WikiLeaks says the group’s founder, Julian Assange, will run for a seat in the Australian Senate in elections due late next year despite facing criminal charges in Sweden.
The 40-year-old Australian is currently being held under virtual house arrest in Britain while he fights extradition to Sweden, where he’s wanted over sex crime allegations. Mr. Assange has taken his legal battle to Britain’s Supreme Court, which is expected to rule imminently.
The WikiLeaks website tweeted Saturday that the organization has “discovered that it is possible for ... Mr. Assange to run for the Australian Senate while detained,” adding that he “has decided to run.”
Australian National University political scientist John Wanna says Mr. Assange can run if he remains on Australia’s electoral roll.
