A Briton ruled Monday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will not be extradited to the United States for espionage because it poses a risk of suicide, to a extent that it affects press freedom and the foreign success of the U. S. judicial system.
Apparently, the resolution puts an end to a nearly decade-long legal saga that has been full of controversy between Washington and human rights activists who say the U. S. government has tried to redefine what hounds can publish.
Assange was indicted in 2019 through the Justice Department of 18 charges, alleging 17 bureaucracy of espionage and a case of computer misuse offences similar to WikiLeaks’ publication of secret US army documents he received. were provided throughout the former United States. Chelsea Manning, army intelligence analyst. Assange denied the fees and claimed that the documents exposed war crimes and abuses committed through the U. S. military in Iraq.
Judge Vanessa Baraitser told the Old Bailey Court in London that a request from the Justice Department to send the 49-year-old Australian citizen to Washington to deal with U. S. tariffs was rejected because he may not be sure he would not find a way to kill himself. while in a U. S. detention center before or after a court case.
In his decision, Baraitser gave examples of Assange’s poor intellectual aptitude and a history of self-harm and suicidal thoughts. “The general impression is that of a depressed and desperate man, fearful of his future,” he said, adding that Assange’s highest point of intelligence meant he would probably end up committing suicide.
The ruling identifies whether Assange is to blame for the irregularities and U. S. prosecutors have said they will appeal the ruling.
However, the British Interior Minister has the final say on extraditions, which means that the case will last some time.
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Assange and his lawyers have long maintained their innocence on the grounds that he simply did what any other journalist would do: publish data in the public interest. Assange’s legal team argued that the allegations were politically motivated, that his physical and intellectual fitness was in danger, and that situations in American prisons violated British human rights laws.
The verdict was delayed several times due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Ministry of Justice argued in its accusations and in the case of extradition in Britain that Assange should not be considered a journalist because he did not write or edit any of the documents published through WikiLeaks. U. S. The government also claimed that it stole or convinced Manning to borrow the secret documents.
Baraitser agreed largely with U. S. prosecutors on those points.
The First Amendment, as it applies to the press, prevents it from being imprisoned, fined, or held accountable for what the press publishes.
He has no reports of responsibility for criminals.
Assange describes himself as a political refugee.
He was charged in the United States under the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Computer Abuse and Fraud Act.
“If you can sue someone who has strong arguments to be called an editor, then who’s next?John Kiriakou, a former CIA analyst, told USA TODAY in the past.
Kiriakou denounced a torture program sanctioned through the U. S. government in 2007 and approved through President George W. Bush over the dreaded threats posed through the al Qaeda terrorist organization, and served time after pleading guilty to leaking the call of an interested waterboarding officer.
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Assange has been locked up in London’s Belmarsh since May last year, home to some of Britain’s top harmful criminals.
Not without delay is it transparent whether he will be released on bail while US prosecutors file his appeal.
Assange is being held in belmarsh criminal because he was convicted of bail in 2012, at the time, fled to ecuadorian diplomatic complex in London instead of surrendering to the British government for an extradition imaginable to Sweden. after questioning him about allegations of sexual assault related to two women.
Assange hid from British police in the red brick construction of the Ecuadorian embassy for seven years, a few yards from the famous luxury goods store Harrods, because he feared Sweden would send him to the United States following an extradition request.
Since then, the Swedish case has been dropped.
His extradition case in Britain began after Assange left the Ecuadorian embassy and was arrested by police, but Bail refused because he considered him a flight risk.
“The mere fact that this case has been brought to court, let alone lasted so long, is an old large-scale attack on freedom of expression. The U. S. government deserves to pay attention to the wave of amnesty from major media publishers and NGOs and Reporters Without Borders and the United Nations, all of which are calling for these fees to be eliminated,” said Kristinn Hrafnsson, editor-in-chief of Wikileaks, before the verdict.
“This is a fight that affects everyone and takes place collectively. “