4 ms·

Not just prison, the "Espionage Act of 1917", which is he charged with, has death penalty as a possible punishment. And it is pretty clear that he is guilty of

Not just prison, the "Espionage Act of 1917", which is he charged with, has death penalty as a possible punishment. And it is pretty clear that he is guilty of this law. Not much room for whistleblowers in a wartime law.

travjones 11y ago
Good point. I assumed prison was the most likely outcome if he came back, but you're right, it is possible that he could receive the death penalty. Granted, I doubt the government would use the death penalty to prevent him from going down as a "martyr."
- enlightenedfool 11y ago
  People (in fact only a small section) quickly forget "martyr"s and the government could take a bet on that with confidence.
eli 11y ago
The US has promised not to seek the death penalty if he returns to face trial.
- danenania 11y ago
  Oh well if they promised then I'm sure there's absolutely nothing to worry about.
  - eli 11y ago
    The crimes he's charged with are actually not eligible for the death sentence and the Attorney General promised not to seek the death penalty even if future additional charges do make that possible. Not really sure what else you want.
    - danenania 11y ago
      US government officials have been caught lying countless times when it comes to "national security" issues. What gives this particular promise any credibility? Is this "promise" legally binding? What about the next Attorney General? Or the next one? Even if he isn't executed, he could be physically and psychologically tortured. I'm not sure if you know much about the US prison system, but this is a common and officially sanctioned practice. Many people would consider a lifetime of torture to be a worse punishment than execution.
    - pkinsky 11y ago
      >The crimes he's charged with are actually not eligible for the death sentence and the Attorney General promised not to seek the death penalty even if future additional charges do make that possible. Not really sure what else you want. I don't think there's any assurance or promise the US government could offer short of a full pardon that would be sufficient. The US, especially in areas of human rights and national security, is not a trustworthy entity.
- enlightenedfool 11y ago
  They could instead award him 300+ years in jail.
- rancur 11y ago
  they also promised the monitoring wouldn't be used on US citizens.

travjones 11y ago

Good point. I assumed prison was the most likely outcome if he came back, but you're right, it is possible that he could receive the death penalty. Granted, I doubt the government would use the death penalty to prevent him from going down as a "martyr."

enlightenedfool 11y ago
People (in fact only a small section) quickly forget "martyr"s and the government could take a bet on that with confidence.

eli 11y ago

The US has promised not to seek the death penalty if he returns to face trial.

danenania 11y ago
Oh well if they promised then I'm sure there's absolutely nothing to worry about.
- eli 11y ago
  The crimes he's charged with are actually not eligible for the death sentence and the Attorney General promised not to seek the death penalty even if future additional charges do make that possible. Not really sure what else you want.
  - danenania 11y ago
    US government officials have been caught lying countless times when it comes to "national security" issues. What gives this particular promise any credibility? Is this "promise" legally binding? What about the next Attorney General? Or the next one? Even if he isn't executed, he could be physically and psychologically tortured. I'm not sure if you know much about the US prison system, but this is a common and officially sanctioned practice. Many people would consider a lifetime of torture to be a worse punishment than execution.
  - pkinsky 11y ago
    >The crimes he's charged with are actually not eligible for the death sentence and the Attorney General promised not to seek the death penalty even if future additional charges do make that possible. Not really sure what else you want. I don't think there's any assurance or promise the US government could offer short of a full pardon that would be sufficient. The US, especially in areas of human rights and national security, is not a trustworthy entity.
enlightenedfool 11y ago
They could instead award him 300+ years in jail.
rancur 11y ago
they also promised the monitoring wouldn't be used on US citizens.