Julian Assange: Judge blocks US extradition order

Julian Assange has won his battle to avoid extradition.

DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will not be extradited to the US from the UK, a judge in London ruled Monday. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser blocked the extradition request on the basis of Assange’s mental health.

Assange is wanted in the US on espionage charges and faces an 18-count indictment accusing him of conspiring to hack military databases to publish classified information about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. If convicted, Assange could be handed a 175-year jail sentence, although the US government has said he would likely face a sentence of between four and six years.

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In her ruling, Baraitser said that based on evidence of self-harm and suicidal thoughts, Assange would be likely to try and kill himself if subjected to the US prison system. She was not satisfied that the procedures described by the US would prevent Assange from suicide, she added. 

Authorities in the US will appeal the decision.

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