Julian Assange, founder of the anti-secrecy organization Wikileaks, has said the conviction of U.S. Army Private Bradley Manning on spying charges is a “dangerous precedent”.

Pfc Manning, 25, had admitted leaking thousands of classified documents to Wikileaks but said he did so to spark a debate on U.S. foreign policy. The leak is considered the largest ever of secret U.S. government files. He faces a maximum sentence of up to 136 years.

Manning was convicted on Tuesday, July 30, of 20 charges in total, including theft and computer fraud but was found not guilty on the most serious charge of aiding the enemy. In addition to multiple espionage counts, he was also found guilty of five theft charges, two computer fraud charges and multiple military infractions.

His sentencing hearing is set to begin on Wednesday. It may be a lengthy process, as both the defense and the prosecution are allowed to call witnesses.

Assange said the verdicts represented “dangerous national security extremism”.

Speaking from the Ecuadorean embassy in London, Assange said: “This has never been a fair trial. Bradley Manning isn’t guilty of anything in that he’s actually very heroic for demanding government transparency and accountability and exposing the American people and the rest of the world to the crimes committed by the American government,” he said.

Assange said the only victim in the case had been the U.S. government’s “wounded pride”.

He said that there were two appeals within the U.S. justice system as well as the Supreme Court. “WikiLeaks will not rest until he is free,” Assange said.