“Julian Assange Could Be Next”, Edward Snowden on John McAfee’s Death

The death of John McAfee, the founder of the McAfee Antivirus software and Ghost coin has sparked outrage on Twitter. While it is yet unclear whether the tale of suicide is true, Twitter personalities are already sharing their thoughts. Former NSA agent turned Journalist, Edward Snowden has faulted the judicial system in Europe that permits the extradition of non-violent crime trials. 

Per an earlier report by Coingape, a Spanish High Court ruled earlier that John McAfee could be extradited to the United States to face his tax evasion charges. This was after his arrest back in October 2020 and about 8 months he has spent in a Barcelona jail. In Snowden’s  words, the “court system so unfair—and prison system so cruel,” so much so that defendant will rather prefer to take his own life than face extradition. 

In his critic of the events leading to McAfee’s death, Snowden fears a similar situation may befall the estranged WikiLeaks Founder, Julian Assange. Assange is battling an extradition case with the US Government, as he is taking refuge at the Ecuadorian Embassy in the United Kingdom for the past few years. The latest ruling prevented extradition to the US from the UK, however, a Supreme court push cannot be left out as the US government is unrelenting in getting hold of the iconic journalist. 

An investigation was launched into WikiLeaks and Assange is wanted by US authorities for publishing a series of leaks provided by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. 

Reformation or Moratorium, “Any Option is Better Compared to Extradition”

The option of extradition for non-violent crimes is unnecessary per inferences from Snowden. The journalist, however, advocated for the reformation of the judicial system or putting in place a moratorium, such that defendants fate can be forestalled amongst other high-profile criminals being wanted by the American government.

Due to the investigation launched by the US government, WikiLeaks was banned from being paid by clients via the usual payment gateways. This forced the company to adopt Bitcoin early, atop which Assange raked in over a 50,000 percent return within a six-year period.