Assange can be extradited to Sweden: UK court

Britain's Supreme Court upheld the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to Sweden over alleged sex crimes on Wednesday.

Seven judges at the country's highest court rejected by a majority of 5-2 that Assange's claim that a European Arrest Warrant under which his extradition is sought was invalid.

Two lower courts have already ruled he should be extradited. Swedish prosecutors want to question Assange over claims of rape and sexual assault made by two female former WikiLeaks volunteers, and he has been fighting a lengthy legal battle against extradition since his arrest in Britain in December 2010.

The former computer hacker gained international prominence in 2010 when WikiLeaks began releasing secret video footage and thousands of US diplomatic cables about Iraq and Afghanistan, in the largest leak of classified documents in US history.

That made him a hero to anti-censorship campaigners but a menace to Washington and other governments.
Assange also faced widespread criticism that he had put lives at risk by blowing the cover of sources who spoke to diplomats and intelligence agents in countries where it was dangerous to do so.

Since then, WikiLeaks has faded from the headlines due to a dearth of scoops and a blockade by credit card companies that has made donations to the site almost impossible. Assange's personal standing has been damaged by the Swedish sex case and he has lost support from most of his celebrity backers. Since his detention, he has mostly been living under strict bail conditions at the country mansion of a wealthy supporter in eastern England. His associates say that amounts to 540 days under house arrest without charge.

Assange's personal travails have accelerated WikiLeaks' slide towards irrelevance since its heyday. The suspected source of the site's biggest and most dramatic 2010 leaks, US intelligence analyst Bradley Manning, is now facing 22 criminal charges which, if he is convicted, could land him in jail for life.

Manning's predicament has not encouraged any new sources to come forward, and to compound WikiLeaks' problems the blockade by the likes of US credit card firms Visa and MasterCard has starved it of cash.

Assange once enjoyed support from socialite Jemima Khan, film director Ken Loach and crusading journalist John Pilger, but most of his high-profile backers have since distanced themselves from him. Many former friends and associates have turned against Assange also, describing him as a megalomaniac.

However, he still has loyal followers and rallies are planned in several countries in the wake of the court's verdict.

Instantly recognisable with his unusual white-blond hair, Assange has appeared in an episode of hit US animation show "The Simpsons". He has also launched a talk show on Russia Today, a Kremlin-funded English language TV station.

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