His lawyer Ed Fitzgerald told the British High Court on Tuesday that the case against him was political retaliation for having published documents that embarrassed the US administration.

Assange has been in custody in the UK since April 2019 when he was arrested following an American request to the British Government to extradite him.

In December 2023, the UK High Court announced it would hold a two-day public hearing on 20 and 21 February for the Australian's final appeal against being sent to the US.

“Mr Assange was exposing serious criminality. He is being prosecuted for undertaking the ordinary journalist practice of obtaining and publishing classified information that is both true and of public interest,” he said.

If proof is offered that political reasons are behind the case, then the extradition treaty between the US and the UK cannot be invoked to extradite Assange.

If a ruling goes against Assange at this hearing, then he could be sent to the US within a few days.

Assange's lawyer also referred to an alleged CIA plot to kidnap and poison the WikiLeaks founder, saying that there were chances such efforts would be renewed if he were extradited to the US.

The US will present its case on Wednesday, the second and final day of the hearing, with the outcome to be announced later.

An earlier High Court decision on 6 June 2023 which refused Assange permission to appeal against his extradition.

A second appeal was filed on 13 June. Assange's extradition was given the green light in June 2022 by then British Home Secretary Priti Patel.