Julian Assange is facing extradition to the US on charges of conspiring to break into a government computer to leak classified information. Washington has until 12 June to provide UK authorities with the necessary documents for Assange's extradition.
The WikiLeaks portal claims the US Department of Justice is attempting to build a case against Julian Assange based on the Espionage Act. Convictions under the Espionage Act can be punished by death.
In its current tweet, WikiLeaks attached a link to the portal Netzpolitik.org, which claims the US Attorney's Office admitted it was also investigating Assange for the “unauthorized receipt and dissemination of secret information”, citing a DOJ letter addressed to former WikiLeaks spokesperson Daniel Domscheit-Berg.
WikiLeaks Lawyers to Visit Assange in UK Jail in Coming Days
The Espionage Act of 1917, a World War I era federal law, is intended to protect military secrets and has been used to charge Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden. Convictions under the Espionage Act can be punished by death.
The United States is officially charging Julian Assange, currently in UK custody, with “conspiracy to commit computer intrusion”, alleging that he assisted Chelsea Manning in cracking a password to infiltrate Pentagon computers and download material to share with WikiLeaks. If convicted, Assange faces a maximum sentence of five years.
Back in December 2017, an FBI agent filed an…
