LONDON — A British court ruled Tuesday that Julian Assange will not be extradited immediately to the United States to face hacking and espionage charges. The court stated that U.S. officials must first provide assurances to British authorities that Assange would be able to rely on free speech protections and would not face the death penalty in a U.S. trial.
The decision by the U.K. High Court in London gives the United States three weeks to provide these assurances. If the promises are not forthcoming, Assange will be able to appeal his extradition. A decision on whether he will be granted a full appeal hearing has been pushed back to May 20. In the meantime, Assange will remain in London’s Belmarsh prison, where he has been held since 2019.
Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is accused of helping former Army private Chelsea Manning hack into U.S. systems and obtaining classified military records and diplomatic cables about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2010. Prosecutors argue that Assange put lives at risk by publishing the documents, which included unredacted names of sources and other sensitive military details.
Legal experts have expressed doubt that the United States will have trouble providing the necessary assurances regarding the death penalty and free speech protections.