Even if U.S. indicts, Assange extradition not certain

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His lawyer expects indictment is imminent, but Sweden might keep him

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40606371/ns/us_news-wikileaks_in_security/

A lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Friday that she expects
the U.S. to indict him soon, but the prospect of Assange being sent to Sweden in a sex-crimes inquiry may make it less likely that he'll wind up before an American judge.

While Britain, where Assange is being held, has one of the most U.S.-friendly extradition regimes in Europe, Sweden may not be so quick to hand the 39-year-old Australian over.

"(U.S. officials) might be well advised, if they think they have a basis, to try to extradite him while he's still here," said Peter Sommer, a cybercrime expert at the London School of Economics.

(snip)
"Our position of course is that we don't believe it applies to Mr. Assange and that in any event he's entitled to First Amendment protection as publisher of Wikileaks and any prosecution under the Espionage Act would in my view be unconstitutional and puts at risk all media organizations in the U.S.," she added.