(Newser)
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Britain's Supreme Court has upheld the extradition of Julian Assange to Sweden to answer accusations of rape and sexual assault by two WikiLeaks volunteers. The British court rejected in a 5-2 vote Assange's claim that a European arrest warrant seeking his extradition was invalid because it was issued by a prosecutor, not a judge or a court as required in Britain. Assange can still appeal the decision to the European Court of Human Rights. If the court agrees to hear his case within 14 days, he can file for an injunction to suspend the extradition process, reports MSNBC.
Assange, 40, has been battling extradition for nearly two years. The sex assault accusations cast a shadow over the reputation of a man initially hailed by many as a bold free-speech advocate when he released hundreds of thousands of classified US documents concerning Iraq and Afghanistan. The women say the Australian whistle-blower assaulted them during a visit to Sweden in mid-2010. Assange has said the sex was consensual, but he has refused to return to the country to answer the accusations, arguing he will not receive a fair trial, notes AP.
