German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday spoke against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s possible extradition to the US, Anadolu Agency said.
“I am of the opinion that it would be a good thing if the British courts gave him the necessary protection,” Scholz was quoted as saying by the agency on Monday.
“Because he has to expect prosecution in the US, given the fact that he has betrayed American state secrets,” he added.
Scholz made the remarks during a question-answer session with students of the Gottlieb-Daimler-School in the southwestern city of Sindelfingen.
The Social Democrat chancellor expressed hope that chances of Assange avoiding extradition have increased after last month’s hearing at the UK High Court in London.
US lawyers, according to DW News, say Assange — indicted on 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse — could face up to 175 years in prison if convicted, but authorities have said the sentence is likely to be much shorter.
Supporters of Assange, who is Australian, say he is a journalist who lifted the lid on US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan. They claim the prosecution is politically motivated and that he has no chance of a fair trial in the US.