WikiLeaks editor Kristinn Hrafnsson addresses a news conference next to lawyer Jennifer Robinson outside of Westminster Magistrates’ Court, where Wikileaks founder Julian Assange had a U.S. extradition request hearing May 2 in London. (Henry Nicholls/Reuters)WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange began what is likely to be a long, high-profile and politicized legal battle against extradition to the United States on Thursday, telling a packed British courtroom that he would not willingly surrender to U.S. authorities. Asked at the beginning of Thursday’s hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court if he wanted to consent to being extradited to the United States, Assange said he did not. If both Sweden and the United States try to extradite Assange, then it would be up to British officials to decide which request, if any, to honor first. Legal experts say that the extradition process could take years as it weaves its way through various courts.

Source: Washington Post May 02, 2019 11:54 UTC