On Monday, a British court blocked the extradition of Australian national Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, to the United States (US), where he faces charges espionage for leaking critical confidential documents of the American government. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said that the “harsh conditions” of the American prison system could further deteriorate his mental health, thereby “causing him to commit suicide.” However, she added that Assange’s decision to leak the documents went “well beyond” his duty as a journalist and also recognised the need to meet a higher bar to reject the extradition plea, specifically in light of the United Kingdom’s (UK) extradition treaty with the US.
The decision was celebrated by Assange, his fiancée, Stella Moris, and his supporters, who had gathered outside the courthouse despite several warnings by the police urging them to disperse due to the COVID-19 restrictions on public gatherings. This case has also been closely followed by several human rights groups, including Reporters without Borders, who consider this to be a significant threat to the freedom of expression of the press.
Following the decision, the US Justice Department released a statement saying that it was “extremely disappointed” by the British court’s decision. The department said, “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.” This was a reference to the judge’s decision to reject Assange’s lawyers’ argument that the leak of the documents was in furtherance of his freedom of speech as a journalist. The statement added that the American authorities would appeal the decision and continue to push for his extradition.
Furthermore, on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that once the legal challenges against Assange were concluded, he would be “free to return home.” He said, “Well, the justice system is making its way and we’re not a party to that. And like any Australian, they’re offered consular support and should, you know, the appeal fail, obviously he would be able to return to Australia like any other Australian.”
This British court’s decision comes after over ten years of speculation and legal controversy. Following Assange’s decision to release 500,000 files that leaked confidential information about the American military’s activities in Afghanistan and Iraq, he had temporarily taken refuge in Ecuador’s embassy in London from 2012 to 2019, while awaiting his asylum application. However, after right-wing leader Lenin Moreno was elected as Ecuador’s premier, his citizenship was rescinded, and he was arrested by the British police. Since then, he has been held at a British maximum-security prison called Belmarsh. If extradited to the US, he will be facing trial for 18 crimes, which could attract a sentence of up to 175 years in jail.
WikiLeaks was formed in 2006. However, it first hit the headlines after releasing a manual for American guards at Guantanamo Bay in 2010, which exposed the atrocities committed in the prison. Following this, WikiLeaks worked with several dissidents from across the world to target political leaders, governments and corporations from the United States, Europe, China, Africa, and the Middle East.
British Judge Rejects Plea to Extradite Julian Assange To US
A UK court rejected a petition to extradite WikiLeaks owner Julian Assange to the US for trial for publishing classified documents of the American government.
January 5, 2021
SOURCE: NBC