British justice rejected the extradition request …

British justice rejected request for extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States. The Australian journalist is accused of espionage for dissemination of confidential documents under the Espionage Act of 1917 and could be sentenced to 175 years in prison If I walked on American soil

British magistrate at the London Central Criminal Court, Vanessa Baraitser, has concluded that Assange should not be extradited. The journalist’s defense requested his provisional release, but the judge ordered that he remain in detention for the time being. US government has 14 days to appeal decision.

During the four weeks of the trial, several psychiatrists testified, who assured that journalist suffers from “autism spectrum disorder” and poses “suicide risk” if returned to the United States, something he has tried to avoid since his arrest in London in 2010 at the request of Sweden for alleged sex crimes that have already been shelved.

Judge Baratiser said thatAlthough U.S. prosecutors have evidence supporting Assange’s extradition for trial, they have no way of preventing his suicide. “The general impression is that of a depressed and sometimes desperate person who is afraid for his future,” said the magistrate, noting that the reporter exhibited self-harm and suicidal thoughts.

“Given the conditions of almost total isolation without the protective measures that limited the risk to HMP Belmarsh (the London prison where Assange is located), we can conclude that The procedures outlined by the United States will not prevent Mr. Assange from finding a way to kill himself and for that reason I have decided that extradition would be oppressive for mental health impairment.Baratiser ruled.

US government officials assured they would appeal the decision. Assange is accused of having disclosed documents containing classified information between 2010 and 2011 related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and of having published them on the WikiLeaks site. According to US prosecutors, the dissemination of this information endangers the lives of other people.

However, Many researchers believe the espionage law, which has never been used to prosecute a journalist so far, raises troubling constitutional issues because it violates the First Amendment rights to receive and publish information.. In an open letter to President Donald Trump, an independent UN human rights expert asked the president to forgive Assange on the eve of the London court ruling.

“Mr. Assange has been arbitrarily deprived of his liberty over the past ten years, ”wrote Nils Melzer, Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. “It is a high price to pay for having the courage to publish truthful information about government wrongdoing around the world,” he said.

The WikiLeaks platform joined the complaint and called on the US authorities to drop the charges against its founder. “The mere fact that this case has been taken to court, not to say it dragged on for so long, is a historic and large-scale attack on free speech,” said Kristinn Hrafnsson, director of WikiLeaks . Hrafnsson recalled that “It is a fight which affects the right to know of all and which is carried out collectively”.

In the last hours Assange has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize by Irish activist Mairead Maguire, also received the award for his contribution to ending violence in Northern Ireland.