Geoff Caddick / AFP - Getty Images, file
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is wanted in Sweden for questioning over allegations of rape and sexual assault.
By msnbc.com staff and news services
Updated 4:42 a.m. ET: LONDON --?Britain's Supreme Court on Wednesday backed the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to Sweden where he is accused of sex crimes -- the latest chapter in the saga of the self-styled Internet whistle-blower.?
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 Dec. 2010.
Seven judges at Britain's highest court rejected by a majority of 5-2 that Assange's claim that a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) under which his extradition is sought was invalid. ?Two lower courts have already ruled he should be extradited.
The former computer hacker gained international prominence in 2010 when WikiLeaks began releasing secret video footage and thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables about Iraq and Afghanistan, in the largest leak of classified documents in U.S. 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.
WikiLeaks published intelligence firm's emails
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.
After losing his appeal against extradition to Sweden to face allegations against rape and sexual assault, The Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, says he is considering his next step, which could be an appeal to Britain's Supreme Court. ITN's Sejal Karia reports.
The flamboyant Australian's appeal hinged on a legal technicality rather than the substance of the allegations of sexual misconduct or his claims that the United States has been putting pressure on Britain and Sweden to take action against him.
His lawyers argued the EAW was invalid because it was issued by a prosecutor and not a judge or a court as required in Britain. Prosecutors acting for Sweden say different countries have different legal procedures which are allowable under the agreed EAW format.?
Another appeal still possible
Assage can still take his case further, to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).?
If that court agrees to hear his challenge, a decision which must be made within 14 days, he can lodge an injunction to have the extradition process put on hold, and it could be months at the very least before any conclusive verdict.
"If the ECHR declines to take the case then he will be extradited to Sweden as soon as arrangements can be made," Britain's Crown Prosecution Service said.
Should he win the case, a spokeswoman for Sweden's prosecutors said the EAW would still be valid in any other European country.
Assange's personal travails have accelerated WikiLeaks' slide toward irrelevance since its heyday.
Army is pressed on why it kept trusting Manning
The suspected source of the site's biggest and most dramatic 2010 leaks, U.S. 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 U.S. credit card firms Visa and MasterCard has starved it of cash.
Defense lawyers for Bradley Manning, the Army private accused of spilling classified secrets to WikiLeaks, say his sexual orientation plays a role in the case against him. NBC's Jim Miklaszewski reports.
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 "The Simpsons". He has also launched a talk show on Russia Today, a Kremlin-funded English language TV station.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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