Assange says 'high chance' he would be killed in US jail
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Julian Assange
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WikiLeaks chief Julian Assange said in an interview published
yesterday there was a "high chance" he would be killed in a US jail if
he were to be extradited from Britain on espionage charges.
The Australian is on bail in Britain fighting a bid by Sweden to
extradite him over sex assault claims, but Washington is believed to be
considering how to indict him over the leaking of thousands of US
diplomatic cables. Assange told The Guardian it would be "politically
impossible" for Britain to send him across the Atlantic, adding that the
government of Prime Minister David Cameron would want to show it had not
been "co-opted" by Washington.
"Legally the UK has the right to not extradite for political crimes.
Espionage is the classic case of political crimes. It is at the
discretion of the UK government as to whether to apply to that
exception," he said.
He said US authorities were "trying to strike a plea deal" with
Bradley Manning, the US army soldier suspected of providing WikiLeaks
with the cables.
Assange added that if the United States succeeded in getting him
extradited from Britain or Sweden, then there was a "high chance" of him
being killed "Jack Ruby-style" in an American prison. - AFP |
