Assange extradition ruling bears good and bad news

Editor’s note: Reader ‘Sackerson’ offered the following comment in response to Michael Curzon’s article on the court ruling that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the United States due to ‘reasons of mental health’, ‘A victory for free speech’:

The good news is that Julian Assange is not to be extradited to the U.S. and seems likely to be freed soon. The bad news is that magistrate Baraitser appears to have conceded some highly dangerous principles in favour of the U.S.:

'The judgement is in fact very concerning,’ writes Craig Murray, ‘in that it accepted all of the prosecution’s case on the right of the U.S. Government to prosecute publishers worldwide of U.S. official secrets under the Espionage Act. The judge also stated specifically that the U.K. Extradition Act of 2003 deliberately permits extradition for political offences.'

It has certainly delighted the Americans:

'While we are extremely disappointed in the court's ultimate decision, we are gratified that the United States prevailed on every point of law raised,' the U.S. justice department has said.

Would these rights (relating to alleged political offences) also extend to the European Union (as per the U.K.-E.U. Trade and Cooperation Agreement reached on 24 December 2020: 'surrender and replacement arrangements for the European Arrest Warrant'), and even China (Bilateral UK Extradition Agreements – Hong Kong; Bilateral UK MLA Agreements – China)?