Julian Assange is not in UK court due to illness: lawyer

The WikiLeaks founder was scheduled to attend the court to stop his extradition from Britain to the United States

A view of a placard depicting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange outside the high court on the day Assange appeals against his extradition to the United States, in London, Britain, Feb 20, 2024

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is unwell and is not attending a British court for his extradition hearing for that reason, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

Assange, 52, spent seven years in Ecuador's embassy in London before he was dragged out and jailed in 2019. He has been held in a maximum-security jail in southeast London ever since.

His wife Stella Assange warned last week that his health was "in decline, physically and mentally".