WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has formally appealed against his extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault.
The high court in London confirmed it had received papers from Assange’s lawyers to challenge the ruling made at Belmarsh magistrates court, last week.
The 39-year-old Australian faces allegations of sexually assaulting one woman and raping another during a to Stockholm last August.
Assange slammed the decision to extradite him last week as a “rubber-stamping process”.
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“There was no consideration during this entire process as to the merit of the allegations made against me, no consideration or examination of even the complaints made in Sweden and, of course, we have always known we would appeal,” he said.
His lawyers argue that the extradition order is invalid because he had not been charged with any offence and the alleged assaults were not grounds for extradition.
Assange has made no secret that he fears extradition from Britain to Sweden will open the way for him to be extradited to the US to face charges over WikiLeaks’s publication of US diplomatic documents.
No date has yet been set for a hearing.
