The US government’s plea for Julian Assange, the Wikileaks CEO’s extradition was rejected by the UK government. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected allegations that Assange is being prosecuted for political reasons or would not receive a fair trial in the United States. But she said his precarious mental health would likely deteriorate further under the conditions of “near total isolation” he would face in U.S. prison.
“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,” the judge said.
This ruling was issued at the Central Criminal Court in London, which is dubbed the ‘Old Bailey’. The authorities have two weeks to file an appeal, in the absence of which the rejection of the extradition petition will hold.
In light of this, Mexico’s government is ready to offer political asylum to Julian Assange and supports the decision of a British judge to deny extradition of the WikiLeaks founder to the United States, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday. The President praised the UK court for rejecting the United States’ request for Assange’s extradition and termed it a “triumph of justice”. The judge cited concerns for Assange’s mental health, which was likely to deteriorate had he been moved to a top security US prison.