UNITED KINGDOM
Potential Risks
A British court ruled Monday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the United States to face espionage charges because of concerns over his mental health, Politico reported.
District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said that the activist would likely commit suicide if sent to the US, as his clinical depression would deteriorate while confined in a US maximum-security prison.
The verdict deals a blow to US authorities trying to extradite Assange to face 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse in connection with WikiLeaks’s publication of leaked documents about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Assange could face a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.
Assange’s lawyers claimed that the US government is targeting their client for “pure political purposes.” They added that Assange was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech.
Baraitser, however, rejected the argument and said that Assange’s alleged crimes could be considered a crime in Britain under the Official Secrets Act, the Washington Post wrote.
US prosecutors are now planning to appeal the case. However, the process could take months because of Assange’s health and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
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