Julian Assange Can’t Be Extradited To U.S., British Decide Guidelines – .

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the USA, a British judge has ruled.

Judge Vanessa Baraitser refused extradition for fear that Assange might commit suicide. The US government has announced that it will appeal the ruling.

US prosecutors have charged Assange with 17 espionage charges and one computer abuse charge for WikiLeaks’ 2010 disclosure of leaked military and diplomatic documents.

WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of leaked documents about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as diplomatic cables.

According to prosecutors, Assange helped US defense analyst Chelsea Manning break US espionage law. Assange has denied the claims, saying there is no evidence that anyone’s safety has been compromised.

His lawyers argue that the prosecution is politically motivated and that he is being prosecuted for exposing evidence of war crimes and human rights violations.

The non-profit US Freedom of the Press Foundation tweeted: “The Julian Assange case is the most dangerous threat to US press freedom in decades. This is a great relief for anyone who cares about journalists’ rights.

“The extradition request was not decided for reasons of freedom of the press. Rather, the judge essentially ruled that the US prison system was too repressive to be extradited. However, the result will protect journalists everywhere. “

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