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Julian Assange
Victoria Jones / PA via AP
The rejection of the US government’s request by the Old Bailey court, which refused to extradite the journalist for fear that he would commit suicide, brings a wave of relief.
Old Bailey Superior Court Judge Vanessa Barreicer opposed the US extradition request of the founder of the revealing website WikiLeaks.
He considered that a decision to the contrary would tax Julian Assange’s mental health and estimated that the 49-year-old Australian could commit suicide if he were extradited and tried in the United States.
There, he would face up to 175 years in prison, as he faces 18 charges that include publishing and providing information to journalists, conspiracy, and breaking the law for espionage.
Today’s decision brings a wave of relief to both the journalist himself and the solidarity movement on his face. However, the legal adventures do not end here, after the US government announced that it will file an appeal, as expected.
“This is a fight that affects the right of each individual to know and fight collectively,” said Wikileaks spokeswoman Kristin Hrafnson. He himself spoke of a large-scale attack on freedom of expression, referring to the fact that this landmark case is now in court, and indeed for a long time.
The hope that the decision marks the end of the 49-year-old man’s odyssey, which began in 2010 when he published some 250,000 diplomatic telegrams and 500,000 secret documents about US military action in Iraq and Afghanistan, was expressed by Edward Snowden in the message. above on Twitter. .
The public interest whistleblower and former National Security Agency (NSA) agent has been acquitted by the United States Federal Court of Appeals, which ruled that the mass electronic surveillance of millions of Americans is illegal, but still faces serious charges of espionage in his homeland.
