Julian Assange may not be extradited to US

The WikiLeaks founder has been holed up at Ecuador's embassy in London since 2012, where he took refuge over fears of being extradited to the US over the 2010 WikiLeaks cable dump.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (Photo | AP )
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (Photo | AP )

QUITO (Ecuador): WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, arrested in London on Thursday after Quito withdrew his political asylum, will not be extradited to any country where he could face "torture or the death penalty," Ecuador's president said.

"I asked Great Britain the guarantee that Mr Assange will not be extradited to any country in which he could suffer torture or face the death penalty," President Lenin Moreno said in a video message posted on social media.

"The British government has confirmed this in writing," that they will meet this requirement, Moreno said.

It is unlikely that Assange will be extradited to the United States as death penalty is still prevalent as punishment for certain federal crimes.

The 47-year-old Assange has been holed up at Ecuador's embassy in London since 2012, where he took refuge over fears of being extradited to the US over the 2010 WikiLeaks cable dump.

He was originally wanted in London after a British judge ruled he should be extradited to face allegations of sexual assault in Sweden. 

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