Court to rule on Assange extradition Nov.2

PanARMENIAN.Net - The High Court in London will rule on Wednesday, November 2, on Sweden's bid to secure the extradition from Britain of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over rape allegations, the court said on Friday, October 28.

"The High Court will hand down judgment in the above case at 9.45am (0945 GMT) on Wednesday, November 2, 2011 at the Royal Courts of Justice, London," said a statement, AFP reported.

Assange was arrested in London in December on a Swedish extradition warrant and is currently living under strict bail conditions at the Norfolk mansion of a supporter.

He announced this week that WikiLeaks has been forced to suspend publishing classified files after a funding blockade and could have no option but to shut down by the end of the year.

The whistleblowing website has seen its funding plunge by 95 percent due to an "arbitrary and unlawful financial blockade" mounted by companies including Visa and MasterCard since December last year, Assange said.

The 40-year-old Australian denies the claims against him made by two Swedish women, arguing that they are politically motivated.

WikiLeaks has infuriated Washington by releasing thousands of classified diplomatic files.

Many relate to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while others contain frank and sometimes embarrassing assessments of world leaders made by U.S. diplomats.