Julian Assange says he does not want to be extradited to the United States

LONDON (Reuters) – Wikileaks founder Julian Assange told a
London court on Thursday he did not want to be extradited to the
United States to face trial for one of the largest compromises of
classified information in history.

The United States has requested the extradition of Assange, who
was dragged from the Ecuadorean embassy in London on April 11, and
has charged him with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion which
carries a maximum penalty of five years.

Asked at a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court whether he
agreed to be extradited to the United States, Assange, appearing
via a video link from a British prison, said he did not wish to
surrender to extradition.

The case was adjourned until May 30 for a procedural hearing
with a more substantial hearing planned for June 12. The full
extradition hearing was some months away, the court was told.

Assange was sentenced to 50 weeks in prison by a British court
on Wednesday for skipping bail when he holed up in Ecuador’s London
embassy for seven years until police dragged him out last
month.

Assange sought refuge in the embassy in June 2012 to avoid an
extradition order to Sweden over an allegation of rape, which he
denies.

Reporting by Michael Holden; writing by Guy Faulconbridge;
Editing by Alistair Smout

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Subscribe ToNairalaw News!