US lawyer accuses WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange of ‘putting lives at risk’, on the first day of extradition hearings

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faces up to 175 years in US jail if found guilty over the publication of military whistleblower revelations.

The Assange extradition hearing got underway in London today to decide whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be extradited to the United States where he is wanted over charges that he conspired to hack U.S. government computers and violated an espionage law.

The hearing is scheduled to last for about a week, with proceedings expected to resume on May 18 for an additional three weeks.

Opening the case against him, James Lewis QC said Assange “endangered” US informants with the high-profile leak and said the hack of the information cannot be excused because he is a journalist.

“Mr. Assange identified informants and dissidents in Iraq and Afghanistan, who had helped by giving information to the American and coalition forces,” he said.

“People whose names were disclosed were people who had already put their safety and lives at risk from dangerous regimes to assist the US and allies.

“Publication made the risks immediate and real.”

Recently on Dec. 20 2019 – Assange appears in a Madrid court by videolink from London as part of an investigation into his allegations that a Spanish firm spied on him while in the Ecuadorian embassy.

The trial continues, please check back for updates.