The British Court of Appeals has opened the door for Julian Assange to be extradited to the u. s. by a tribunal ruling that found the psychological state of the founding father of WikiLeaks too weak to resist the American criminal justice system.
The decision of the appeals court issued on Friday is probably going to be overturned.
A inferior court judge earlier this year rejected an American request to extradite Assange to the US to face charges of investigating WikiLeaks’ publication of secret military documents ten years ago. Regional Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that she couldn’t be rehabilitated on medical grounds, saying Assange could kill if he was detained within the harsh conditions of a US prison.
The u. s. complained, opposing the view that Assange’s mental state made him liable to the US system. Attorney James Lewis said Assange “does not have a history of great and long-term mental illness” and doesn’t meet the limit of illness so he cannot resist self-harm.
U.S. authorities have told British judges that if they conform to extradite Assange, he could forfeit whatever US sentence he receives in his home country, Australia.
U.S. prosecutors have charged Assange with 17 counts of espionage and one count of computer malicious use against WikiLeaks for thousands of leaked military and official documents. the fees carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison, although Lewis said “the longest sentence ever handed down during this case was 63 months.”
Assange, 50, is being held at Belmarsh Prison in London.