Julian Assange, 47, will not face a full extradition hearing until next year.
Assange appeared by video link from prison on Friday, 14 June, at a hearing to decide the next step in the process to extradite him to the United States.
Judge Emma Arbuthnot decided Assange would face a five-day extradition hearing on 25 February 2020.
Assange's lawyer, Mark Summers, said the case represented an "outrageous and full-frontal assault on journalistic rights."
CPS representative tells chief magistrate that US allegations against Julian Assange relate to one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the US. Assange can be seen on video from HMP Belmarsh as he follows the proceedings. Court discussing dates.
— Joshua Rozenberg (@JoshuaRozenberg) 14 June 2019
Assange is in London's Belmarsh prison where he is serving a 50-week sentence for jumping bail and hiding in the Ecuadorean embassy after being sought for extradition to Sweden over rape allegations.
Assange’s lawyers say he is “resident in health care” at Belmarsh prison. He has no access to a computer and court documents have to be sent to him by post.
— Joshua Rozenberg (@JoshuaRozenberg) 14 June 2019
He appeared, dressed in a grey t-shirt and wearing black-framed glasses, and spoke only briefly.
Assange today complained of "significant misreportage" and argued that neither he nor Wikileaks had been involved in any hacking. He added that he does not believe Chelsea Manning was involved in hacking either.
— Tristan Kirk (@kirkkorner) 14 June 2019
Ben Brandon, a lawyer representing the United States, ran through a summary of the accusations against him and when he said Assange had cracked a US defence network password, the Australian-born WikiLeaks founder interrupted and said: "I didn't break any password whatsoever."
Mr Brandon said the case "related to one of the largest compromises of confidential information in the history of the United States."
Australian police arrest two people peacefully protesting outside UK consulate in Melbourne and confiscate their #FreeAssange banner. https://t.co/KO8NM9IkNS
— Defend Assange Campaign (@DefendAssange) 14 June 2019
He was too ill to appear at his last hearing but has recovered sufficiently to appear by video link for the Westminster Magistrates' Court hearing in central London.
Farcical scenes at Westminster Mags for latest Assange appearance - many members of the press barred from court. He'll face a FIVE DAY circus, I mean extradition hearing after Feb 24
— CourtNewsUK (@CourtNewsUK) 14 June 2019
Dozens of people protested outside the court, urging the British government to stand up to the Trump administration and refuse to extradite Assange whose only crime, they claimed, was to expose the US's nefarious activities around the world.
The US want to prosecute Assange under the 1917 Espionage Act, blaming him for directing WikiLeaks' publication of a huge trove of secret documents which they say endangered informants who provided confidential information to US and coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Here he is, people. Say his name, @sajidjavid the man who drove a dagger into the heart of global press freedom and investigative journalism by waving through the US extradition request for Julian #Assange. #NoExtradition #WikiLeaks pic.twitter.com/YMY5msesuU
— WISE Up Action (@WISEUpAction) 13 June 2019
Assange claims he is a journalist whose right to free speech is protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
Press Release: DoJ preparing to file additional indictment against Assange.
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) 7 June 2019
The Trump´s DoJ is so desperate to build its case against Assange that it is using as star witness a sociopath, convicted conman and sex criminal, involved in an FBI entrapment operation against WikiLeaks pic.twitter.com/DX0hIDSJRr
On Friday he was told his next court appearance would not be until October. His lawyers are appealing against the sentence for the bail offence and hope he will be freed from jail before the autumn.
