Asked at a preliminary hearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court whether he agreed to be extradited to the United States, Assange, appearing via a video link from a British prison, said: "I do not wish to surrender for extradition. To some, Assange is a hero for exposing what supporters cast as abuse of power by modern states and for championing free speech. Hours after his arrest last month, U.S. prosecutors said they had charged Assange with conspiracy in trying to access a classified U.S. government computer. "The charge relates to one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States," said Ben Brandon, the lawyer representing the United States. The full extradition hearing was some months away, Judge Michael Snow told the court.

Source: dna May 02, 2019 19:07 UTC