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Julian Assange, the founder of alternative media WikiLeaks, will not be handed over to the United States. A London court handed down the verdict on Monday. The judge ruled in favor of Assange, citing his mental health and the risk of suicide in the United States. The United States has said it will appeal the ruling. British media reported on the BBC.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been a political asylum seeker at the Ecuadorian embassy in London since June 2012. In April 2019, Ecuador revoked his political asylum and handed him over to the British police. On the same day, a British court convicted him of breaching bail. Since then, Assange has been serving his sentence in the infamous Belmarsh Prison. Meanwhile, 16 charges have been brought against him in the United States, including government hacking and violation of espionage laws. The US administration wants to bring him to justice. Assange was also detained by British police, who said he had been arrested at the request of the United States.
A British court has ruled that Assange will be extradited to the United States. The hearing resumed in September after being closed for several days due to the Corona epidemic. After the hearing, the court announced the final verdict on Monday.
Of the 17 charges that the US grand jury convicted Assange on, 16 were under US espionage law. If convicted in that country, he could face up to 175 years in prison for exposing people. powerful all over the world.
The United States has sought to have Assange arrested and prosecuted for leaking classified documents in 2010 and 2011. The United States said in a statement that the leaked information “represents a threat to law and order in the country.” Assange has waged a legal battle against extradition to the United States. His claim is that the case is politically motivated.
On Monday, a British judge rejected Assange’s request to extradite him to the United States. District Judge Vanessa Baritzer ruled that US prosecutors had passed the tests necessary for Assange’s extradition, but that the United States did not have the capacity to prevent Assange’s suicide attempt.
The judge further added that Assange had been shown to have thoughts of self-harm and suicide. He said that the general situation is desperate and reckless people often fear for their future.
The British judge added that the risk to Assange’s life had been reduced because HMP Bellmarsh was almost isolated and had no safety factor. The United States has said it will not stop Assange’s suicide attempt. So I decided that repatriation to the United States would be oppressive because of the emotional damage.
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