QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A jailed Swedish programmer friendly with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says he’s confident the case against him in Ecuador lacks substance and “will collapse.”
Privacy activist Ola Bini also says in a statement provided by his attorney that he’s being held under “the best of circumstances” but that prison conditions are “despicable.”
Police detained Bini last week — shortly after Assange was arrested in London — as he boarded a plane for Japan.
Ecuador’s president, Lenin Moreno, claims Bini hacked cellphones and online accounts belonging to private citizens and Ecuador’s government.
A judge ordered Bini held for 90 days while prosecutors prepare a case. Defense attorney Carlos Soria says they have presented no evidence.
Bini said he’s being held for ideological reasons — for what amounts to Orwellian “thoughtcrimes.”