Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is due to appear at a court in London on Thursday as the US pursues its extradition request, following his arrest at the Ecuadorian Embassy in April. Washington wants the publisher to answer for charges of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion in connection with a leak of classified documents. Juliet Mann has been speaking to Assange's Public Relations agent Richard Hillgrove.

JULIET MANN CGTN "Why do you think this is potentially a landmark case?"

RICHARD HILLGROVE SPOKESMAN FOR JULIAN ASSANGE "If a journalist can be extradited to a country that doesn't like what they hear in the press, this sets a grizzly precedent for all journalists that could get extradited to the country that's most concerned. He stands by the fact that he's a journalist and the only way they can justify trying to take him out of this country is to suggest that he's somehow not a journalist. You've got to look at what Wikileaks has done and what he has done, this is a Nobel Peace Prize nominee this year. They have published fully transparently facts without editorializing anything, so if anyone deserves a medal, it's Julian Assange and Wikileaks. But he has been subject to a huge amount of disinformation to smear him and discredit him and you routinely see things in the media which are total falsehoods, so he needs to get his truth out, at all costs."

JULIET MANN CGTN "But what he did publish was classified information, that's why he has the hearing on the 2nd of May. How's he going to fight those charges."

RICHARD HILLGROVE SPOKESMAN FOR JULIAN ASSANGE "It's a US extradition hearing, I believe it's the same judge that called him a narcissist that was a very personal comment for a judge to make and ridiculous. Whether the hearing becomes a full hearing or is adjourned to another date is yet to be seen on the day so I can't comment on that."

JULIET MANN CGTN "What are your next steps?"

RICHARD HILLGROVE SPOKESMAN FOR JULIAN ASSANGE "Julian has a lot of supporters, a lot of people are too frightened to speak out and opening those channels of communication for more positive voices is key and critical and countries like Latin America are openly speaking out in defence of Julian Assange. It can't just be the same people, it can't just be John Pilger, Julian's biological father and his mum and a handful of people, we have to create the ignition, so saving Julian Assange is the equivalent to extinction rebellion and their campaign against climate change."