From embassy to prison: Assange settles in for legal battle

WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson said Friday that the ailing Assange should finally be able to receive medical care and will be able to meet with his lawyers more easily than he could in the embassy, where a feud with Ecuadorian authorities had led to a ban on most guests.

For nearly seven years, Assange lived in the embassy without taking a step outside for fear of being arrested and sent to the U.S.

His arrest became possible after Ecuador revoked his political asylum, complaining that he was an obnoxious houseguest who didnt clean up after his cat and that WikiLeaks was plotting to blackmail the Latin American countrys president.

The political debate over whether to extradite Assange is already taking shape, with Britains opposition Labour Party urging the government not to hand him over to the Americans.

Diane Abbott, Labours spokeswoman for domestic affairs, told Parliament: It is this whistle-blowing into illegal wars, mass murder, murder of civilians and corruption on a grand scale that has put Julian Assange in the cross hairs of the U.S.

The politicization of the case reflects the clashing views of Assange as either a heroic whistleblower standing up to the mighty United States or a willing stooge who helped the Russians boost Donald Trumps presidential campaign by publishing hacked emails that embarrassed his rival, Hillary Clinton.

Extradition lawyer Ben Keith said the court will not assess the evidence against Assange to determine his guilt or innocence but will scrutinize whether the offense he is accused of in the U.S.

If Assange loses in extradition court, he could appeal several times and ultimately try to have his case heard at the European Court of Human Rights unless Britain has left the European Union by that time.

Original article