WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to U.S., judge rules – By Sam Shead (CNBC) / January 4 2021
- The U.S. is expected to appeal the decision within the allocated two-week time frame.
- The WikiLeaks founder, whose health has deteriorated while being held in a U.K. prison, is wanted on 18 charges, 17 of which fall under the U.S. Espionage Act.
- Assange is wanted in the U.S. over the publication of hundreds of thousands of classified military documents and diplomatic cables in 2010 and 2011.
LONDON — A British judge ruled Monday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, one of the world’s most high-profile whistleblowers, cannot be extradited to the U.S.
Judge Vanessa Baraitser said extradition would be oppressive due to Assange’s mental health.
“The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man, who is genuinely fearful about his future,” Baraitser wrote in her ruling. “For all of these reasons I find that Mr. Assange’s risk of committing suicide, if an extradition order were to be made, to be substantial.”
The U.S. is expected to appeal the decision within the allocated two-week time frame.
Assange is wanted in the U.S. over the publication of hundreds of thousands of classified military documents and diplomatic cables in 2010 and 2011. He is wanted on 18 charges, 17 of which fall under the U.S. Espionage Act.
