Wikileaks founder Julian Assange remains in custody in Great Britain for the time being. A court in London on Wednesday denied the defense’s motion to release the 49 -year-old on bail after his extradition to the United States was prevented on Monday.

Better treatment in Great Britain The verdict against a release was now included Vanessa Baraitser, the judge who based her first decision on Monday on Assange’s mental health and the conditions of detention that would await him in the United States. It is to be expected that he will commit suicide in solitary confinement. Now she said Assange could be treated well in the maximum security Belmarsh Prison. In addition, there is a risk that Assange will try to flee as in the past.

Assange had evaded prosecution for almost seven years at the Ecuadorian embassy in London . The judgment can still be appealed against – as well as against the new decision.

The US judiciary accuses Assange of stealing secret material from US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan together with Chelsea Manning to have published. He put the lives of US informants in danger. His supporters, on the other hand, consider him an investigative journalist who brought war crimes to light.

Hope and criticism after the first judgment The journalists’ organization Reporters Without Borders no longer sees great chances of success for the US judiciary. “It is very unlikely that a US appointment will be successful,” said the organization’s London representative, Rebecca Vincent, of the German Press Agency. “I don’t see what new arguments the lawyers could bring up in court.” She hopes US President-elect Joe Biden will be able to settle Assange’s prosecution when he takes office. Biden should be on 20. The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer, warned of a precedent “in which investigative journalists denied the protection of press freedom and denied the way.” paves for their prosecution on charges of espionage “. Monday’s verdict is dangerous. The only question left is whether Assange is fit enough to endure the prison conditions in the USA, criticized Melzer.

(mho)