Julian Assange appeals in ‘most important press freedom case in the world’

A supporter of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange stands outside the High Court on the day Assange appeals against his extradition to the United States, in London [Isabel Infantes/Reuters]

London’s High Court has scheduled two days of hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday to decide whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may appeal a United States request for extradition to stand trial on espionage charges.

Those charges carry maximum penalties of 175 years, but the real danger, says Assange’s wife Stella, is that he may suffer an inadvertent death penalty instead.