WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will not be extradited to the US, a UK court ruled

WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange leaves Westminster Magistrates Court in London

Reuters

• A UK judge on Monday refused a US request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
• The judge ruled extradition would endanger Assange's mental health and place him at risk of suicide.
• The US can still appeal the ruling.
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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will not be extradited to the US due to potential risks to his wellbeing.

UK district judge Vanessa Baraitser on Monday morning ruled the Wikileaks founder would be at risk of self-harm and suicide if extradited to the US. 

"I find that the mental condition of Mr. Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America," Baraitser said in her ruling.

Baraitser said she accepted that Assange suffers from "recurrent depressive disorder." She added medical notes from Assange's detainment in Belmarsh prison showed he had expressed "suicidal or self-harming thoughts" to staff on multiple occasions, and that in May 2019 half a razor blade was found in his cell.

Baraitser concluded that her "overall impression" of Assange's mental state was of a "depressed and sometimes despairing man, who is genuinely fearful about his future."

The US said it would appeal the decision, per the Associated Press. Assange faces 18 charges of espionage and hacking in the US, carrying a maximum prison sentence of 175 years. 

Baraitser said Assange is expected to be kept in custody ahead of the appeal from the US, per the Independent.

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