Facing US Extradition on Federal Conspiracy Charges
WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange has now been arrested at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London. He is guilty of failing to surrender to the court on Thursday. Now, he is likely to face extradition to the US. That is if the UK agrees to the federal “conspiracy to commit computer intrusion” charge. If found guilty, Assange is looking at 5-years in a US prison.
The US Department for Justice alleges that Assange conspired with former US intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to download four classified databases. Manning allegedly did this between January and May 2010.
However,experts say the narrowness of the charge seems intentional. Which is most likely a workaround for the US Constitution’s First Amendment guarantee of freedom of the press.
How Did UK Authorities Arrest Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy?
Assange is staying in the Ecuadorian embassy in London after seeking asylum there in 2012. At that time, he is avoiding extradition to Sweden on a rape allegation charge. Generally, political and diplomatic asylum are a sacred institution among Latin American countries. So the last ditch asylum request back in 2012 was a smart move.
However, Ecuador’s president Lenín Moreno says he withdrew the asylum after several violations of international conventions. Stating that his country has “reached its limit” on the behaviour of Mr Assange. Pointing out his possible involvement with the Vatican leak of January 2019.
Additionally, President Moreno’s allegations include blocking security cameras at the embassy, accessing security files and confronting guards.
WikiLeaks is calling the asylum recall and arrest a “violation of international law”. Furthermore, according to Wikileaks, Assange’s arrest just confirms the “extensive spying operation” against its co-founder.
