Julian Assange Extradition: The Story so Far

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will appear before the supreme court in London to fight extradition to Sweden on sex charges.

Assange is wanted for questioning in connection to allegations against him of rape and sexual assault made by two former WikiLeaks volunteers while he was in Sweden in August 2010.

A European Arrest Warrant (EAW) was issued for Assange on 2 December, 2010 and on the same day a banking blockade was placed around his whistle-blowing website, preventing donations being made to WikiLeaks from PayPal, Visa and MasterCard.

Two days later Assange voluntarily submitted himself to British police and was jailed for 10 days before being released into house arrest.

Assange has spent 420 days under house arrest and wears an electronic tag around his ankle. He must report daily to the police and also meet a curfew.

For most of his house arrest Assange has been living at Ellingham Hall, a stately home in Norfolk and belonging to Vaughan Smith, according to the Guardian, but he is believed to have moved out shortly before Christmas 2011.

Justice for Assange has been set up to explain the legal implications of the case and is often tweeted by the WikiLeaks Twitter account.

The supreme court hearing was scheduled to last two days but it could be weeks before the seven judges deliver their verdict. If they rule in favour of extradition Assange will be escorted to Sweden within 10 days and immediately arrested upon arriving in the country.

A victory for Assange "would not prevent the Swedish investigation from progressing: the prosecutor would simply have to use existing EU mechanisms (such as Mutual Legal Assistance) to question Assange, in person or remotely, from the UK," said Justice for Assange.

Assange's mother Christine has voiced her thoughts on Twitter and claims that he has offered to answer questions in the UK repeatedly, but these claims cannot be verified. She told Australian radio that the case was a "political frame-up".

The extradition hearing was not expected to focus on the allegations against Assange but on whether the European Arrest Warrant issued against him was valid or not. The court will have to decide if the Swedish prosecutor who issued the warrant in December 2010 can be considered a valid judicial authority.

Per Samuelson, for Assange, said before the hearing: "The accusations against him are a joke. He is quite innocent in my deepest belief."

A summary of the agreed facts of the case, issued by the supreme court, can be found here and Assange's appellant submission to the court is here.