Assange ruling: Nick Vamos quoted in worldwide media
The High Court decided today that Julian Assange has an arguable point of law which he can ask the Supreme Court to consider. Nick Vamos explains that for Mr Assange to have his appeal heard by the Supreme Court, he needed two things. First, for the High Court certify a point of law of general public importance, which is what it did today. In effect, the High Court decided that “within our judgment, we relied on a legal principle which may require some clarification from the Supreme Court”. Second, permission from the Supreme Court for it to actually hear that appeal.
Nick Vamos says that the US are still in a very strong position because the High Court accepted the US assurances on the conditions of detention in which Mr Assange would be held and ruled that the extradition should go ahead, which is the decision that Mr Assange has to challenge. He adds that the point of law that has been certified for potential appeal to the Supreme Court today isn’t one which may make any difference to outcome of the case. ”It’s not about whether the assurances the US government gave were any good, but rather about whether they should have been given at an earlier stage in the proceedings. It’s a slightly technical point and does not really give Mr Assange a strong chance of winning. The US government are still in the driving seat”.
