Julian Assange will agree to U.S. extradition if Obama grants Chelsea Manning clemency

WikiLeaks tweeted Thursday that founder Julian Assange would agree to be extradited to the U.S. from his hideout at the Ecuadorean embassy in London — if President Obama grants Chelsea Manning clemency:

Assange could potentially face the death penalty in the United States due to the fact that WikiLeaks released massive numbers of classified documents pertaining to the Afghan and Iraq wars in 2010.

Manning, a former U.S. Army soldier and whistle-blower, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking classified military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks in 2010. It was reported Wednesday that she is on the "short list" for commutation before Obama leaves office. Edward Snowden, who leaked confidential materials from the NSA, has also pleaded for Obama to free Manning before Trump assumes the White House.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up