Thursday 11 April 2019

Julian Assange faces up to 12 months in jail in Britain after being found guilty of skipping bail

Julian Assange is facing up to 12 months in a British prison after he was found guilty of skipping bail to avoid being extradited to Sweden in 2012 to face allegations of rape and sexual assault.

The Wikileaks founder finally appeared in court today after he was sensationally expelled from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has been claiming political refuge for the past seven years.

Following Ecuador's decision to revoke his diplomatic asylum, British police dragged him away in handcuffs to face charges relating to bail conditions he defied seven years ago.

But in a sensational turn of events, he was also charged by the US government with conspiring with American whistleblower Chelsea Manning 'to break a password to a classified government computer' in 2010. 


According to documents unsealed today, the charge relates to Assange's alleged role in 'one of the largest compromises of classified information in US history' and he faces a maximum jail term of five years. 

While he awaits sentencing for defying his bail conditions, he also faces a court hearing on May 2 relating to his possible extradition to the US to contest the computer hacking charges. 

Earlier today, Assange, sporting a scruffy beard and unkempt hair, was hauled out of the embassy by a group of seven men screaming 'the UK must resist' as his stunned supporters watched on as he screamed out. 

It comes after Ecuador dramatically withdrew Assange's asylum status after seven years, blaming the Australian's 'discourteous and aggressive behaviour' in continuing to work with Wikileaks while housed at the embassy.

Assange, 47, has always feared extradition to the US, where his lawyers have claimed he could face the death penalty for the mass leaking of highly-classified documents through Wikileaks. 

In a statement today, Ecuadorian president Lenin Moreno accused Assange of violating the terms of his asylum by 'interfering in internal affairs of other states' as well as 'blocking security cameras' and 'mistreating guards'.

The arrest came just 24 hours after Wikileaks accused Ecuador of an 'extensive spying operation', adding that it assumed intel had been handed over to the administration of US President Donald Trump. 





MailOnline

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