A British court says Julian Assange can't immediately be extradited to the United States on espionage charges, in a partial victory for the WikiLeaks founder. Two High Court judges said they'd grant Assange, 52, a new appeal unless US authorities give further assurances about what will happen to him. The ruling means the legal saga, which has dragged on for more than a decade, will continue, per the AP. The case has been adjourned until May 20.
Judges Victoria Sharp and Jeremy Johnson said that if no assurances are filed by the US, they'll grant Assange permission to appeal extradition on grounds including breach of freedom of expression, and because he might receive the death penalty. During a two-day hearing in the High Court in February, Assange lawyer Edward Fitzgerald said American authorities were seeking to punish him for WikiLeaks' "exposure of criminality on the part of the US government on an unprecedented scale," including torture and killings.
Assange's supporters have argued he's a journalist protected by the First Amendment who exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan that was in the public interest. They've argued his prosecution is politically motivated and that he can't get a fair trial in the US. The US government, meanwhile, says Assange's actions went beyond journalism by soliciting, stealing, and indiscriminately publishing classified government documents that endangered innocent lives.
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