“So, if you were extradited to China to be tried for criticizing the Chinese government, that would be OK?”
If the U.S. agreed to extradite you to China, yes.
Not a matter of right or wrong. If you are extradited to any country because you broke a law in that country, you will be prosecuted for that crime by that country when you arrive on their soil. The extraditing country of course must agree to the extradition, and from there on your goose is cooked.
And here is where you lost the argument.
Assange didn't break a law IN the US. He was IN Sweden.
He was not under US legal jurisdiction because, as you said, he wasn't IN the US.
You have to be under US legal jurisdiction at the time of the alleged crime to break US law.
Yea, I know a lot of people are mad at Assange and want to see him punished, but there is a bigger issue here.
Do we want to see American citizens who travel to Britain for business arrested and extradited to say China for tial because they broke a Chinese law while on American soil (like Criticizing the CCP, which is a crime in China)?
Under your legal theory that would be just fine.
Why not just extradite everyone on Free Republic who has criticized the CCP to China for trial? Would you favor that? You're saying legally it would be OK?
No nation should be able to have its laws enforced against foreign citizens residing in foreign countries. That includes the USA.
The USA doesn't get to rule people in other countries.