From Cherry Ferguson
LONDON: Julian Assange appeared before a British court on Monday to fight an extradition request from the United States which wants to put the 48-year-old on trial for hacking government computers and violating an espionage law.
A hero to admirers who say he has exposed abuses of power, Assange is cast by critics as a dangerous enemy of the state who has undermined Western security. He says the extradition is politically motivated by those embarrassed by his revelations. Almost a decade since his WikiLeaks website enraged Washington by leaking secret U.S. documents, he is wanted by the United States on 18 criminal counts of conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law and could spend decades in prison if convicted.
Wearing a blue-grey suit and cleanly shaven, Assange confirmed his name and age. Judge Baraitser told the court that any disturbances would see people removed from the building.
