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Comment by rudiv | Hacker News Reader

RIP. It's only a matter of time before he's extradited, and I would think the current US government would definitely push for the death penalty under the Espionage Act. I suppose it's little solace that he'll join a long list of illustrious names prosecuted under that infamous act. (Emma Goldman, Eugene Debs, Victor Berger, Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden)

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Reading the rest of the comments, it's surprising that so many people seem to have reduced WikiLeaks & Assange to 'co-conspirators with the President'. They've been around before the 2016 election.

But on the biggest issue of american politics of the last 50 years, he has found himself (chosen?) on the wrong side of history

<edit> If you hear trump talk for two minutes and you don't immediately realize the danger and what he represents, you might be too cynical

The majority of people I know don't remember or care what Chelsea Manning's leaks actually contained. Or that she exists.

Honestly, in flyover country, the only time folks talk about Chelsea Manning is as a thinly veiled attack on trans individuals. Nothing about what was leaked or that she even leaked anything important.

It's sad.

The UK does not permit extradition where there is a risk of the death penalty being applied. It would require an assurance against the death penalty as a condition of extradition.

Yes, if he were to be extradited facing the death penalty this would actually violate the European Convention on Human Rights as decided in Soering v UK.

Does European law apply after Oct 31? #brexit

ECHR has nothing to do with the EU.

With the only exception being Belarus, every other European country (including Russia, Turkey, Switzerland etc.) signed that same convention.

It's not quite as clear-cut as that any more: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jul/23/uk-will-not-...

That's an old article (July 2018), but I couldn't find anything more recent about that specific aspect of the case.

What about life sentence instead of death penalty?

It's very clear: It only applies to death penalty. Life sentence would have him extradited.

Neither the UK nor Sweden is legally able to extradite to countries where there is a risk of the death penalty being applied.

It applies only to cases where death penalty is possible. Even in those cases extradition is possible after prosecutor agrees not to seek death penalty.

If he’s likely to face the death penalty, then he has an excellent legal defence against extradition.

If he’d left earlier, he’d have had a chance to appeal to the ECJ too. Ooops

Brexit has been extended to October and it's very likely it won't happen at all.

Or that UK would be subject to ECJ anyway.

> it's very likely it won't happen at all

I mean I really hope you're right, but betting markets have odds on that at about 30%, which for me doesn't count as "very likely"

> Brexit has been extended to October

The English legal system moves sloooooooowly. I mean not third-world slowly, but the McKinnon case had what, a decade in it?

> Or that UK would be subject to ECJ anyway.

As a sibling comment noted, I was wrong to talk about the ECJ, when the ECHR is what's important. Interesting to see how that thrashes out post-Brexit.

The UK hasn’t left the EU yet and just negotiated the extension to Brexit to October 31 of this year at the latest. I don’t see why Assange wouldn’t be able to appeal now unless his case never gets there before Brexit.

This is not about the ECJ but he could instead appeal to the ECHR, which the UK is still a party to even if there was a Brexit.

Are you referring to Assange's connection with the Snowden leak? Why would they seek the death penalty? Even Snowden wouldn't get the death penalty were he to return and be prosecuted.

He’s more likely to be executed by whichever information sources he has a risk of ratting out in a trial than by the US. Maybe he won’t even make it to US land.

The UK is unlikely to extradite without assurances that the death penalty will not be applied, which is doubtful in any case.

That is highly unlikely due to precedent of the '60s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_by_the_Unit...

He cant be extradited without there being a guarantee that he will not face the death penalty.

The us is not going to execute him are you mad?

Why on earth would the US govt want to punish him? He helped getting Trump elected and is on friendly terms with Trump Jr.

It's not like that bunch is known for their loyalty, but even sheer self preservation would suggest that they not meddle with somebody who doubtlessly has ample receipts of their interactions.

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