MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th February, 2020) A court in London begins on Monday the extradition trial of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is wanted in the United States for leaking classified military files.
Woolwich Crown Court will start by hearing US arguments in favor of handing the 48-yer-old over to the US to be tried on charges of espionage, which carry a penalty of up to 175 years in prison.
The week-long hearing will focus on opening arguments. It will be adjourned and resume on May 18 for three weeks of evidence.
Rights activists have called for Assange's immediate release. They argue that his extradition will put him at risk of serious rights violations and discourage other whistleblowers from coming forward.
Assange was arrested at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London in 2019 after jumping bail seven years earlier over fears he would be sent to the United States to stand trial for publishing secret files that he says exposed US war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq.
