The hearing was originally planned for 18 May, but Assange's defence team asked to reschedule it amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The court, however, ruled out his release on bail, despite the high risks of contracting the coronavirus at the prison in which he is being held.
Assange was arrested in London in April 2019 and sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for jumping bail back in 2012 when he took refuge inside the Ecuadorian Embassy to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faced sexual assault charges, and possible extradition to the United States.
The whistleblower has been indicted by the US Department of Justice on 18 charges, regarding violations under the Espionage Act. If convicted of these charges, the WikiLeaks founder faces up to 175 years in prison.
