Assange denied bail after extradition blocked, will appeal to UK High Court
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been denied bail and continues to be held on remand in Belmarsh maximum-security prison.
District Judge Vanessa Baraitser handed down the decision Wednesday in Westminster Magistrates Court, after ruling on Monday against Assange’s extradition to the United States on mental health grounds. Assange will remain in custody until the prosecution’s appeal of that ruling is heard.
Westminster Magistrates Court
WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson announced afterwards that Assange’s legal team would be taking the bail decision to the High Court.
Baraitser’s refusal to grant bail confirms that her decision not to extradite was motivated by political considerations and not any genuine concern for Assange’s health. Assange will be kept in conditions which have had a grave impact on his mental health, during a massive escalation of the UK’s COVID-19 epidemic.
Workers Revolutionary Party
Demonstrators at Westminster Magistrates Court yesterday insist the battle to stop the extradition of Julian Assange to the US will continue
WIKILEAKS founder Julian Assange has been sent back to Belmarsh high security prison after a judge refused him bail yesterday, despite a decision to block his extradition to the United States.
The decision taken at Westminster Magistrates Court in Marylebone means that Assange still cannot be reunited with his family.
District Judge Vanessa Baraitser said he must remain in prison while the courts consider an appeal by US authorities against her decision not to extradite him.
UK Court Hears WikiLeaks Assange Is Flight Risk If Bailed By Joe JACKSON
01/06/21 AT 6:17 AM
The United States on Wednesday urged a judge in London not to release WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on bail, as it seeks to appeal a decision to block his extradition to face charges for publishing secret documents.
Lawyer Clair Dobbin, representing the government in Washington, told Westminster Magistrates Court there were no conditions that could guarantee his surrender if he were freed from custody. Assange spent years in the Ecuadorean embassy to avoid extradition from the UK Photo: AFP / Justin TALLIS
Assange, 49, who was in court to hear the application, is seeking to be released on bail, after an unexpected decision on Monday to block his removal to the United States on the grounds he was a suicide risk.