WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange won on Monday his legal battle against being extradited from the UK to face espionage charges – after a judge decided he was likely to commit suicide if he were sent to the United States.
District judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that it would be “oppressive” to extradite the 49-year-old Australian because of his mental health, as he faces up to 175 years in prison for allegedly hacking US government computers.
The United States government immediately announced that it would appeal the decision.
US prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 counts of spying and one of computer misuse due to the publication of military and diplomatic documents leaked by WikiLeaks a decade ago.
Assange’s lawyers insisted he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections for freedom of expression for publishing leaked documents and exposing US military irregularities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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