#Assange will not be extradited to the United States for now

The founder of the Wikileaks who is also an editor, publisher and an activist has been provided a relief from the judiciary of the United Kingdom which has put a hold on his extradition to the United States citing concerns for his mental health. The ruling was delivered at the central criminal court by the district judge, Vanessa Baraitser.
Her descion was based on the fact that Assange would be most probably held in isolation in a supermax prison facility in the United States which would have adverse conditions on his mental health and further create a situation and conditions of suicide which the authorities would not be able to prevent. 

“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" declared the judge. The US authorities have however been given 15 days to appeal. 

Social Media Platforms have been trending with this declaration:

A lot of the netizens have hailed it as a landmark decsion. The judge went further to state that the ruling would not breach a bar on extradition for “political offences”. Baraister further commented: “The overall impression is of a depressed and sometimes despairing man who is genuinely depressed about his future"

The case against Assange related to WikiLeaks’s publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents about the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, as well as diplomatic cables, in the year 2010 and 2011.

Prosecutors have commented that Assange helped the US defence analyst Chelsea Manning breach the US Espionage Act, and that he published classified information that not just endangered informants but also posed a threat on the national security.

Campaigns to free Assange have been gowing on for long on the digital media platforms. Even the International Federation of Journalists have come up in support of the defector:
 

His lawyers have argued that Assange's activities have not put anyone's safety at a risk and that his prosecution is politically motivated and that Assange revealed war crimes which was in favour of humanity as a whole.

Stella Morris who has two children with Assange has commented that a decision to allow extradition would be an “unthinkable travesty”. She had even earlier published an article in favour of Assange in The Mail:
 

Wikileaks have revealed a plathora of human rights violations committed by the United States in the recent years such as the use of US drones for targeted strikes in Pakistan had been brought to light with the help of documents published by the organization.

Daniel Ellsberg, who was involved in leaking the Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam war, had also defended Assange, saying he had acted in the public interest, and warned that he would never get a fair trial in the United States.

In her full ruling, published online, Baraitser wrote: "I accept that oppression as a bar to extradition requires a high threshold ... However, I am satisfied that, in these harsh conditions, Mr. Assange's mental health would deteriorate causing him to commit suicide with the 'single minded determination' of his autism spectrum disorder."
Assange had also been convicted for rape charges which were later dropped. According to an article published in the BBC, here are the keydates:

August 2010: The Swedish Prosecutor's Office first issues an arrest warrant for Mr Assange. It says there are two separate allegations - one of rape and one of molestation. Mr Assange says the claims are "without basis"

December 2010: Mr Assange is arrested in London and bailed at the second attempt
May 2012 : The UK's Supreme Court rules he should be extradited to Sweden to face questioning over the allegations
June 2012 : Mr Assange enters the Ecuadorean embassy in London
August 2012 : Ecuador grants asylum to Mr Assange, saying there are fears his human rights might be violated if he is extradited
August 2015 : Swedish prosecutors drop their investigation into two allegations - one of sexual molestation and one of unlawful coercion - because they have run out of time to question him. But he still faces the more serious accusation of rape 
October 2015 : The Metropolitan Police announces that officers will no longer be stationed outside the Ecuadorean embassy
February 2016 : A UN panel rules that Mr Assange has been "arbitrarily detained" by UK and Swedish authorities since 2010
May 2017 : Sweden's director of public prosecutions announces that the rape investigation into Mr Assange is being dropped
July 2018 : The UK and Ecuador confirm they are holding talks over the fate of Mr Assange
October 2018 : Mr Assange is given a set of house rules by the Ecuadorean embassy
October 2018 : It's revealed he is to launch legal action against the government of Ecuador - accusing it of violating his "fundamental rights and freedoms"
December 2018 : Mr Assange's lawyer rejects an agreement announced by Ecuador's president that would see him leave the Ecuadorean embassy
February 2019 : Australia grants Mr Assange a new passport amidst fears that Ecuador may bring his asylum to an end
April 2019 : The Metropolitan Police enter the embassy and detain him for "failing to surrender to the court" over a warrant issued in 2012
May 2019 : Mr Assange is sentenced to 50 weeks in jail for breaching his bail conditions
May 2019 : Sweden reopens the sexual assault investigation and the US files 17 new charges against Mr Assange
November 2019 : Swedish prosecutors discontinue an investigation into an allegation of rape against Mr Assange

For now, one can say that Assange has some sign of relief, however, the US officials have a 15-day appeal period and the future of the whistleblower looks grim amidst raising concerns over the United States' attitude and his ever worsening health. To keep yourself updated with the trends on digital platforms, subscribe and visit checkbrand.online
 

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