Julian Assange. A name that polarizes and divides opinions globally. Yesterday his extradition to the USA was blocked by a UK judge based on mental health concerns and suicide risk. However, the United States won on every point of law raised in court, it was just Assange’s mental frame of mind that blocked his extradition. In a time of ubiquitous governmental secrecy and hush politics, Assange bought documents not meant for the public eye to full view. In the eyes of the US authorities however, he endangered and risked lives through his website ‘WikiLeaks”.   

District Judge at the Old Bailey Vanessa Baraitser ruled that while US prosecutors had met the criteria for Mr. Assange to be extradited for trial, the US was incapable of preventing him from attempting to take his own life in light of the evidence of harmful and suicidal thoughts from him. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said it was "alarming that the judge has accepted US government arguments threatening freedom of speech and freedom to publish"  

His fiancee Stella Moris, with whom he has two children, sobbed and was comforted by Wikileaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, who sat by her in court.  

She directly addressed the US president saying :  

"Mr. President, tear down these prison walls," she said. "Let our little boys have their father. Free Julian, free the press, free us all."  

The Jullian Assange case has put a new spin on journalistic freedom and freedom of the press. Although it is not so much what he is leaking that poses the issue, more how he is getting it. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser explicitly concluded that Mr. Assange should answer allegations that he aided and abetted hacking, theft, and disclosure of the identities of informants working for the US security agencies which ultimately endangered their lives.   

On the whole, reactions to the Assange case were in favor of Mr. Assange’s acquittal. Nevertheless, the question remains, who is Julian Assange? A crazy Hacktivist or a fundamental Truth-seeker.