By S.T. Patrick As the only non-court official in the gallery when the Julian Assange verdict was announced on Jan. 5 in England, former British Ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray said, “The judgment is concerning, but we are nonetheless delighted.” Concerning it was, and still is, as 2021 has already been an important if not depressing year for freedom of the press. Judge Vanessa Baraitser denied the U.S. request to extradite Assange, the founder of whistleblower website WikiLeaks, to face charges stemming from alleged violations of the 1917 Espionage Act. While the denial of extradition was a pleasant surprise to some, Baraitser did not release Assange immediately nor did she rebuke the request. Quite the opposite.