Next Big Show Trial on the Way: Britain Orders Julian Assange to Be Extradited to US

Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, who has been in a London prison since 2019, has been ordered to be extradited to the US to face charges of of espionage and hacking.

Attorneys for Assange have stated their concern that he may be at an increased risk of suicide in a US prison, due to the “restrictions he could face in US custody,” reports the Washington Post. Assange was on the run for seven years prior to his incarceration in a London prison, and had sought asylum in the Ecuadoran Embassy.

The Home Office released a statement saying that “the UK courts have not found that it would be oppressive, unjust or an abuse of process to extradite Mr. Assange. Nor have they found that extradition would be incompatible with his human rights, including his right to a fair trial and to freedom of expression, and that whilst in the US he will be treated appropriately, including in relation to his health.”

It was that “oppressive” risk of suicide that led district judge Vanessa Baraitser to rule previously that Assange should not be extradited to the United States, in January 2021.

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