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nils_melzer_-_a_dangerous_verdict_-_20210226 [2021/04/11 17:22] – irisnils_melzer_-_a_dangerous_verdict_-_20210226 [2021/04/11 17:26] (current) – iris
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 **AJC: One of the tasks of a state is to protect its citizens – in principle. Australia is not doing that at all [for Assange], is it?** **AJC: One of the tasks of a state is to protect its citizens – in principle. Australia is not doing that at all [for Assange], is it?**
  
-{{ :street_art:eba09330be32b7a8_sticker_berlin.jpeg?250|}}**Prof. Melzer**: I personally have not intervened with Australia because I am the Special Rapporteur on Torture. I can only intervene with the states that I consider responsible for its abuses and I wouldn’t say that about Australia now. But they certainly have a moral obligation to protect their own citizens and there you can see that Australia is just the “Great Absentee” – literally.+{{ :street_art:eba09330be32b7a8_sticker_berlin.jpeg?200|}}**Prof. Melzer**: I personally have not intervened with Australia because I am the Special Rapporteur on Torture. I can only intervene with the states that I consider responsible for its abuses and I wouldn’t say that about Australia now. But they certainly have a moral obligation to protect their own citizens and there you can see that Australia is just the “Great Absentee” – literally.
  
 Three seats were reserved in the courtroom for the Australian Embassy (the Australian High Commission) in London, but they remained empty. The Australians never attended the hearings, were obviously not interested. Australia is closely allied with the US and the UK, they are also part of the intelligence alliance “Five Eyes” along with Canada, US, UK and New Zealand. They work very closely together and are very critical of WikiLeaks. Actually, they would be very happy if Assange was removed from circulation. Three seats were reserved in the courtroom for the Australian Embassy (the Australian High Commission) in London, but they remained empty. The Australians never attended the hearings, were obviously not interested. Australia is closely allied with the US and the UK, they are also part of the intelligence alliance “Five Eyes” along with Canada, US, UK and New Zealand. They work very closely together and are very critical of WikiLeaks. Actually, they would be very happy if Assange was removed from circulation.
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 The prosecution of Assange was clearly a mistake initiated by the Trump administration. With Biden, a representative of the “old school” is coming back to the White House, which actually did not want to prosecute Assange – precisely because of freedom of the press. That was the credo of the Obama administration. If Biden remains true to this and perhaps also sees that he now has a chance to withdraw the appeal and drop the criminal proceedings, so that a gentleman’s agreement is reached with Assange behind the scenes, a solution such as a humanitarian visa could pave the way forward. The prosecution of Assange was clearly a mistake initiated by the Trump administration. With Biden, a representative of the “old school” is coming back to the White House, which actually did not want to prosecute Assange – precisely because of freedom of the press. That was the credo of the Obama administration. If Biden remains true to this and perhaps also sees that he now has a chance to withdraw the appeal and drop the criminal proceedings, so that a gentleman’s agreement is reached with Assange behind the scenes, a solution such as a humanitarian visa could pave the way forward.
  
-{{ :street_art:collateral_crucifixion-captain_borderlinemedia_berlin.jpeg?300|}}**AJC: It’s probably going to be a game between the intelligence services – the five big ones that you mentioned that work together and are interested in making sure that this doesn’t happen again – and the political administrations. So, if you consider the more liberal Biden administration now – is this going to be a fight between the Biden administration and the intelligence services?**+**AJC: It’s probably going to be a game between the intelligence services – the five big ones that you mentioned that work together and are interested in making sure that this doesn’t happen again – and the political administrations. So, if you consider the more liberal Biden administration now – is this going to be a fight between the Biden administration and the intelligence services?**
  
-**Prof. Melzer: I can well imagine that discussions are currently being held. One should have no illusions; President Obama was not a good president in terms of freedom of information either. No president has prosecuted as many whistleblowers as Obama – and as harshly. He had zero tolerance for these leaks. At the same time, people that committed these most serious war crimes [under his tenure] were not convicted; none of the CIA torturers have been prosecuted, the “Collateral Murder” perpetrators have not been prosecuted – the Obama administration has already left a problematic trail here. I think it is precisely the [enduring] impunity of violent crimes such as these that is perhaps partly responsible for inhumane scenarios such as we saw with George Floyd, whom the police shamelessly strangled in public without somehow batting an eyelid …+{{ :street_art:collateral_crucifixion-captain_borderlinemedia_berlin.jpeg?300|}}**Prof. Melzer**: I can well imagine that discussions are currently being held. One should have no illusions; President Obama was not a good president in terms of freedom of information either. No president has prosecuted as many whistleblowers as Obama – and as harshly. He had zero tolerance for these leaks. At the same time, people that committed these most serious war crimes [under his tenure] were not convicted; none of the CIA torturers have been prosecuted, the “Collateral Murder” perpetrators have not been prosecuted – the Obama administration has already left a problematic trail here. I think it is precisely the [enduring] impunity of violent crimes such as these that is perhaps partly responsible for inhumane scenarios such as we saw with George Floyd, whom the police shamelessly strangled in public without somehow batting an eyelid …
  
 I think that the Americans have received a wake-up call. They now have to make sure that such crimes are prosecuted and should actually be grateful to the whistleblowers for bringing these dirty secrets out into the open so that they can be dealt with. And of course they should be grateful to a man like Assange for his work. I think that the Americans have received a wake-up call. They now have to make sure that such crimes are prosecuted and should actually be grateful to the whistleblowers for bringing these dirty secrets out into the open so that they can be dealt with. And of course they should be grateful to a man like Assange for his work.
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  • Last modified: 2021/04/11 17:26
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