Assange Extradition Hearing Adjourned Until 24 Feb

Julian Assange, the head of whistleblowing site WikiLeaks, must wait two weeks to hear whether he will be extradited to Sweden on sexual offence charges, while  US authorities have so far been unable to find any grounds to extradite him there.

Having heard the extradition case, the judge will now wait till 24 Feb to decide whether to allow Assange’s extradition, on accusations of sexual misconduct by two Swedish women he met during a visit to Stockholm last year.  Meanwhile US authorities have found they may have trouble asking to have him extradited to the US on more serious charges relating to WikiLeaks’ release of US diplomatic cables, as they have found no evidence he “induced” the source of the leaks, Private  Bradley Manning, to hand over the cables.

US case may have no grounds

The extradition hearing has hung on various issues including the status of the case against Assange, and the likelihood of a fair trial, given alleged bias against him. The possibility that he might also face extradition to the US has also been raised.

Some US politicians have called for Assange’s execution if he is found guilty in the US, although it is not clear if he could even be extradited there. Authorities might have to shift to the lesser charge of conspiracy, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Clare Montgomery, representing the Swedish lawyer seeking the extradition in London, said that sending him to face trial in Sweden was necessary because Swedish prosecutors had “sufficient intention to prosecute,” even though no formal case has been presented.

Assange has stung the authorities in the US with his revelations of cables that fell into his hands. These messages were between government officials across the globe and their public release has caused severe embarrassment to the US, especially in its world standings.