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Julian Assange Extradition Case to the US

Last April the US submitted a request to the UK to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is charged with 17 Espionage Act offenses, and 1 count of conspiracy to commit computer crime (for allegedly attempting to protect a source’s anonymity). He risks a possible 175 years prison sentence.

The extradition hearing began in London on 24th February 2020

This hearing will last for one week. The case is set to resume for three weeks on May 18th 2020.

Context

Wikileaks founder and journalist Julian Assange is held at Belmarsh high-security prison in London, since April 2019 when Ecuador terminated the political asylum granted to him in 2012 under Correa's presidency, rendered him to the UK authorities and the USA officially requested to the UK his extradition for trial. Indeed after years of investigation by a secret grand jury in the USA, paralleled by multiparty political persecution which severely damaged his body and mind, Julian Assange is now charged in the USA with 17 Espionage Act offenses, and 1 count of conspiracy to commit computer crime for allegedly attempting to protect a source’s anonymity - totaling a possible 175 years prison sentence.

The charges all relate to Wikileaks journalistic activities of publishing authentic information in the interest of the public, many times in collaboration with other news outlets. Specifically in this case, the charges relate to the publishing by Wikileaks of documents transmitted by ex-army whistleblower Chelsea Manning, revealing US war crimes in Irak and Afghanistan.

Hence the charges basically equate journalism and truthtelling to treason, when in fact the duty of journalists, whistleblowers, activists, citizens, is to the people, not to the power.

This first use ever of the 1917 Espionage Act against a publisher makes Julian Assange the unwilling sacrificial frontperson of an unprecedented attack on the free press, and on democracy. It comes in the context of a larger crackdown on freedom, human rights, and globalized abuse of the living planet.

To let this extradition and prosecution happen would inaugurate an era darker than we know.

The indictment

The Superseding Indictment - 24-06-2020

06_24_20_returned_redacted_foreperson_name_0.pdf

dated 24-06-2020

  • Accusing Assange of a broadened alleged “hacking conspiracy”.
  • Attempting to qualify WikiLeaks as an intelligence agency
  • doesnt formally add charges (as it would be illegal according to extradition treaties), yet heavily modifies and broadens the existing ones.
  • A lot of the alleged conspiracy relies on the testimony of Sigurdur Thordarson as “Teenager”. Thordarson had served a three-year sentence for multiple counts of embezzlement and fraud, including against WikiLeaks and sex crimes against nine minors. Thordarsson stole tens of thousands of dollars from WikiLeaks, and impersonated Julian Assange in order to carry out the embezzlement. As part of the criminal prosecution of Thordarson in Iceland, he was examined by a forensic psychiatrist who diagnosed him as a sociopath. (source)

US DoJ press release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/wikileaks-founder-charged-superseding-indictment

Analysis of the indictment

Whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg reacts to the indictment saying espionage charges against Assange are the most significant attack on the press since the Pentagon Papers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJuCNrRXxC4&feature=youtu.be

See also In Defense of Julian Assange

About Extradition

Extradition treaty between the government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/243246/7146.pdf

Johnson: "Elements of extradition arrangements with the U.S. are imbalanced."

Jeremy Corbyn praises Julian Assange and calls for extradition to US to be halted. The prime minister Boris Johnson acknowledged: “To be frank, I think Mr Corbyn has a point in his characterisation of our extradition arrangements with the United States and I do think there are elements of that relationship that are imbalanced. I certainly think it is worth looking at.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/jeremy-corbyn-julian-assange-extradition-us-wikileaks-war-crimes-a9331376.html

While demanding Assange, US refuses to extradite CIA agent who killed British teen

High-ranking CIA agent Anne Sacoolas is charged with killing a teenage British citizen. While the US demands Julian Assange’s extradition, it refuses to give up its spy.

https://thegrayzone.com/2020/02/18/assange-us-extradite-cia-killed-british-teen/

Australian MPs call on UK to block US extradition

1. Client-lawyer confidentiality breached

2. The initial charge is flawed

3. Initial charge relies on co-operation from Manning

4. Additional charges raised by the US are political

5. US legal precedent argues that Assange’s work is protected by the US Constitution

6. Threats of violence against Assange mean he’s unable to receive a fair trial

https://www.thecanary.co/uk/analysis/2020/01/25/six-legal-arguments-show-why-the-us-extradition-of-julian-assange-should-be-denied/

Spying on Assange & lawyers inside Ecuadorian Embassy

The Political Offense Exception: Punishing whistleblowers abroad

Queen Elizabeth won’t get involved in Julian Assange case because it’s a POLITICAL matter

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman has said the Queen will not intervene to release Julian Assange, vowing to remain “non-political.” The statement seemingly confirms that Assange’s detention is a political, not criminal, matter.

https://www.rt.com/uk/480974-queen-elizabeth-julian-assange/

European Convention on Extradition https://rm.coe.int/1680064587

John Stuart Mill quote

“ Among other matters of importance in which I took an active part, but which excited little interest in the public, two deserve particular mention. I joined with several other independent Liberals in defeating an Extradition Bill introduced at the very end of the session of 1866, and by which, though surrender avowedly for political offences was not authorized, political refugees, if charged by a foreign Government with acts which are necessarily incident to all attempts at insurrection, would have been surrendered to be dealt with by the criminal courts of the Governments against which they had rebelled : thus making the British Government an accomplice in the vengeance of foreign despotisms”

John Stuart Mill (Autobiography), quoted by Naomi Colvin in the 36C3 talk The case against WikiLeaks

The practice of extradition from antiquity to modern France and the United States

Terrorism, Criminal law, and Politics

“Recent atrocities have ensured that terrorism and how to deal with terrorists legally and politically has been the subject of much discussion and debate on the international stage. This book presents a study of changes in the legal treatment of those perpetrating crimes of a political character over several decades. It most centrally deals with the political offence exception and how it has changed. The book looks at this change from an international perspective with a particular focus on the United States. Interdisciplinary in approach, it examines the fields of ter-rorism and political crime from legal, political science and criminological perspec-tives. It will be of interest to a broad range of academics and researchers, as well as to policymakers involved in creating new anti-terrorist policies.”

Julia Jansson

https://defend.wikileaks.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/1006908.pdf

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