Lawyer: Assange Will Not Leave Until Assured No U.S. Extradition

Local Editor

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will not leave the Ecuador embassy in London until it is guaranteed he will avoid extradition to the United States, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

His lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, admitted to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that being cooped up had significantly impacted Assange’s health, but said it was difficult to put a timeline on when he would leave.

"[He will leave] as soon as conditions can be negotiated that allow Julian to leave the embassy while his political asylum, to protect him from the risk of extradition to the U.S., is respected," she said.
"And we haven’t seen that happen yet."

Assange sought asylum at the Ecuador embassy in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces allegations which he strongly denies. Moreover, he fears extradition to Sweden could lead to him being transferred to the United States to face trial over WikiLeaks’ publication of classified U.S. military and diplomatic documents.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team