UK Judge Blocks Julian Assange Extradition to US
The Claim
A judge in the United Kingdom rejected a request made by the United States to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face charges of espionage.
News posted on
Emerging story
In January 2020, social media users posted that a U.K. judge rejected a U.S. request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Misbar’s Analysis
The Misbar team has determined that the claim is true. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected the request made by the U.S., saying that Assange faces prosecution that would likely lead to a situation where his mental health would decline under harsh prison conditions in the U.S., which could lead to him harming himself.
The judge rejected the defense’s argument, which claimed that the charges were politically motivated and an attack on press freedoms, and instead focused on Assange’s mental health.
“I find that the mental condition of Mr. Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America,” said Baraitser.
Assange is facing charges over the publication of secret military and diplomatic documents related to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The U.S. government plans to appeal the court’s decision and said they would continue to pursue Assange’s extradition, saying, “While we are extremely disappointed in the court’s ultimate decision, we are gratified that the United States prevailed on every point of law raised. In particular, the court rejected all of Mr. Assange’s arguments regarding political motivation, political offense, fair trial and freedom of speech.”
