US submits extradition request for

Assange
The United States government has formally submitted an extradition request to the
UK for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a US official says.

Assange faces an 18-count indictment that accuses him of soliciting and publishing
classified information and of conspiring with former Army private Chelsea
Manning to crack a Defense Department computer password.

That indictment, which includes Espionage Act charges, was issued by the Justice
Department last month and is pending in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.

The extradition request had been expected ever since US authorities first
announced a criminal case against Assange.

The 47-year-old was evicted on April 11 from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London,
where he had been holed up since 2012 after Ecuador granted him political asylum.

He was arrested by British police and is currently serving a 50-week sentence for
jumping bail. Sweden also seeks him for questioning about an alleged rape, which
Assange has denied.

Assange was initially charged with a single computer crime violation on allegations
that he worked with Manning to crack a government password. Some legal experts
have said the additional Espionage Act charges might slow or complicate the
extradition process to the extent the UK views them as political offences and
therefore exempt from extradition.

The US official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't

authorised to speak publicly.

Manning, who spent seven years in a military prison for delivering a trove of
classified information to Assange before having her sentence commuted by then-
President Barack Obama, has been jailed for civil contempt in Virginia after
refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks.

Australian Associated Press

EXERCISES

TRUE OR FALSE “T” or “F”: Read the sentences in the exercise carefully. Use what you know to
work out if the sentences are true or false. Read the text to confirm what you think.

1) ____ The Russian government has formally submitted an extradition request to

the UK for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

2) ____ Some legal experts have said the additional Espionage Act charges might
slow or complicate the extradition process, because the UK´S legislation
considered this types of offends exempt from extradition.

3) ____ Assange faces an 18 count indictment that accuses him of soliciting and
publishing classified information.

4) ____ Julian will be judged in The Federal Court of Alexandria, Virginia.

5) ____Julian Assange is 49-year-old

6) ____ The US official who spoke about the Assange´s situation is called John
Doe.

7) ____ He was arrested by British police in U.K