Julian Assange fails to appear at court hearing because of illness

An unwell Julian Assange failed to appear before Westminster Magistrates Court for a routine hearing in connection with the US extradition request after the US unveiled 17 new charges against him that carry a total maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.

The next hearing in the US extradition case of Assange could be heard in a London court close to the prison where he is being held amid growing concerns over his health.

The WikiLeaks founder had been due to appear via video link. Gareth Peirce, Assange’s solicitor, told Thursday’s court hearing that her client, who is in the hospital at Belmarsh prison in London, was “not very well”. Emma Arbuthnot, chief magistrate at the Westminster court, said the next hearing would take place on June 12 either at Westminster or at Belmarsh magistrates' court, which is next door to Belmarsh prison.

WikiLeaks said in a statement that during the past seven weeks in prison Assange’s health “has continued to deteriorate and he has dramatically lost weight”. Per Samuelson, a defence lawyer for the WikiLeaks founder, has said Assange’s health last week was so poor “it was not possible to conduct a normal conversation with him”.

Assange has been in Belmarsh prison since he was sentenced in April to 50 weeks in prison for skipping bail in 2012 after he fled to the Ecuadorean embassy.

He faces one count of computer hacking from the US following the leak of thousands of classified documents in 2010 relating to US military activity in Iraq as well as 17 charges which accuse him of violating the Espionage Act. The new charges have raised concerns in the US over press freedom and protections for those who publish leaked classified information and the offences carry a maximum penalty of 10 years for each count.

The US alleges that in 2009 Assange and WikiLeaks solicited classified information from former US army analyst Chelsea Manning who searched for classified documents and provided sensitive material to Assange relating to the Iraq war and Guantánamo Bay detainee details as well as state diplomatic cables.

Assange has told Westminster magistrates' court that he does not consent to being extradited to the US on the computer hacking charge. Sweden has reopened its investigation into a rape allegation against Julian Assange, setting up an extradition battle with the US for the WikiLeaks founder who is in prison in the UK.

The UK courts will decide which extradition request takes precedence taking into account the date of the request and the gravity of the alleged offences. However the final decision will rest with the Home Secretary.