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The paper I read says he faces up to 150 years in prison. Going to the US there is always the risk that they will throw the book at you. The 4 to 6 years might

The paper I read says he faces up to 150 years in prison. Going to the US there is always the risk that they will throw the book at you. The 4 to 6 years might just be a tactic to get the extradition since 150 years every where else in the world is considered cruel and unusual punishment.

vidarh 5y ago
That's my take too - I wouldn't for a second believe the 4 to 6 years unless they're prepared to actually guarantee it.
- sschueller 5y ago
  There is no guarantee when dealing with the US. I mean the last president pull out of an international agreement (Iran) just because he didn't like it. How can you agree to something that in 4 years might just change. Making a deal with the US is dangerous, just ask Saddam or Gaddafi.
  - vidarh 5y ago
    I agree with that, but I also think that of the US issued a formal guarantee they'd only imprison him for 4 years, then a British judge would likely choose to believe it whether or not we think it should be trusted.
- dane-pgp 5y ago
  I keep wondering if a president can grant pre-emptive clemency, to limit the length of a sentence that hasn't been decided yet. If the maximum sentence is 150 years, but Biden would settle for keeping him locked up another 4 years (so that he doesn't interfere with the 2024 election), then the naive thing to do would be to grant a 146 year reduction of his sentence, but this could end up with Assange serving a sentence of negative length if the judge hands him a sentence less than the maximum. More seriously, I wonder if Assange's time spent in prison in the UK fighting extradition to the US (after his punishment for skipping bail was served) will count as time served towards whatever sentence he is given in the US. If so, he may only need to drag out the appeals process for another couple of years and the US will have punished him more through the process of him proving his innocence than the sentence he is being threatened with if guilty.
  - pmyteh 5y ago
    Prosecutors can commit to only asking for a particular sentence, but AIUI they can't formally tie the hands of the judge. The sentencing guidelines may also suggest a sentence far below the theoretical 150 year maximum. One thing that they have done is undertake to consent to any request from Assange to serve any sentence in Australia. So I don't know whether trying to wait out the clock in Belmarsh would be a good move anyway.

vidarh 5y ago

That's my take too - I wouldn't for a second believe the 4 to 6 years unless they're prepared to actually guarantee it.

sschueller 5y ago
There is no guarantee when dealing with the US. I mean the last president pull out of an international agreement (Iran) just because he didn't like it. How can you agree to something that in 4 years might just change. Making a deal with the US is dangerous, just ask Saddam or Gaddafi.
- vidarh 5y ago
  I agree with that, but I also think that of the US issued a formal guarantee they'd only imprison him for 4 years, then a British judge would likely choose to believe it whether or not we think it should be trusted.
dane-pgp 5y ago
I keep wondering if a president can grant pre-emptive clemency, to limit the length of a sentence that hasn't been decided yet. If the maximum sentence is 150 years, but Biden would settle for keeping him locked up another 4 years (so that he doesn't interfere with the 2024 election), then the naive thing to do would be to grant a 146 year reduction of his sentence, but this could end up with Assange serving a sentence of negative length if the judge hands him a sentence less than the maximum. More seriously, I wonder if Assange's time spent in prison in the UK fighting extradition to the US (after his punishment for skipping bail was served) will count as time served towards whatever sentence he is given in the US. If so, he may only need to drag out the appeals process for another couple of years and the US will have punished him more through the process of him proving his innocence than the sentence he is being threatened with if guilty.
- pmyteh 5y ago
  Prosecutors can commit to only asking for a particular sentence, but AIUI they can't formally tie the hands of the judge. The sentencing guidelines may also suggest a sentence far below the theoretical 150 year maximum. One thing that they have done is undertake to consent to any request from Assange to serve any sentence in Australia. So I don't know whether trying to wait out the clock in Belmarsh would be a good move anyway.