The High Court has granted Lauri Love permission to appeal against his extradition to the United States.

Liberty have also been granted permission to intervene in the appeal. A hearing date has still to be scheduled.

Lauri said:

Every day you wake up to some good news is a blessing, and we can’t take any blessings for granted these days. Good news comes scantly between crisis and calamity. I’m thankful the High Court have recognised the strength of our grounds for appeal and the great importance of the issues raised by the case. I’m thankful also for the ongoing support and campaigning by family and friends, amongst whom I now include the 114 MPs who signed a letter requesting jurisdiction be ceded to the UK. Now it is for the High Court to join us all in asserting the sovereignty, the values, the justice and humanity of law in the UK.

Lauri’s solicitor, Karen Todner said:

The reason permission has been granted is that the High Court acknowledge that the grounds raised some issues of great importance. We are delighted for this news for Lauri and will continue to do everything we can to ensure prevention of his extradition to the United States of America.

Lauri Love, who has diagnoses of Asperger syndrome, severe depression and antibiotic-resistant eczema, is facing three extradition requests from separate US court districts for his alleged involvement in the online protests that followed the death of Aaron Swartz. His case forms the first substantive test of the forum bar, which Theresa May announced when blocking the extradition of Gary McKinnon, intended to protect vulnerable individuals who could be the subject of legal process in the UK instead.

On 16 September 2016, a District Judge at Westminster Magistrates’ court refused to block Lauri Love’s extradition, despite accepting that he poses a real risk of suicide. Over 100 UK MPs signed a joint letter to Barack Obama in his final month in office, asking that any proceedings against Lauri be allowed to take place in the UK.