Who is Julian Assange?

KEY EVENTS AND DETAILS IN ASSANGE'S LIFE:

July 1971 - Born in Townsville to parents involved in theatre. As a teenager, gains a reputation as a computer programmer and in 1995 is fined for hacking but avoids prison.

2006 - Founds WikiLeaks, creating internet-based "dead letter drop" for leakers of classified or sensitive information.

April 5, 2010 - WikiLeaks releases leaked video from US helicopter showing air strike that killed civilians in Baghdad.

July 25, 2010 - WikiLeaks releases over 91,000 documents, mostly secret US military reports about Afghanistan war.

October, 2010 - WikiLeaks releases 400,000 classified military files chronicling Iraq war. Next month, it releases thousands of US diplomatic cables, including views of foreign leaders and threat assessments.

November 18, 2010 - A Swedish court orders Assange's arrest over rape allegations, which he denies. Arrested in Britain next month on a European Arrest Warrant but freed on bail.

February 2011 - London's Westminster Magistrates Court orders extradition to Sweden. He appeals.

June 14, 2012 - British Supreme Court rejects Assange's final appeal and five days later he takes refuge in Ecuador's embassy in London. Ecuador grants asylum.

May 19, 2017 - Swedish prosecutors discontinue their investigation, saying it is impossible to proceed while Assange is in the Ecuadorean Embassy.

April 11, 2019 - Arrested after Ecuador revokes asylum. Sentenced May 1 to 50 weeks jail by British court for skipping bail.

May 13, 2019 - Swedish prosecutors reopen investigation, say they will seek extradition.

June 11, 2019 - US Justice Department asks Britain to extradite Assange to United States to face charges he conspired to hack US government computers and violated espionage law.

November 19, 2019 - Swedish prosecutors drop rape investigation, saying evidence not strong enough.

February 21, 2020 - London court begins first part of extradition hearings.

January 4, 2021 - Judge Vanessa Baraitser rules that Assange should not be extradited to the US to confront espionage charges, citing concerns about his mental health and the prison conditions he could face there.