Assange Attending Appeal Hearing Via Video Link From London Prison

LONDON (Sputnik) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is attending on Wednesday via video link from Belmarsh prison an appeal filed by the US prosecution before the UK High Court trying to overturn a district judge’s decision ruling out his extradition to the United States.

At the start of the two-day trial at London’s Royal Courts of Justice, Assange’s lawyer, Edward Fitzgerald, told court that his client "doesn't feel able to attend the proceedings."

Some minutes later, the Australian whistleblower was shown, though briefly, on the screen, a Sputnik correspondent attending the hearing via streaming confirmed.

Earlier in the day, Assange’s fiancée, Stella Moris, told the media outside the court room that she was concerned about her partner’s health.

"I saw him on Saturday, he is very thin," she said.

From October 27-28, the UK High Court is scheduled to consider the US government's appeal challenging the January ruling by a UK district court judge against extraditing Assange to the US, citing his health and the risk of suicide in the US prison system.

The publisher is wanted by the United States on espionage charges after WikiLeaks published thousands of classified documents that shed light on war crimes committed by American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He faces up to 175 years behind bars if convicted in the United States.