MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama commuted whistleblower Chelsea Manning's 35-year prison sentence. The whistleblower, sentenced in 2013 for releasing US classified government information, will be released in May. Earlier in January, WikiLeaks stated that Assange would agree to be extradited to the United States if Obama granted Manning clemency. Earlier in the day, Assange's lawyer Per E Samuelson said that his client was ready to be engaged in negotiations on extradition, but he pointed out that Manning had not been pardoned.
"Assange is still happy to come to the US provided all his rights are guarenteed despite White House now saying Manning was not quid-quo-pro," WikiLeaks said on its Twitter account.
Assange has been residing at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012 for fear of being extradited to Sweden where he has been accused of rape. He denies the allegations, claiming they are a ruse organized by Washington to hand him over to the United States.
Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed!
