Julian Assange, who was sentenced to 50 weeks in prison yesterday in London, said in a letter that he apologizes to those who feel that he has slighted them. He says he is facing dire circumstances, while his lawyer points out that Assange is in fear of possible extradition to the United States.
WikiLeaks editor Kristin Hrafnson called Assange's sentence shocking. However, the real battle is still ahead of him, Hrafnson told reporters after the sentencing.
"The battle is not only for Julian Assange, although for him it is a matter of life and death, but it is a matter of preserving the greatest journalistic principles," Hrafnson pointed out.
The WikiLeaks editor says that if Assange is extradited to the US, it will be a sign that no journalist is safe, reports RTS.
Attorney Mark Summers said his client has been in fear of extradition for years. "As those threats from America loomed over him, they overshadowed everything," Summers said.
And in Assange's letter, which was read before the court, one can see the fear:
"I apologize unreservedly to those who feel I have slighted them because of the way I conducted my process.
That's not what I wanted or intended.
I am facing a dire circumstance for which no one I have turned to for advice has been able to find a cure.
I did what I thought at the time was the best and perhaps the only thing that could be done - which I hoped would lead to a legal solution that Ecuador and Sweden would reach, to protect me from my worst fears .
I regret the direction it took; hardships piled up and affected many others.
Despite the fact that the circumstances I'm facing now have become even more difficult, I feel this is the right time to say it."
Assange was convicted last month of breaching bail conditions after his extradition to Sweden was ordered on rape charges.
The United States of America also accused him of participating in one of the biggest espionage affairs.
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