Crucial hearing on Assange's extradition has begun. If the application for appeal is not granted, legal recourse in Great Britain would be exhausted.
The US Department of Justice wants to put him on trial in the USA on espionage charges. If convicted there, Assange could face up to 175 years in prison. The legal tug of war over Assange has been going on for years. Supporters see Assange as a journalist who exposed war crimes. He has been in custody in London's Belmarsh maximum security prison since April 2019.