Assange faces extradition decision in London court

M10news – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will appear in a London court next week to challenge his extradition to the United States, where he faces 18 charges of espionage and computer misuse.

Assange is accused of conspiring with former U.S. intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to hack into a Pentagon computer and leak classified documents that exposed U.S. military misconduct in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2010.

Assange has been in custody in the U.K. since 2019, after spending seven years inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden as part of a rape investigation that was later dropped.

Assange claims he is a journalist who acted in the public interest and is protected by the freedom of the press. His lawyers say he could face up to 175 years in prison if extradited and convicted, though U.S. authorities say that is unlikely.

His wife, Stella Assange, says his life is at risk every day he stays in prison and that he will die if he is deported. The High Court will hear two days of arguments over whether Assange can make his pitch to an appeals court to block his transfer to the U.S. A source told M10News that the decision is expected to be announced by the end of the month.