British online activist fears death in US jail if extradited
A British online activist, wanted in the United States for allegedly hacking into government computers, has warned that he could die in jail if he is extradited.
"If I went into a US prison, I don't think I'd leave again," Lauri Love said in an interview with the BBC.
A judge will rule next week whether Love, from Suffolk, should be extradited to the US.
Love, who suffers from Asperger's and depression, said that the way mental health is dealt with in the US prison system is “not in any way therapeutic.”
The activist further warned that “suicide is a real risk” if he ended up in an American jail.
"And if I get a 99-year sentence, it's an absurd length of time, meaning I would die in prison anyway," he added.
"The threat of what might happen to me is always in the background," he said. "I've been scratching my face as a nervous reaction, which has exacerbated my eczema."
Love could face trials in the US states of New Jersey, Virginia and New York over accusations of hacking into the computer networks of the FBI, the Federal Reserve, NASA and the Missile Defense Agency.
In a similar case, the extradition of Gary McKinnon, another UK citizen with mental health issues accused of hacking, was blocked by then Home Secretary Theresa May back in 2012.
However, new laws mean that Love’s extradition should be decided in court and the government does not have a say in the matter.
US authorities charge that Love is using his mental health issues as an excuse to escape justice. However, his attorneys say that his condition should bar him from being extradited.
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