Wikileaks founder Julian Assange faces a protracted legal battle to avoid extradition to the U.S. after his dramatic arrest by the British police at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
The 47-year-old was taken into custody on April 11 when Ecuador abruptly revoked Assange's asylum and allowed the Metropolitan Police to enter its embassy in the upscale Knightsbridge neighborhood.
Relations between Assange and Ecuador had steadily worsened, with the whistleblower being accused of meddling in Quito's internal affairs and breaching residency rules of the embassy.
Assange sought refuge at Ecuador's diplomatic outpost in 2012, fleeing allegations of rape and sexual assault in Sweden, which have since been dropped.
Following his arrest, Assange was taken to Westminster Magistrates' Court and found guilty of breaching bail, an offence that carries a prison sentence of up to 12 months.
Swedish authorities are now considering whether to revive the inquiry against him, Assange denies the charges.
Perhaps, what would worry his legal team more are attempts to extradite Australia-born Assange to the U.S. where he is accused of leaking classified government secrets with help from American intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in 2010.
The UK must now decide whether to hand Assange to the U.S. Department of Justice on charges of computer intrusion, with a potential jail term of up to five years.
Assange's lawyer Jennifer Robinson said his legal team would oppose the extradition request. She said it set a "dangerous precedent" that any journalist could be victimized for "publishing truthful information about the United States."
Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has also urged the UK government to oppose efforts to put Assange on trial at a U.S. court.
Extradition requests to the UK from outside the EU are governed by Part 2 of the Extradition Act 2003.
In Assange's case, the British Home Secretary has confirmed the request meets the criteria for extradition – these include an act considered to be an offence in both countries, which has a minimum one-year sentence and which does not carry the death penalty.
However, it could be some time before the Wikileaks chief is put on board a transatlantic flight due to strict procedures that govern UK extradition laws and Assange's right of appeal.
