Julian Assange’s Dad Says Son Faces ‘an Abuse Trial’ on Day One of Extradition Hearing
LONDON—The court hearing that could end in WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange being sent to the United States to face charges over the publication of hundreds of thousands of classified documents finally got underway Monday after a months-long pandemic delay.
Crowds crammed together outside the Old Bailey court building in central London where, inside, Assange told the district judge that he he does not consent to being extradited to the U.S. Over the next four weeks, the court will consider whether Assange can be forced to face justice in the U.S., where an 18-count indictment accuses him of recruiting hackers to steal top secret military information.
On Monday, Assange was re-arrested minutes before he appeared in the courtroom on the latest indictment that fleshed-out the existing charges against him. Asked whether he was willing to consent to be sent to the U.S., Assange offered the simple reply: “No.”