Julian Assange Sentenced to 50 Weeks in Prison in Britain

May still be extradited to Sweden or US for more charges

For the crime of seeking and successfully receiving asylum in the Ecuador Embassy in London for seven years, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been sentenced by a British court to 50 weeks in prison.

Officially, the charge is “jumping bail,” as Assange was on bail when he sought asylum, fearing he would be extradited to the US, where he might face torture or execution. The US is still seeking to extradite Assange.

Assange spent seven years in the embassy before Ecuador withdrew protection in April. The judge said living int he embassy was the most serious example of the offensive of jumping bail.

Sweden has not ruled out seeking extradition of Assange either, despite having dropped the case against him long ago. The concern of being extradited to the US is more serious, given what the US is liable to do to him in detention.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is news editor of Antiwar.com.