UK judge rejects extraditing Assange to U.S., citing suicide risk

[snoop1130]

UK judge rejects extraditing Assange to U.S., citing suicide risk

By Michael Holden

 

FILE PHOTO: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange makes a speech from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy, in central London, Britain February 5, 2016. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

 

LONDON (Reuters) - A British judge ruled on Monday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States to face criminal charges including breaking a spying law, saying his mental health problems meant he would be at risk of suicide.

 

U.S. authorities accuse Australian-born Assange, 49, of 18 counts relating to the release by WikiLeaks of vast troves of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables which they said had put lives in danger.

 

His lawyers had argued the entire prosecution was politically motivated, powered by U.S. President Donald Trump, and that Assange's extradition would pose a severe threat to the work of journalists.

 

At a hearing at London's Old Bailey, Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected nearly all his legal team's arguments but said she could not approve his extradition as there was a real risk he would commit suicide.

 

Assange, she said, suffered from at times severe depression and had been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and autism, albeit he was "a high functioning autistic case".

 

Half a razor blade was found in his London prison cell in May 2019 and he had told medical staff about his suicidal thoughts.

 

"I find that Mr. Assange's risk of committing suicide, if an extradition order were to be made, to be substantial," Baraitser said in her ruling.

 

"Faced with conditions of near total isolation ... I am satisfied that the procedures (outlined by U.S. authorities) will not prevent Mr. Assange from finding a way to commit suicide."

 

Lawyers for the U.S. authorities are expected to appeal against the decision.

 

U.S. prosecutors and Western security officials regard Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, as a reckless and dangerous enemy of the state whose actions put at risk the lives of agents whose names were in the material.

 

The U.S. authorities say more than 100 people were put at risk by the disclosures and about 50 had received assistance, with some fleeing their home countries with their spouses and families to move to the United States or another safe country.

 

Supporters regard him as an anti-establishment hero who has been victimised because he exposed U.S. wrongdoing in wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and say his prosecution is a politically motivated assault on journalism and free speech.

 

Baraitser rejected this, however, saying there was insufficient evidence that prosecutors had been pressured by Trump's team and there was little evidence of hostility from the U.S. president towards him.

 

She said there was no evidence that he would not get a fair trial in the United States or that prosecutors were seeking to punish him, and said his actions had gone beyond investigative journalism.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-01-04

 

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[Tropicalevo]

11 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Half a razor blade was found in his London prison cell in May 2019 and he had told medical staff about his suicidal thoughts.

Yeah, Yeah. Please do not send me to the USA - I might have to kill myself!

So why is he not dead?

This scumbag is a con artist and he has conned again. More expense to the UK taxpayers.

He screwed his lawyer and she had two kids.

He has screwed the UK legal system for a few million £ more.

He is not a journalist and he is not innocent.

[beano2274]

The issue here is this is politically motivated, if they want him then give the UK the woman, whose husband was serving in the UK, who killed the young motorcyclist outside of the base where her husband was serving.

[Pilotman]

A bad, bad decision yet again by the UK liberal wonk judiciary. 

[Chomper Higgot]

Let’s see what the appeal has to say.

 

 

[darksidedog]

41 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

At a hearing at London's Old Bailey, Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected nearly all his legal team's arguments but said she could not approve his extradition as there was a real risk he would commit suicide.

One of the more unusual judgments I have heard. No real legal defense. Judge herself says he went beyond "investigative journalism." Isn't that what they call getting off on a "technicality?"

I wonder in passing if the Americans, who claim 50-100 were affected, have a definitive number of people killed or injured from what they were up to before they were exposed though?

[Pilotman]

Just now, darksidedog said:

One of the more unusual judgments I have heard. No real legal defense. Judge herself says he went beyond "investigative journalism." Isn't that what they call getting off on a "technicality?"

I wonder in passing if the Americans, who claim 50-100 were affected, have a definitive number of people killed or injured from what they were up to before they were exposed though?

Its called getting off due to Judge  stupidity. 

[Olmate]

10 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

Its called getting off due to Judge  stupidity. 

It was not a hearing re his guilt or otherwise, it’s purely regarding the extradition and its ramifications .

[Pilotman]

25 minutes ago, Olmate said:

It was not a hearing re his guilt or otherwise, it’s purely regarding the extradition and its ramifications .

and that changes things why? Its a bad decision, made for a spurious and indefensible reason, accepted by some naïve,  liberal do gooder judge. 

Edited January 4, 2021 by Pilotman

[darksidedog]

An off topic post has been reported and removed.

Lets keep US Presidential stuff out of a topic that has nothing to do with that thanks.

An additional post and reply have been edited for the same reason.

[dexterm]

Wonderful news!

 

Of course it was politically motivated. If Assange had not exposed US war crimes would the US have voluntarily disclosed the Apache helicopter on its turkey shoot of innocent people, amongst other crimes?

If Assange were extradited to the US, no journalist would be safe in challenging the wrongdoings of powerful governments.

 

The UK rejection of extradition is just a face saving formula for having disgracefully imprisoned Assange for over a year on the US behalf. Assange has been made to suffer for telling the truth, but UK authorities knew what they were doing at US behest was wrong, so they blocked the extradition on humanitarian grounds. 

[Sujo]

10 hours ago, Pilotman said:

and that changes things why? Its a bad decision, made for a spurious and indefensible reason, accepted by some naïve,  liberal do gooder judge. 

Because if it had been on the merits then the appeal is narrowed. With the judge deciding the way she has an appeal is more likely to succeed.

 

its neither spurious nor indefensible. It was based on facts. Though I expect the appeal to succeed as they will give more weight to other evidence rather than his mental issues.

Edited January 4, 2021 by Sujo

[fxe1200]

Looks like some posters are not familiar at all with the Assange cause. In case of his conviction, no journalist would be safe, when publishing the wrongdoing of a government. Besides Assange informed the New York Times and the Guardian of the war crimes and also asked to handle this information sensitively. Both papers never ever had been charged with the publishing of those crimes. From the very beginning it was a man hunt by the U.S.aiming to kill free journalism.

[SomchaiCNX]

3 hours ago, dexterm said:

Wonderful news!

 

Of course it was politically motivated. If Assange had not exposed US war crimes would the US have voluntarily disclosed the Apache helicopter on its turkey shoot of innocent people, amongst other crimes?

If Assange were extradited to the US, no journalist would be safe in challenging the wrongdoings of powerful governments.

 

The UK rejection of extradition is just a face saving formula for having disgracefully imprisoned Assange for over a year on the US behalf. Assange has been made to suffer for telling the truth, but UK authorities knew what they were doing at US behest was wrong, so they blocked the extradition on humanitarian grounds. 

He is not a journalist, he is a nutter that grew up in a very religious environment. Should be dealt with in a military court.

 

[fxe1200]

12 minutes ago, SomchaiCNX said:

He is not a journalist, he is a nutter that grew up in a very religious environment. Should be dealt with in a military court.

 

Posted by another victim of the mainstream media.

[Sujo]

15 minutes ago, SomchaiCNX said:

He is not a journalist, he is a nutter that grew up in a very religious environment. Should be dealt with in a military court.

 

Why, he isnt in the military.

 

He is a journalist because he published. The issue is whether he assisted manning n getting the info, thats his real problem.

 

Simply publishing it is nothing, many paper media published the info and not charged.

 

What his religion has to do with it is beyond me. I think he is an idiot, but thats irrelevant to the case. It must be on its merit, not whether you like him.

[SomchaiCNX]

Just now, Sujo said:

Why, he isnt in the military.

 

He is a journalist because he published. The issue is whether he assisted manning n getting the info, thats his real problem.

 

Simply publishing it is nothing, many paper media published the info and not charged.

 

What his religion has to do with it is beyond me. I think he is an idiot, but thats irrelevant to the case. It must be on its merit, not whether you like him.

Correct, he is not military, in wartime (WWII) people like him where not protected by the Geneva convention and where considered spies and mostly executed. His upbringing has a lot to do with his behavior as an adult.

[phantomfiddler]

Epstein would agree with this verdict !

[Olmate]

45 minutes ago, SomchaiCNX said:

He is not a journalist, he is a nutter that grew up in a very religious environment. Should be dealt with in a military court.

 

He grew up in Townsville North Qld,hardly a religious place, more like Red Neck Aussie,s

[dexterm]

26 minutes ago, SomchaiCNX said:

Correct, he is not military, in wartime (WWII) people like him where not protected by the Geneva convention and where considered spies and mostly executed. His upbringing has a lot to do with his behavior as an adult.

So you approve of a gung-ho US Apache helicopter crew mowing down 11 innocent civilians, then their superiors covering up the war crime, do you? Have any of them been charged in a military court?

 

Such crimes would have remained dirty secrets until Chelsea Manning and Assange bravely exposed them.

 

Assange deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, not this disgraceful sordid persecution, just because he embarrassed some cowardly war criminals with the truth. That's what freedom of speech and of the press should be all about in a democracy

Edited January 5, 2021 by dexterm

[Sujo]

23 minutes ago, SomchaiCNX said:

Correct, he is not military, in wartime (WWII) people like him where not protected by the Geneva convention and where considered spies and mostly executed. His upbringing has a lot to do with his behavior as an adult.

Well it isnt war. US never declared war, so he cannot be taken to a military court. What makes him a spy?

 

What is it about his upbringing you think made him want to expose war crimes?

[Kwasaki]

Assange should of been sent back to Oz in the first place by the UK IMO. 

 

I have never really understood why a spying charge was made the by USA to Assange.

 

The people who informed/reported to Wilki with evidence were breaking the secret act they crossed the line because they couldn't stand by and let war crimes committed by USA operatives carry on, so it was released to the media.

I see that as the reporters doing their job and not being criminals.

 

[Sujo]

3 minutes ago, Kwasaki said:

Assange should of been sent back to Oz in the first place by the UK IMO. 

 

I have never really understood why a spying charge was made the by USA to Assange.

 

The people who informed/reported to Wilki with evidence were breaking the secret act they crossed the line because they couldn't stand by and let war crimes committed by USA operatives carry on, so it was released to the media.

I see that as the reporters doing their job and not being criminals.

 

Correct, the lack of support from the oz govt is deplorable. They should be lobbying for his release, thats their job.

 

its already agreed he broke no oz laws.

Edited January 5, 2021 by Sujo

[onthedarkside]

Several off-topic personal comment posts regarding other members have been removed.

[Natai Beach]

Political stitch up. 
 

Before being elected Trump was praising him for revealing the truth, because it exposed Hilarys lies.

 

Then, Trump being Trump, won the election and could not remember that. 
 

The US murderEd thousands upon thousands of innocent men, women and children during their war against Iraq that was supposedly for Weapons of Mass Destruction that didn’t exist. And they lied about that and ironically the USA leads the world in having WMD.
 

Julian exposed the US soldiers murdering innocent civilians, refused medical care to small children they shot and bombed after killing their parents and then blatantly and shamelessly lied about it. 
Julian simply exposed the truth they didn’t want to be exposed. 
 

The video below is the real reason the USA wants Julian. All the other nonsense is just noise to deflect from that.

 

 

[wwest5829]

14 hours ago, Pilotman said:

and that changes things why? Its a bad decision, made for a spurious and indefensible reason, accepted by some naïve,  liberal do gooder judge. 

In your humble opinion ...

[Pilotman]

4 hours ago, Sujo said:

Because if it had been on the merits then the appeal is narrowed. With the judge deciding the way she has an appeal is more likely to succeed.

 

its neither spurious nor indefensible. It was based on facts. Though I expect the appeal to succeed as they will give more weight to other evidence rather than his mental issues.

it was based on her opinion, about something that is impossible to prove. 

[Pilotman]

1 minute ago, wwest5829 said:

In your humble opinion ...

nothing 'humble' about it.  The man is a traitorous moron, responsible for the death of probably hundreds and for compromising the safety of us all and should be in jail forever. If he kills himself, so be it.  His choice. 

[Sujo]

2 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

it was based on her opinion, about something that is impossible to prove. 

An opinion she got from reading his psychologist reports. So based on the facts presented to her.

[Pilotman]

Just now, Sujo said:

An opinion she got from reading his psychologist reports. So based on the facts presented to her.

Yes, and they are always right, right?