Julian Assange suffers setback during first day of extradition hearing
By Latika Bourke
September 8, 2020
London: Julian Assange's legal team tried, but failed, to adjourn the extradition hearing for the WikiLeaks founder until after the US presidential election at a court hearing in London on Monday.
Assange appeared at his long-delayed hearing wearing a dark suit, light-coloured business shirt and tie, he was clean-shaven and his white hair was neatly cut. He sat behind a glass pane to watch proceedings.
It was the first time he had been seen in a courtroom since February; his image was a stark contrast from his dishevelled, bearded appearance in April 2019, when he was dragged into a prison van after being arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in Knightsbridge. Assange had been living there since seeking political refuge in 2012 to avoid facing sexual assault charges in Sweden.
When asked if he consented to be extradited to the United States, where he is accused of 18 counts of violating the Espionage Act stemming from WikiLeaks' publication of classified military and diplomatic cables in 2010, Assange paused before responding: "No."
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https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/jul ... 55td2.html
