Assange says he is ready to go to US once soldier freed
WIKILEAKS founder Julian Assange stands by his offer to go to the United States now that Chelsea Manning is being released, he told a Press conference.
Speaking from the Ecuadorian embassy in London via social media, he signalled there would be “many discussions” on his future before Manning leaves prison in May.
He welcomed Barack Obama’s decision to free the former soldier jailed for handing over classified documents to the anti-secrecy organisation.
The outgoing US President used his final hours in the White House to allow Manning to go free nearly 30 years early.
The transgender former intelligence analyst, born Bradley Manning, said she had passed on government and military documents to raise awareness about the impact of war.
Mr Assange, who has been living at the Ecuadorian embassy since the summer of 2012 for fear of being extradited to the US, praised campaigners for their role in the decision.
He was interviewed in the embassy in November in the presence of prosecutors from Sweden, where he faces a sex allegation. He denies the claims, but insists he faces extradition to the US for questioning over the activities of WikiLeaks if he leaves the embassy.
WikiLeaks tweeted last week: “If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ (Department of Justice) case.”
Asked whether he will now leave the embassy, he said: “I stand by everything I said, including the offer to go to the United States if Chelsea Manning’s sentence was commuted. It is not going to be commuted until May — we can have many discussions to that point.
“I have always been willing to go to the United States provided my rights are respected.”
Mr Assange said if it took him going to the US to “flush out” the case being prepared against him, or to drop it, then “we are looking at that”. He said the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service had refused to confirm or deny whether there was an extradition request from the US.