London: A court in London has blocked the extradition request of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the US, citing concerns over his “mental health and “risk of suicide”.
The 49-year-old is wanted over the publication of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011.
The US claims the leaks broke the law and endangered lives. Assange had fought the extradition and says the case is politically motivated, the BBC reported.
The US authorities have 14 days to lodge an appeal and are expected to do so.
Assange will now be taken back to Belmarsh Prison, where he is being held and a full application for his bail will be made soon.
His lawyer Ed Fitzgerald told the court there will be evidence to show Assange will not abscond.
District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that the Australian publisher faced “oppressive” conditions in maximum-security isolation if detained in the US.
Assange faces an 18-count indictment from the US government, accusing him of conspiring to hack into US military databases to acquire sensitive secret information relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, which was then published on the Wikileaks website.
