Wikileaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to US

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the United States, a court in London has ruled.

The judge blocked the request because of concerns over Mr Assange’s mental health.

The 49-year-old is wanted over the publication of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011.

The US claims the leaks broke the law and endangered lives. Mr Assange has fought the extradition and says the case is politically motivated.

The US authorities have said the decision will be appealed.

District Judge Vanessa Baraitser outlined evidence of his self harm and suicidal thoughts and said: “The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man fearful for his future.”

If convicted in the US, Mr Assange faces a possible penalty of up to 175 years in jail, his lawyers have said. However the US government said the sentence was more likely to be between four and six years.

Mr Assange faces an 18-count indictment from the US government, accusing him of conspiring to hack into US military databases to acquire sensitive secret information relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, which was then published on the Wikileaks website.

He says the information exposed abuses by the US military.

But US prosecutors say the leaks of classified material endangered lives, and so the US sought his extradition from the UK, where he is currently in Belmarsh Prison.

Extradition is the process under which one country can ask another to hand over a suspect to face trial.

 

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