U. K. judge rejects bid by Assange to delay hearing on extradition
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 U. S. allegations that he conspired with hackers to obtain classified information.
The adjournment request came on the first day of a London court hearing in which Mr. Assange is fighting American prosecutors’ attempt to send him to the U. S. to stand trial on spying charges.
U. S. prosecutors have indicted the 49- year- old Australian on 18 espionage and computer misuse charges over WikiLeaks’ publication of secret U. S. military documents a decade ago. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.
Mr. Assange’s lawyers say the prosecution is a politically motivated abuse of power that will stifle press freedom.
The U. S. Justice Department expanded its case against Mr. Assange in a new indictment announced in June, though it did not introduce new charges. But Assange attorney Mark Summers said it was “an impossible task” for the legal team to deal with the new allegations in time for Monday’s court hearing, especially since they had only “limited access” to the imprisoned Mr. Assange.
He said District Judge Vanessa Baraitser should excise the new American claims, which he said were sprung on the defense “out of the blue.”
The judge rejected the request, saying the defense had declined an earlier opportunity in August to postpone the hearing. The defense then asked for the case to be adjourned until January. Judge Baraitser refused, saying Mr. Assange’s lawyers had “ample time” before Monday to express their concerns.
The case has already been held up for months because of the pandemic.
Mr. Assange, who has spent 16 months in a British prison, sat in the dock at the Old Bailey criminal court and formally refused the U. S. extradition demand. Mr. Assange — who, his lawyers, say has suffered physical and mental difficulties because of his ordeal — wore a suit and tie and spoke clearly to confirm his name and date of birth.
Several dozen supporters, including fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and Mr. Assange’s partner, Stella Moris, gathered outside the courthouse, calling his prosecution a threat to press freedom.
American authorities allege that Mr. Assange conspired with U. S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to hack into a Pentagon computer and release hundreds of thousands of secret diplomatic cables and military files on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.