WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in UK court to fight extradition

Assange wore a blue sweater and a blue sports jacket for the hearing and wore his silvery-grey hair slicked back. After the judge turned down his bid for a three-month delay, Assange — speaking very softly and at times appearing to be near tears — said he didn't understand the proceedings. He said the case is not "equitable" because the US government has "unlimited resources" while he doesn't have easy access to his lawyers or to documents needed to prepare his battle against extradition while he is confined to Belmarsh Prison on the outskirts of London. "They have all the advantages," the 48-year-old Assange said. Lawyer Mark Summers, representing Assange, told the judge that more time was needed to prepare Assange's defence against "unprecedented" use of espionage charges against a journalist. Summers said the case has many facets and will require a "mammoth" amount of planning and preparation. He also accused the US of illegally spying on Assange while he was inside the Ecuadorian Embassy seeking refuge and taking other illegal actions against the WikiLeaks founder. "We need more time," Summers said, asking for a three-month delay. He said Assange would mount a political defense that will be laborious to prepare. Summers said the initial case against Assange was prepared during the administration of former President Barack Obama in 2010 but wasn't acted on until Donald Trump assumed the presidency. He said it represents the administration's aggressive attitude toward whistleblowers. Representing the US, lawyer James Lewis said the U.S. opposed any delay to the proceeding. The case is expected to take months to resolve, with each side able to make several appeals of rulings. The public gallery was jammed with Assange supporters, including former London Mayor Ken Livingstone, and outside the courthouse, others carried placards calling for Assange to be released. There were chants calling for him to be set free. The judge said the full hearing will be heard at Belmarsh Court, which would make it easier for Assange to attend and contains more room for the media. Assange's lawyers said the five days wouldn't be enough for the entire case to be heard. Former Home Secretary Sajid Javid signed an order in June allowing Assange to be extradited. US authorities accuse Assange of scheming with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to break a password for a classified government computer. Assange claims he is a journalist entitled to First Amendment protection. DailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: The New Indian Expresshttps://www.vox.com/users/neptunemaars

http://knowledge.thinkingstorm.com/UserProfile/tabid/57/userId/292336/Default.aspx ailyhuntDisclaimer: This story is auto-aggregated by a computer program and has not been created or edited by Dailyhunt. Publisher: Deccan Chroniclehttp://doodleordie.com/profile/kuleenreenss

http://yarp.com/b0dc90337677