Assange in UK court to fight US extradition bid
LONDON: A British judge on Monday rejected a request by lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to delay his extradition hearing until next year to give his lawyers more time to respond to US allegations that he conspired with hackers to obtain classified information.
The adjournment request came on the first day of a London court hearing where Assange is fighting American prosecutors’ attempt to send him to the US to stand trial on spying charges.
US prosecutors have indicted the 49-year-old Australian on 18 espionage and computer misuse charges over WikiLeaks’ publication of secret US military documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.
Assange’s lawyers say the prosecution is a politically motivated abuse of power that will stifle press freedom and put journalists at risk.
Assange’s supporters protested as he was brought to the Old Bailey, brandishing placards reading “Don’t Extradite
Assange” and “Stop this political trial”. Fashion designer Vivienne Westwood said the former hacker was “shining the light on all the corruption in the world”.
Earlier, Assange’s partner, Stella Moris, delivered a petition opposing his extradition to UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Downing Street office.
In an interview published in The Times newspaper on Saturday, Moris, 37, said she feared he would take his own life, and their two young sons, who were conceived during his asylum in Ecuador’s London embassy, would grow up without a father.
The clean-shaven Assange appeared in the dock wearing a dark suit and maroon tie - the first time he has been seen in public since the first part of the hearing in February. He spoke to confirm his name and date of birth, and said he did not consent to extradition.