JULIAN ASSANGE’S HEALTH IS CENTRAL TO UPCOMING RULING ON EXTRADITION TO THE U.S.

WHETHER JULIAN ASSANGE is extradited to the United States to face trial on Espionage Act charges now hinges on whether a British court of appeal finds that his safety would be endangered if he were held in an American prison.

During two days of hearings at Britain’s High Court, which concluded today, defense attorneys for Assange argued that the WikiLeaks publisher was at high risk of suicide if he were sent to the U.S. to face charges, owing to his fragile physical and mental health state. Prosecutors argued in turn that Assange, whose charges are related to his work with WikiLeaks, was fit to be transferred, arguing that his conditions in the U.S. would not be onerous.

The appeal hearing comes in response to a previous ruling this January that rejected extradition on the grounds that Assange’s humane treatment could not be guaranteed in the United States and that he would be at high risk of suicide if placed into U.S. custody. The British court today did not issue a judgment immediately in response to the appeal but said that it would consider the arguments and issue a draft judgment at a later date. The judges have up to one month to issue a decision, after which both sides still have the final option of appealing to the British Supreme Court.

The crux of the issue is Assange’s health, which has deteriorated over the years he has been pursued by the U.S. government. Assange’s lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, said yesterday in court that his client’s mental state is too endangered to be subject to the risk of being placed in solitary confinement in an American prison.

“It is perfectly reasonable to find it oppressive to extradite a mentally disordered person because his extradition is likely to result in his death.” – READ MORE