UK court blocks Julian Assange’s extradition to US citing suicide risk
Assange, 49, is wanted in the US over the publication of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011. According to his defence team, the case is politically motivated. The court’s ruling is expected to appealed by US authorities in the high court.
The Westminster Magistrates Court on Monday blocked the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States on health grounds, saying that there are concerns over his mental health and risk of suicide.
Assange, 49, is wanted in the US over the publication of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011. According to his defence team, the case is politically motivated. The court’s ruling is expected to appealed by US authorities in the high court.
Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that the US was incapable of preventing Assange from attempting to take his own life, adding: “The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man fearful for his future.”
“Faced with the conditions of near total isolation without the protective factors which limited his risk at HMP Belmarsh, I am satisfied the procedures described by the US will not prevent Mr Assange from finding a way to commit suicide and for this reason I have decided extradition would be oppressive by reason of mental harm and I order his discharge.”
Assange has been in jail serving a 50-month sentence since May 2019 for breaching his bail conditions after being holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London for seven years since 2012.He was arrested in April 2019.
He earlier faced extradition to Sweden on allegations of sexual assault which he denied. The case was later dropped.
