UK rules Assange cannot be extradited to the US on espionage charges until death penalty is off the table

A British court ruled on Tuesday that Julian Assange — the founder of WikiLeaks — would not be extradited to the United States on espionage charges unless the U.S. authorities guaranteed that he wouldn't receive the death penalty, according to the Associated Press.

The recent revelation is a partial victory for the whistleblower after a long legal battle over WikiLeaks' publication of classified U.S. documents. The report mentioned that two High Court judges said they would give Assange a new appeal unless U.S. authorities provided information about what would happen to him if he is taken into American custody.

If the U.S. does not give sufficient explanation as to what will happen to Assange, it could mean that the whistleblower will continue to stay inside London's high-security Belmarsh Prison, where he has spent the previous five years.

The two judges, Victoria Sharp and Jeremy Johnson, said that Assange must be "afforded the same First Amendment protections as a United States citizen, and that the death penalty is not imposed," according to the Leader-Telegram. The judges went on to say that if the U.S. can provide new assurances, “We will give the parties an opportunity to make further submissions before we make a final decision on the application for leave to appeal.”

Reports said the judges will have a hearing on May 20 if the U.S. makes those submissions.

Assange's wife chimed in on the situation, saying that the WikiLeaks founder is "being persecuted because he exposed the true cost of war in human lives," adding that "the Biden administration should not issue assurances. They should drop this shameful case, which should never have been brought."

The judges have rejected six of Assange's nine reasons for appeal, including the accusation that the prosecution against him is political in nature. They noted that while Assange "acted out of political conviction ... it does not follow however that the request for his extradition is made on account of his political views.”

The AP also mentioned that the judges determined Assange could not appeal based on the allegations that the CIA had devised plans to kill or kidnap Assange while he was still staying in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

The judges said that "plainly, these are allegations of the utmost seriousness” but concluded that they had no bearing on the requests for extradition.

“Extradition would result in him being lawfully in the custody of the United States authorities, and the reasons (if they can be called that) for rendition or kidnap or assassination then fall away,” the ruling stated.

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