Assange Fights Heated Battle in UK Court

Assange is most well known for being the head of the whistle-blowing website, Wikileaks, which has released thousands of classified documents belonging to the U.S. government. Shortly after Wikileaks released a quarter million pages worth of sensitive materials, Assange was indicted by the Swedish government, who is seeking his extradition from England, where Assange is currently residing. Assange is out on bail, and is under house arrest at the home of a wealth English supporter.

Assange denies the claims. His lawyer, Geoffrey Ronald Robertson QC, told the U.K. court that the description given by one of the two women, of a sexual assault, ''describes what is usually termed the missionary position.''

Miss A, one of two women accusing Assange of sexual misconduct, claims that Assange ripped off her clothes, snapped off her necklace, pinned her down and attempted to force himself upon her without a condom.

''In so far as Mr. Assange held her arms and there was a forceful spreading of her legs, there's no allegation that this was without her consent,'' said Robertson. ''Sexual encounters have their ups and downs, their ebbs and flows. What may be unwanted one moment can with further empathy become desired. These complex human interactions are not criminal in this country.''

Clare Montgomery QC, the Swedish prosecutor in the case, claims that Miss A's description of the events amount to violence. ''In popular language,'' she said. ''That's violence.''

Miss B, the second of two women, claims that Assange had sex with her while she slept, which is equivalent to rape. According to Montgomery, what Miss B claims ''would undoubtedly be rape here. If you penetrate a sleeping woman there's an evidential assumption that she did not consent.''

Robertson further claims that the Swedish Prosecutor who reopened and expanded the case last September, Marianne Ny, does not have authorization to issue a warrant for Assange's extradition. He also claimed that the warrant was illegal, as it sought an interrogation as opposed to a prosecution.

Assange's defense team sought adjournment, claiming that Assange had been unfairly vilified by the Swedish government. Montgomery responded to this, saying ''You may think that those who seek to fan the flames of a media firestorm can't be too surprised when they get burnt.''