javid’s certification the case “can’t go before the court,” he said.