Wikileaks founder Julian Assange “has an incentive to abscond”, a British Judge said
A British judge on January 6 denied bail to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has been jailed in Britain since 2019 as he fights extradition to the United States.
Also read: Assange’s extradition to U.S. rejected by U.K. court
District Judge Vanessa Baraitser ordered Assange to remain in prison while the courts consider an appeal by U.S. authorities against a decision not to extradite him.
Editor in Chief of WikiLeaks Kristinn Hrafnsson speaks to the media after a court denied bail to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, outside the Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Britain on January 6, 2021.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
On January 4, the judge rejected an American request to send Assange to the U.S. to face espionage charges over WikiLeaks publication of secret military documents a decade ago.
The Hindu Profiles | Julian Assange | Enemy of the state
She denied extradition on health grounds, saying the 49-year-old Australian was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions.
The judge said on January 6 that Assange “has an incentive to abscond” and there is a good chance he would fail to return to court if freed.
