The court has refused Assange’s extradition to the US on the grounds that it would be oppressive to Assange’s mental health, and that he would be at high risk of suicide.
A British court has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States to face charges of espionage.
District Judge Vanessa Baraitser delivered the ruling from the Old Bailey at 11 am CET, however, it will not end the long-running saga between US security agencies and the WikiLeaks founder.
The court has refused Assange’s extradition to the US on the grounds that it would be oppressive to Assange’s mental health, and that he would be at high risk of suicide.
Judge Vanessa Baraitser found that there was a real risk that Assange would be subject to “Special Administrative Measures” – equivalent to solitary confinement – if held in the US.
The judge said the US intelligence service view Assange as an ongoing threat. Mike Pompeo, director of the CIA denounced WikiLeaks as a “non-state hostile intelligence agency”.
In relation to publishing secret military documents of wrongdoing during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the US has long wanted to extradite the 49-year-old to face 17 charges of espionage and one of computer misuse. If sentenced using these charges, Assange may face 175 years of imprisonment.
The US now has 14 days to appeal.
The case has been politically motivated and that their client should be protected under the First Amendment of the US Constitution — protections that refer to freedom of speech and the press, Assange’s defence team had argued.
The team had also argued that the founder of the controversial platform suffering from mental health issues that were exacerbated during his seven-year stint in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, and could be further worsened if he is jailed in the United States.
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