(Newswire.net — January 5, 2021) —
The United States request to extradite Julian Assange from the UK has been denied.
Assange, founder of the WikiLeaks website, was requested for extradition on 17 charges of espionage and one charge computer misuse for publishing classified military and diplomatic documents more than 10 years ago. The 49-year-old Australian was facing a sentence of up to 175 years in prison.
Judge Vanessa Baraitser decided against the extradition saying it would be harmful for Assange’s mental health. “[It] would be oppressive and I order his discharge,” said judge Baraitser on Monday from the Old Bailey court in London.
Assange’s lawyers are working to get him released from a London prison where he has been held for the past 18 months. His partner and mother of two sons Stella Morris said that this was the “first step towards justice,” although she noted that the charges against Assange had not been dropped.
WikiLeaks, a non-profit organization founded by Assange in 2006, is run by Sunshine Press and by 2015 they claim to have published 10 million documents online.
Assange initially ran into trouble with the law in 2010 when he was arrested in London based on a request from Swedish court. He was wanted for questioning regarding allegations of rape from two women. In 2012 he jumped bail and received asylum from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. He stayed there until 2019 when he was evicted and immediately arrested by British police. Even though Sweden dropped the sexual assault charges, Assange was still held at Belmarsh Prison.
Edward Snowden, US whistleblower who leaked classified information from the National Security Agency, welcomed the rejection of Assanges extradition. Snowden who is also wanted by the US tweeted “Let this be the end of it.”
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that Assange could return to Australia if the charges against him are dropped, “If all that turns out, he’s like any other Australian, free to return home if he wished.”
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has offered Assange asylum in Mexico. “I’m going to ask the government of the United Kingdom about the possibility of letting Mr. Assange be freed and for Mexico to offer political asulum,” President Obrador said on Monday. Many have considered this to be ironic since Mexico is considered one of the most dangerous countries for free speech.