The ninth day of hearings into the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has started, with two defence witnesses due to be called: Carey Shenkman, a lawyer specialising in human rights and constitutional law (he started testifying on Thursday) and journalist Nicolas Hager.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was sent to Belmarsh prison in April 2019 after his arrest at the Ecuadorian embassy in London. He is attending the trial from behind a glass panel, away from his defence team.
The hearing on his extradition is expected to last at least three weeks, with high chances for the verdict to be appealed by the losing side.
Assange was indicted by the US Department of Justice on 18 charges, most of them regarding violations under the Espionage Act. He is facing extradition to the United States. If convicted of these charges, Assange may face up to 175 years in prison.
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