Assange backer says he should face charges

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LONDON, June 22 (UPI) -- Jemima Khan, the daughter of British billionaire James Goldsmith, said WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should go to Sweden to face rape allegations.

Khan is among Assange supporters who stand to lose $374,600 in bail money they put up for the Australian, who sought refuge in Ecuador's London embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden, The Daily Telegraph reported Friday.

She wrote on Twitter that Assange's alleged victims deserve justice and he should respond to the charges.

"I personally would like to see Assange confront the rape allegations in Sweden and the two women at the center have a right to a response," Khan wrote.

Assange, 40, prepared to spend a third night in the embassy while Ecuador's political leaders discuss whether to grant him asylum.

Britain's Supreme Court last month upheld a ruling that Assange could be extradited to Sweden, where he faces accusations of raping a woman and sexually molesting and coercing another while on a visit to give a lecture in August 2010.

His supporters fear Assange might face the death penalty if Sweden agrees to send him to the United States. His whistle-blowing Web site published thousands of sensitive U.S. diplomatic cables and military files.