Jan. 11: The extradition case against Julian Assange, the founder of whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, will be heard in London on February 7 and 8, a court ruled on Tuesday morning. The 39-year-old Australian is wanted by the Swedish authorities over claims that he sexually assaulted two women during a visit to Stockholm in August 2010. He was arrested on December 7 and was released on £240,000 bail after spending nine days in a London prison.

The 10-minute extradition hearing on Tuesday was held at Belmarsh magistrates’ court located in Woolwich crown court in southeast London. The hearing was moved from the smaller Westminster magistrates’ court in central London in order to accommodate more journalists. Assange, wearing a navy blue suit, only spoke in the court only to confirm his name and address. After the hearing, Assange said in a statement: “We are happy about today’s outcome,” adding that his “work with WikiLeaks continues unabated and we are stepping up our publishing of materials related to cablegate.”

Assange’s bail conditions for the two-day extradition hearing were changed by the court on Tuesday to allow him to stay at the Frontline Club in London on the nights of February 6 and February 7. Assange has been living at the residence of Vaughan Smith, a founder of the Frontline Club, in Norfolk after being released on bail on December 16. He has to present himself at his local police station daily as part of the bail conditions.

“The only variation in your bail is that on the nights of the 6th and 7th of February you will be allowed to reside at the Frontline Club in London,” the judge ruled on Tuesday.

The court was filled with hundreds of journalists and supporters of Assange, including socialite Jemima Khan and human rights campaigner Bianca Jagger. Assange’s lawyer Mark Stephens on Tuesday afternoon released the outline of the planned legal defence against the extradition.

The defence team claimed that there was a risk that Assange will be extradited from Sweden to the United States, where he could face the death penalty on treason or espionage charges. “It is submitted that there is a real risk that, if extradited to Sweden, the US will seek his extradition and/or illegal rendition to the USA, where there will be a real risk of him being detained at Guantanamo Bay or elsewhere, in conditions which would breach Article 3 of the ECHR,” the defence explained.

“Indeed, if Mr Assange were rendered to the USA, without assurances that the death penalty would not be carried out, there is a real risk that he could be made subject to the death penalty. It is well-known that prominent figures have implied, if not stated outright, that Mr Assange should be executed,” the defence team added.

However, the main defence argument is that Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny, who has issued the warrant against Assange, does not have the authority to issue a European arrest warrant in the case. The defence also claims that extradition is illegal as Ms Ny wants to question Assange about the allegations instead of charging him with those offences. The defence also will claim that the offences are not extradition offences.