WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange won his legal battle against extradition from the UK on Monday for espionage charges – after a judge ruled he would likely kill himself if he were sent to the US.
District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that it would be “oppressive” to extradite the 49-year-old Australian for his mental health, as he was sentenced to 175 years in prison for allegedly hacking into US government computers.
The US government immediately announced that it would appeal the decision.
US prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one computer abuse charge over the publication of leaked military and diplomatic documents on Wikileaks a decade ago.
Assange’s lawyers have insisted that he act as a journalist and be entitled to First Amendment protection of freedom of speech for publishing leaked documents exposing US military misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan.
With pole wires