WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the United States, a judge in London decided on Monday.
If he had been extradited, Assange would have faced a prison sentence of 175 years.
Assange is accused in the US of 17 violations of the country’s Espionage Act from 1917.
The US accuses Assange of having facilitated the publication of secret information. More specifically, the case involves hundreds of thousands of documents related to US diplomacy and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2010 and 2011.
Assange's extradition was blocked due to the judge's concerns that "the mental condition of Mr Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America,” as she mentioned the risk of a possible suicide.
The US authorities are expected to appeal against the decision, which they have 14 days to do, according to the BBC.
Jason Spinks
The Brussels Times
