Assange Sentenced To 50 Weeks In British Prison For Jumping Bail

FILE - In this Friday Feb. 5, 2016 file photo, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange speaks from the balcony of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London. A Swedish court said Wednesday May 25, 2016, it has turned down a request t... FILE - In this Friday Feb. 5, 2016 file photo, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange speaks from the balcony of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London. A Swedish court said Wednesday May 25, 2016, it has turned down a request to overturn the arrest warrant of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange because Assange is still wanted for questioning in a case of suspected rape and there is a possibility he might evade prosecution. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File) MORE LESS
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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was sentenced to serve just shy of a year in British prison on Wednesday, according to multiple news reports. 

Assange broke bail in 2012 when he fled to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid an extradition request from Sweden that he face charges related to an alleged sexual assault. The WikiLeaks founder has been holed up in the embassy for the past seven years and was arrested last month by British authorities after he was evicted from the embassy.

The 50-week prison sentence comes just one day before Assange is set to appear at an extradition hearing related to charges he faces in the United States alleging he conspired to hack a government password.

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