This is a dark day for press freedom: The UK will extradite Assange to the US

The UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has approved the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, where he faces a potential 175-year prison sentence, according to a statement from WikiLeaks cited by Reuters.

"This is a dark day for press freedom and British democracy," reads the statement.

Assange is facing charges of espionage in the United States.

It is important to note that Assange, who was accused in Sweden in 2010 of sexual offenses and rape, had been hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since June 2012, fearing extradition. He was arrested on April 11, 2019, at the request of the US.

Assange denies the charges and claims they are politically motivated.