The trial of the founder of WikiLeaks begins Monday in London for four weeks.

Julian Assange, long a refugee in the Ecuadorian embassy before being arrested last year, risks being extradited to the United States, where, fear his supporters, he could be silenced.

In the United Kingdom, it is a resounding trial that begins Monday: that of Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks.

Wikileaks, it is this site which published thousands of confidential documents, of the American army in particular.

Julian Assange has long sought refuge in London within the walls of the Ecuadorian embassy, ​​before being arrested last year.

And the whole issue of his trial, which has been postponed several times, is whether he can be returned to the United States, which is demanding his extradition.

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The commotion promises to be big outside London's Old Bailey Court of Justice, where supporters of Julian Assange are scheduled to gather.

Behind the scenes, the legal teams of the Australian journalist have been busy for months.

"Despite his enormous medical and psychological difficulties, he is very combative because he knows that what is at stake is freedom of expression on the internet in the 21st century", explains Christophe Marchand, lawyer in Brussels, who makes part of Julian Assange's defense team and speaks regularly by phone with his client.

"Julian Assange will never be judged correctly in the United States"

The United States accuses the founder of Wikileaks of having published confidential documents concerning American military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

After a year and a half of imprisonment in London, Julian Assange has seen his health deteriorate, and his lawyers fear the worst if the UK sends him back to the US to stand trial.

“Julian Assange will never be judged correctly in the United States,” confirms Christophe Marchand.

"We all know it, we all feel it, we feel deep within ourselves that if he is sent there, he is sent to death, slowly, slowly no doubt. And definitely reduced to silence. . "

With 18 charges against him, Julian Assange faces 175 years in prison in the United States.

His extradition trial begins Monday morning at 9 a.m. and is expected to last four weeks.