British court ruled on Monday that Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States.

The justification is the Wikileaks founder's serious health condition, which risks endangering his life upon extradition, according to Judge Vanessa Baraitser.

- It is a victory for Julian Assange himself but not a great victory for freedom of expression because the judge decided that he should not be extradited for humanitarian reasons, says SVT's foreign correspondent Anna-Maja Persson who is in London.

Out-of-court supporters

The announcement comes at a time when Britain is dominated by the pandemic and Brexit.

But a crowd of supporters has given their support outside the court during the day.

Julian Assange himself has neither appeared nor made any statement.

- On the other hand, there is quite a lot of information from supporters and the defense team.

They believe that he is in poor condition, says Anna-Maja Persson.

Does the decision mean that the process will take longer?

- Yes, it's not over yet.

The United States has already made it clear that it intends to appeal the ruling and that process has already begun.

So Assange is taken back to the high-security prison Belmarsh outside London, where he has been sitting since May last year under quite tough conditions, says Anna-Maja Persson.

Can be released

Julian Assange may, however, walk freely on British soil already on Wednesday.

Guarantee negotiations will then begin where it will be decided whether he will be set free or not.

- His defense team wants him released on bail.

On Wednesday, the judge will make his decision and then he can be released immediately and may leave Belmarsh, says Anna-Maja Persson.

Will there be a disclosure when it's all over?

- There are many analysts who have commented and most actually seem to believe that he will not be extradited because he is in such poor condition.

How does this affect the relationship with the United States?

- As the United States appeals, this issue will ultimately fall into the lap of the British government, which will be forced to make a decision on whether or not to extradite Assange.

But there is nothing noticeable in the relationships at the moment, says Anna-Maja Persson.