Snowden pleads Trump to pardon Assange

San Francisco: Former CIA employee and NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden on Friday urged US President Donald Trump to pardon Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for espionage charges during his last days in the White House.

In a tweet, Snowden who has obtained Russia's open-ended residence permit, said the pardon would save the life of Assange who is currently in custody in London.

"Mr. President, if you grant only one act of clemency during your time in office, please: free Julian Assange. You alone can save his life," Snowden tweeted.

The WikiLeaks founder has been fighting the extradition case ever since his arrest in London in April 2019 and a ruling is expected on January 4.

Assange distributed a huge number of released grouped records in 2010 and 2011 uncovering US military bad behavior. Assange, who spent almost seven years in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, faces an 18-count indictment from US authorities accusing him of recruiting hackers to steal military secrets. Whenever indicted, he could confront a US jail sentence of as long as 175 years.