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Julian Assange: Wikileaks founder drops appeal against conviction for breaching bail

Julian Assange has dropped an appeal of his 50-week prison term for breaching bail by holing up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

Court officials said on Thursday that a hearing on the appeal set for next week had been cancelled.

Assange is jailed in London’s Belmarsh Prison at the same time as he fights extradition to the US on espionage charges.

The Wikileaks founder skipped bail in 2012 when he sought refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy rather than turn himself in to British authorities for extradition to Sweden, where he was wanted for questioning over sexual misconduct allegations.

He denied the sexual misconduct allegations and said he sought asylum for protection from possible extradition to the US on charges related to his Wikileaks work.

Assange lost his protected asylum status in April and was arrested by the Metropolitan Police.

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