WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will begin his appeal on Tuesday against his extradition from Britain to Sweden for questioning over allegations of sexual misconduct.
The 40-year-old Australian computer expert will take his legal battle to the High Court in London for a two-day hearing after losing an initial challenge to the extradition order in February. Swedish prosecutors want to question Assange about allegations of sexual assault made by two women, both WikiLeaks volunteers, in Sweden last August. He denies the allegations.
He was arrested in December around the same time as his whistle-blowing website began publishing a cache of more than 250,000 secret U.S. diplomatic cables which hurt the U.S. government and caused a media sensation. A judge originally dismissed arguments by Assange’s defence team that he would not get a fair trial in Sweden and that it would ultimately violate his human rights.
Assange has said he believes the Swedish case is politically motivated. The U.S. government is examining whether criminal charges can be brought against Assange over the leaks. Assange fears extradition to Sweden could be a stepping-stone to him being taken to the United States. His lawyers have in the past argued he could be sent to the Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba or even face the death penalty.
