Salon

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is reneging on the promise he made last week to accept extradition to the United States if President Barack Obama granted clemency to Chelsea Manning.

“Mr. Assange welcomes the announcement that Ms. Manning’s sentence will be reduced and she will be released in May, but this is well short of what he sought,” said Barry Pollack, Assange’s U.S.-based attorney, in an email to The Hill on Wednesday.

“Mr. Assange had called for Chelsea Manning to receive clemency and be released immediately.”

Assange initially suggested that he would accept extradition in return for Manning’s commutation in September. His standing offer, which was tweeted on Thursday, did not mention anything about Manning being released immediately.

He followed this up on Tuesday with a tweet that reiterated his belief he would be tried and acquitted if extradited.

After Obama’s decision to commute Manning’s sentence was announced, Assange first proclaimed victory and indicated that he would come to the United States so long as his constitutional rights were respected. Neither of these tweets made any reference to wanting Manning released immediately or that this was a precondition to Assange’s accepting extradition. [MORE]