Julian Assange opposes extradition to the United States: "I only did a journalist job that won many awards"

The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, reaffirmed Thursday at the British court his opposition to being extradited to the United States, where he fears facing more serious charges than the "computer hacking" imputed to him, punishable by five years in prison.

The Australian, who the day before had appeared before a court sentenced to 50 weeks in prison In the United Kingdom, for violation of his parole. In 2012, when he fled to the Embbady of Ecuador in London, he participated in this new videoconference hearing from Belmarsh Prison.

"I do not want to be extradited for a job as a journalist who has won many awards and protected many people," he told the court on Thursday.

Its online platform, WikiLeaks, became famous in 2010 when it became widespread. hundreds of thousands of secret diplomatic and military documents which has strongly constrained the United States at the national and international levels.

Assange, 47, is detained in Belmarsh, a high-security center, since being detained by the British police at the Ecuadorian Legation on April 11, after the country withdrew the diplomatic asylum granted nearly seven years earlier. by the government. Rafael Correa's government.

He had fled there in June 2012 to escape, at first, into a extradition to Sweden on allegations of badual badault. But when years later were filed, he continued to claim that he would be handed over to the American justice system. A hypothesis that could now become reality.

The United States claims to want to judge it only for "piracy". A US justice representative, Ben Brandon, confirmed Thursday in London that this charge was punishable by up to five years' imprisonment.

But the defenders of Assange they fear to be added after more serious crimes, such as the disclosure of secrets or treasonand run the risk of being sentenced to life imprisonment or even to death.

The court has set the next hearing, the second in a probably long procedure, on May 30.

According to Ben Keith, a British lawyer specializing in extradition cases, the court battle could last between 18 and 24 months. Andthe chances of winning are slim "he told the AFP news agency, explaining that in the majority of cases, the UK was responding positively to US extradition requests.

Meanwhile, British politicians are divided on Assange. Opposition leader, Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, opposes his extradition by saying that the "Australian"exposed evidence of atrocities (committed by the United States) in Iraq and Afghanistan"

But Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt said Assange was "not a hero" and Premier Theresa May said "no one is above the law".