In a recent development in the legal saga of Julian Assange, a British court has ruled that the WikiLeaks founder cannot be extradited to the United States on espionage charges unless US authorities provide assurances that he will not face the death penalty. The judges have granted Assange a new appeal, giving US authorities three weeks to provide further guarantees.
Assange, who remains in London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison, must be afforded the same First Amendment protections as a US citizen and cannot receive the death penalty, according to the ruling. His supporters argue that he is a journalist protected by the First Amendment who exposed US military wrongdoing.
The decision comes after a two-day hearing in the High Court, where Assange’s lawyer argued that the US is seeking to punish him for WikiLeaks’ exposure of US government criminality. US prosecutors have accused Assange of conspiring with Chelsea Manning to release classified government documents. He faces 17 counts under the Espionage Act and one charge of computer misuse, with a potential sentence of up to 175 years in prison if convicted.
Throughout more than a decade of legal battles and confinement, Assange’s mental and physical health have suffered. The United Nations’ special rapporteur on torture has expressed concerns about his health and potential sentence in the US.
Assange’s legal troubles began in 2010 with his arrest in London at the request of Sweden over rape allegations. He sought refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in 2012, but was evicted in April 2019 and arrested by British police for breaching bail. The ruling on his extradition to the US marks a significant turning point in his ongoing legal battle.
