Assange appeal before British high court

LONDON, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange begins the final phase of his fight to avoid extradition from London to Sweden for questioning on sex crime allegations.

Assange's legal team will ask Britain's Supreme Court Wednesday to void a lower court's decision to allow the extradition to proceed, The Guardian reported.

Swedish prosecutors want Assange to answer allegations he sexually assaulted two women who once worked for him. He has not been charged.

During the two-day hearing, the seven justices are expected to focus on the legal issue of whether the Swedish prosecutor who issued the European arrest warrant could be considered a judicial authority, The Guardian said.

In Britain only judges normally approve arrest warrants. Assange's lawyers argue the Swedish judicial system is unfair because gives the power to issue arrest warrants Assange's prosecutors.

A decision is not expected for several weeks.

Legal observers say they think Assange, under house arrest near London, will have difficulty overcoming the benefit of the doubt given to other European countries' judicial systems.

"I don't think he'll succeed," Peter Caldwell, an extradition lawyer, told The Guardian.

Assange's supporters say they fear extradition to Sweden is a precursor to an extradition to the United States, which is conducting an investigation into the leak of hundreds of thousands of diplomatic cables and documents on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the whistle-blowing Web site. An Army private faces a court martial in the matter.

Euronews.net reported Assange may appeal to the European Court of Human Rights if the British supreme court rules against him.