Court to Assange: Will You Surrender to US?

Julian Assange learned Wednesday he'll have to spend nearly a year in jail in the UK for skipping out on bail seven years ago. On Thursday, he told a court that he won't go along willingly with something that could lead to a more severe punishment: extradition to the US. Assange, appearing in a video link from prison, told Westminster Magistrates' Court that he won't surrender to the US, which wants to prosecute him over the Chelsea Manning document dump, reports Reuters.

Don't expect a fast resolution: The judge said the legal fight could take "many months," with the next hearing set for May 30, reports the AP. Assange faces up to five years in prison over allegedly conspiring to hack a Pentagon computer system. Assange, however, told the court that he views his actions as "journalism that has won many awards." He has previously expressed fears that the US eventually wants to execute him. (The extradition issue is what Assange was shouting about to reporters when arrested.)