LONDON (Sputnik) – The UK judge presiding over the extradition hearing of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States announced on Thursday that her ruling will come on 4 January 2021, at 10:00 BST (9:00 GMT).

LONDON (Sputnik) - US linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky on Wednesday told the UK court deciding on the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States that the whistleblower has performed an enormous service to the people by revealing information the US government wanted to keep secret.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is currently facing extradition to the United States to face a number of charges filed under the Espionage Act. A hearing is ongoing in London, and Assange is currently being held at Belmarsh prison in the UK capital.

LONDON (Sputnik) - Two witnesses for the defence of Julian Assange said on Wednesday in separate statements before the London Criminal Court overseeing his extradition hearing that Wikileaks revelations caused no harm to anyone and that the whistleblower was adamant in not publishing unredacted documents.

Assange is facing extradition to the United States, where he was earlier indicted by the US Department of Justice on 18 charges, mostly regarding violations under the Espionage Act. If convicted, he may face up to 175 years in prison.

The hearing to decide whether Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should be sent to the United States resumed on 7 September at the London Central Criminal Court, after six months of delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2019 an EL PAIS investigation, acting on a criminal complaint filed by Julian Assange, claimed that numerous illegal recordings had been made by the Spanish private security company UC Global while WikiLeaks whistleblower Julian Assange was living at the Ecuadorean embassy, where he sought asylum in 2012 to evade possible extradition to the US.

The hearing into the extradition case of WikiLeaks whistleblower Julian Assange, who faces a possible maximum sentence of 175 years in prison in the US for criminal charges related to endangering national security by conspiring to obtain and disclose classified information, resumed in the UK on Monday.

Major faces in the alternative media scene held vital discussions on the role of imperialism in the case of the detained WikiLeaks founder, with voices across the political spectrum weighing in on the week-long hearing and its greater implications on the future of whistleblowing and press freedom.

The bombshell admission was revealed at the initial hearing on a potential extradition of the detained WikiLeaks activist to the United States amid numerous protests outside the courthouse and across the world.

Two lonstanding activists gave a presser to a small crowd of journalists on Thursday outside the prison where the WikiLeaks founder was being detained, just four days ahead of two major hearing that will determine whether the Australian activist and whistleblower would be extradited to the United States.

Demonstrators gathered outside Chatham House in London on Thursday to protest the extradition of a prominent Wikileaks investigative journalist during a key Chatham House speech on press freedom.

Nearly 800 attendees gathered in London to show support for the Wikileaks founder on Tuesday evening, just weeks before the detained activist is set for two crucial court hearings ahead of a final extradition request later this year.

Julian Assange’s extradition to the US must be resisted at all costs, was the theme of the UK book launch of In Defense of Julian Assange, on 24 November 2019. Contributors include Noam Chomskey, Daniel Ellsberg, Mark Curts, and Assange himself. Julian Assange's father as well as John Pilger and Tariq Ali spoke at the event.

Hundreds of supporters attended a rally outside the UK Home Office on Tuesday evening, where activists addressed concerns over the potential extradition of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the USA, who could face up to 174 years in prison on 18 counts of espionage for his work with Wikileaks.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was due to be released from HMP Belmarsh on 22 September after serving half of his 50-week prison sentence, yet Westminster Magistrates Court ruled he should remain behind bars due to his "history of absconding."

June 19 marks six years since the founder of WikiLeaks entered the building of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. He hasn't stepped foot outside it since.

Ever since June 19, 2012, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been confined to the Ecuadorian embassy in Knightsbridge, London. Journalists and supporters flocked to the building to mark the fifth anniversary of the day he "moved in" – and hear Assange make a special announcement.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has spent the past five years in the Ecuadorian embassy. So how has WikiLeaks managed to continue publishing revelations, such as the Vault 7 files?

The US authorities did not put any pressure on Swedish law enforcement in the case of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks whistleblowing organization that released many US classified documents, prosecutor Marianne Ny said Friday.