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Julian Assange will no longer proceed with a trial date scheduled for mid-May after it was decided he or his lawyers would not be able to attend in person.
A British court has postponed the WikiLeaks founder’s trial to September and moved the hearing to another court over concerns he would not be able to attend. Mr Assange is facing up to 175 years in prison if found guilty for violating the US Espionage Act and for conspiring to commit computer intrusion with his advocacy site.
“In my view there are substantial grounds to believe that if [released] today, he would not return to face his extradition hearing,” said District Judge Vanessa Baraitser.
This means Mr Assange will stay behind bars until the hearing in September. Both parties were not able to work out a new date in July, so a new start date and location will be soon determined by the court. Mr Assange did not attend this decision as he was too unwell.
“It’s going to take some negotiation to find a Crown Court that is open in September – in the current climate – and willing and available to take this hearing,” Judge Baraitser said.
However, Judge Baraitser also said there was potential of a callover hearing on 1 June if the Australian was well enough to attend.
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
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