Breaking Nesw: Julian Assange to Edward Snowden 'Go to Latin America'

 Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, knows something about secrets and what happens when they're exposed.

He has some advice for Edward Snowden, who recently leaked information about the extent of U.S. electronic surveillance programs.

"I would strongly advise him to go to Latin America," Assange told CNN's AC360 Monday night. "Latin America has shown in the past 10 years that it is really pushing forward in human rights. There's a long tradition of asylum."

Assange spoke from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where he has been holed up for almost a year.

Ecuador's government granted him asylum in August, but British authorities have said they will arrest him if he leaves the premises.

Assange had kind words for Snowden, whom he described as heroic, and harsh words for the programs he helped to expose.

Snowden, 29, told the British newspaper the Guardian that he left behind his family and a six-figure job in Hawaii to reveal the extent of the NSA's collection of telephone and Internet data, which he called "an existential threat to democracy."