A British judge on Monday denied a request from the United States to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, arguing that he would likely commit suicide if sent abroad to face espionage charges.
District judge Vanessa Baraitser also called the move “oppressive” because of Assange’s mental health – but the U.S. government says it will appeal its 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. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.
TULSI GABBARD EXHORTES TRUMP TO GRANT CLEANING TO ASSANGE, SNOWDEN
The 49-year-old Australian’s lawyers argue that he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections for freedom of expression by publishing leaked documents that exposed US military irregularities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Still, the judge dismissed the defense’s claims that Assange was protected by guarantees of freedom of expression, saying that his “conduct, if proven, would amount to crimes in this jurisdiction that would not be protected by his right to freedom of expression”.
But Baraitser said that Assange suffered from clinical depression that would be exacerbated by the isolation he would likely face in a prison in the United States.
The judge said Assange had “intellect and determination” to circumvent any suicide prevention measures that the authorities could take.
Assange’s legal problems started in 2010, when he was arrested in London at the request of Sweden, who wanted to question him about charges of rape and sexual assault by two women. In 2012, to avoid being sent to Sweden, Assange sought refuge within the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he was out of reach of British and Swedish authorities – but also effectively a prisoner, unable to leave the tiny diplomatic mission in the Knightsbridge area of London. .
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
The relationship between Assange and his hosts turned sour, and he was evicted from the embassy in April 2019.
Sweden abandoned sex crime investigations in November 2019 because too much time had passed, but Assange remains in the maximum security prison in Belmarsh in London, taken to court in a prison van during his extradition hearing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.