Assange's lawyer argues against extradition

LONDON - The lawyer for Julian Assange argued yesterday that the embattled WikiLeaks founder would face a secret trial that violates international standards of fairness if he's sent to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations.

Geoffrey Robertson told an extradition hearing that Assange would not get a fair trial because of his notoriety and because Swedish rape cases are customarily held without the public or media present, to protect the alleged victims.

Closed-door hearings would be "a flagrant denial of justice . . . blatantly unfair, not only by British standards but by European standards and indeed by international standards," he argued.

The British lawyer representing Sweden, Clare Montgomery, countered that Swedish trials were based on the principle of "a fair and public hearing." She said that in cases of evidence being heard in private it is often published after the trial and recited in the judgment.

Assange is accused of sexual misconduct by two women he met during a visit to Stockholm last year. He denies wrongdoing.

The 39-year-old Australian appeared composed and occasionally took notes as he sat in the dock at Belmarsh Magistrates' Court in London on the first day of a two-day hearing. - AP