The decision borders on a miracle. After a process that was mostly extremely unfair, Judge Vanessa Barajcer in London refused to extradite Julian Assange to the United States.
After the British judiciary obstructed the defense of the celebrated investigative journalist at every turn, most observers believed that the judges would sacrifice their independence, Assange's civil rights and freedom of the press on the altar of "special relations" with Washington.
But they didn't do that. And that is a reason for joy, but not for relief.
Namely, the right of journalists to reveal the dirty secrets of the powerful was not confirmed in London. In her decision, the judge referred exclusively to the inhuman prison conditions that would await Assange in the US and the danger that he, in a severe mental state, would commit suicide.
In addition, the judge contradicted the defense's allegations that the Australian was persecuted because of his journalistic work, that his revelations of American war crimes are in the public interest and that the entire process is political. On the contrary, Barajcer was completely on the side of the Americans.
This means that there remains a threat to both Julian Assange and freedom of the press.
One can only speculate about the reasons for the decision. In December, US President Donald Trump pardoned four convicted war criminals who massacred 14 civilians in Baghdad. In contrast, he ignored calls to show commitment to proclaimed American values and pardoned Assange as a man who exposed crimes.
It could be that President-elect Joseph Biden's team whispered to the British that they don't need Assange in America, so that the process against the founder WikiLeaks only harmed the reputation of the next administration.
Last November at the latest, it was clearly shown how much the process against Assange is shaking the position of the West as a protector of human values. Then a BBC correspondent asked Azerbaijani President Aliyev about media freedom in his country. He retorted that the English, given Assange's treatment, had no right to lecture others about human rights and freedom of the press.
How will it go on? The United States has already announced an appeal against the London court's decision. It could take years until all instances are exhausted.
Assange should not have spent that time in Belmarsh High Security Prison. Staying in that "English Guantanamo" is equivalent to torture, said the UN envoy for torture issues, Nils Meltzer. Assange has been in solitary confinement for a year and a half, although he has not been legally convicted of anything.
First, Assange should finally be released under house arrest, to wait there for the end of the process. It is unclear why investigative journalists are treated worse than mass murderers. Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet once comfortably awaited the extradition decision in a luxury villa near London.
It is also important that the late-awakened public keep up the pressure even after this court decision. Julian Assange and press freedom are worth fighting for.
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