A UK court has today (Monday) rejected WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's extradition request to the UK. Judge Vanessa Breitzer said she denied the request due to fears that Assange would end his life. He is wanted in countries on charges of espionage and conspiracy to hack into government computers at the beginning of the previous decade. Authorities in the United States have said they will appeal the decision and have expressed disappointment with it, and Mexico has offered asylum to Assange.
Authorities in the United States are accusing 49-year-old Australian-born Assange of releasing confidential military documents and diplomatic correspondence at the 2010 and 2011 leaks site. He says he exposed military injustices, but in Washington it is claimed that he risked the lives of a hundred people, and about 50 of them received help. Some fled their lands to the United States or other countries for fear of their lives. His lawyers said his indictment was politically led by outgoing United States President Donald Trump, and that his extradition threatened the work of journalists.
The judge in the London court rejected most of his defense claims, but said he should not be extradited due to fear of ending his life and she ordered his release. "Given the almost complete conditions of isolation he faces, I am convinced that the procedures (cited by authorities in the United States) will not prevent Assange from finding a way to end his life," she said.
Part of a razor was found in his detention cell in London after his arrest, and he told the medical staff about his suicidal thoughts. He will be returned to his cell, and his defense attorneys will file a bail release on Wednesday that they claim will include evidence that he will not escape. According to his defense attorneys, if convicted, Assange faces 175 years in prison, while the U.S. administration has said he faces up to four to six years in prison.
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