A new chapter unfolds in the legal saga of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

The Australian journalist has officially lost a court battle today, aiming at preventing the US government from expanding its appeal grounds against an extradition refusal. This comes after Assange’s legal team mounted a case to block his extradition to the US to face charges of espionage and hacking government computers.

On January 4, the British court blocked his extradition only for the US to further pursue the case. Washington is filing for full appeal in October, with a report submitted by Assange’s psychiatric expert Michael Kopelman taken into consideration. The report detailed psychological torture and deteriorating health conditions in the Belmarsh prison in London, where he is being detained. 

Talks of lessening the report’s impact after the passing of 10 months since its release have circulated legal circles, creating uncertainties over the unbiasedness of October’s court decision.

The whole affair has been repeatedly described as politically motivated by legal experts and journalists, notably as Wikileaks showcased the ugly truth of Washington’s infinitely hegemonic war machine. 

Recently, the Ecuadorian embassy stated it had stripped Assange from his Ecuadorian citizenship without any due process.