UK Court Denies US Extradition Request for 'Wikileaks' Founder

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] A British court has denied the US government's extradition request for Julian Assange (49), the founder of the whistleblowing website WikiLeaks.

According to major foreign media on the 4th (local time), the Central Criminal Court in London made this ruling regarding Assange's extradition to the US. The US government immediately expressed its intention to appeal the ruling.

The court explained the background of the decision by stating that allowing Assange's extradition to the US would pose a substantial risk of him attempting suicide. The court also ordered Assange's release.

Previously, in 2019, the US indicted Assange on 18 charges including violations of the Espionage Act and requested his extradition from the UK, which the British government accepted. Since then, the US government and Assange have been engaged in legal battles in UK courts over the extradition issue.

Assange, originally from Australia, received 700,000 reports related to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and confidential diplomatic documents from US Army Private Bradley Manning in 2010, which he then disclosed through WikiLeaks. This disclosure caused a global uproar, and Assange became a top US fugitive.

Assange lived in asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London but was arrested by British police in April 2019. He was sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for violating bail conditions and is currently serving his sentence.

The trial held in London was not about the charges brought by the US government, such as violations of the Espionage Act, but about whether the US government's extradition request for Assange was appropriate.

Although the court denied Assange's extradition on this day, it is expected to take more time before the decision is finalized through the High Court and the Supreme Court.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.