Assange ordered to court for extradition hearing

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was ordered yesterday to make his first in-person London court appearance to determine whether he can be released from prison as he fights extradition to the United States. The 48-year-old Australian has been in custody at the high-security Belmarsh prison in southwest London since being dramatically dragged from Ecuador’s embassy in April. He could be sentenced to spend up to 175 years in a US prison if convicted on all charges filed under the US Espionage Act. London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court judge Tan Ikram ordered Assange to appear in person for a case management hearing on October 21. The final extradition hearing has been scheduled for February 28 next year.