WikiLeaks founder may testify in US presidential election interference case
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is considering a request from the US Senate Intelligence Committee to testify in its investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.
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| WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, UK on May 19, 2017. Photo: AP/TTXVN |
In a statement on August 9, Mr. Assange's lawyer, Jennifer Robinson, said: WikiLeaks is seriously considering the US offer, but needs to be sure that Mr. Assange's safety is guaranteed.
Earlier, on August 8, WikiLeaks said that in a request letter sent to Mr. Assange through the US Embassy in London, the US Senate Intelligence Committee requested Mr. Assange to testify and participate in a closed-door interview. WikiLeaks' legal department said that the hearing must comply with "high ethical standards".
Since June 2012, Mr. Assange, 46 years old, an Australian citizen, has been living in asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid being extradited to Sweden by the UK to face charges of sexual assault. He has always denied the allegations, claiming that the lawsuit is aimed at arresting and extraditing him to the US to face charges of revealing many US state secrets in 2010.
So far, Russia has always affirmed that it did not interfere in the 2016 US presidential election, and said that the accusations against Russia are completely baseless.
