"The United States has sought the extradition of the Australian journalist for seventeen counts of violating the Espionage Act and one count of 'conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.' The Espionage Act charges stem from WikiLeaks' publishing of State Department Cables, the Iraq Rules of Engagement, and Guantanamo Bay detainee assessment briefs. It marks the first time a publisher of truthful information has been indicted under the Espionage Act.
"The case is made all the more troubling by the fact that Assange is an Australian national who operates outside the United States. The United States is not only asserting it can prosecute journalists for exposing its war crimes, but that it can prosecute any journalist anywhere in the world for doing so." Julian Assange Could Be Extradited to the US (jacobinmag.com)
The day before this hearing, Amnesty
International spoke out for Assange's freedom.
"This attempt by the US government to get the court to reverse its decision not to allow Julian Assange's extradition on the basis of new diplomatic assurances is a blatant legal sleight of hand. Given that the US government has reserved the right to keep Julian Assange in a maximum security facility and subject him to Special Administrative Measures, these assurances are inherently unreliable.
"This disingenuous appeal should be dismissed by the court and President Biden should take the opportunity to drop these politically motivated charges which have put media freedom and freedom of expression in the dock.
"President Obama opened the investigation into Julian Assange. President Trump brought the charges against him. It is now time for President Biden to do the right thing and help end this farcical prosecution which should never have been brought in the first place." USA/UK: US authorities must drop politically motivated charges against Assange | Amnesty International
Many important
facts in the case will not be allowed for Julian's defense during upcoming
appeals. The fact that a key witness for the FBI and U.S. prosecution, Sigurdur
Ingi Thordarson, confessed to lying profusely to please them, and was paid
$5000 for his lies, will not be allowed. Nor does it matter to British judges
that the CIA illegally surveilled Julian, his lawyers and doctors, his
love-making, and planned to murder or kidnap him. All that is irrelevant.
Key
Witness Admits Lying about Julian Assange in Major US Extradition Case Setback
- This Can't Be Happening! (thiscantbehappening.net); UC
Global Employees Testify On US Spying Operation Against Assange
(shadowproof.com); and US
Reportedly Hinders Spanish Probe Into Alleged CIA Ties to Firm Accused of
Spying on Assange - Sputnik International (sputniknews.com).
More than 100 people demonstrated outside the High Court
during the hearing. Former Labor Party leader Jeremy Corbyn was among them.
Protesters shouted till they were hoarse: "There is only one decision: No Extradition".
Assange appeared at the hearing via video link. It was reported that although
Assange remained in prison, his mate was able to see him and for the first time
in his 28 months in the prison that they were allowed to embrace.
Key Assange Supporter Craig Murray Imprisoned for Blogging "Secrets"
During the days of Julian's extradition trial before Magistrate Vanessa Baraitser, I read every word that England's former ambassador to Uzbekistan (2002-4), Craig Murray, 63, wrote about the trial from the courtroom. Murray described what he saw unfold before him objectively and passionately.
On August 1, Murray was imprisoned for eight months for blogging information about a trial that could lead to "jigsaw identification", that is, witnesses against an accused could possibly be inadvertently identified. Judge Dorrian (no forename) acts as part of a government plan to abolish jury trials in sexual-assault cases by the Scottish government.
Murry writes: "We will then have a situation where, as established by my imprisonment, no information at all on the defense case may be published in case it contributes to 'jigsaw identification', and where conviction will rest purely on the view of the judge.
"That is plainly
no 'open justice', it is not justice at all. And it is even worse than that,
because the openly stated aim of abolishing juries is to increase conviction
rates. So people will have their lives decided not by a jury of their peers,
but by a judge who is acting under specific instruction to increase conviction
rates." Keeping
Freedom Alive - Craig Murray
Murray attended Alex Salmond's trial in
2020 and wrote about the court proceedings on his blog and on Twitter. He
alleged that the Scottish National Party leadership, the Scottish government,
the Crown Office and police conspired to convict Salmond on charges of sexual
harassment and attempted rape.
"The judge in the case, Lady Dorrian, had issued an order forbidding the publication of the names of the women who testified against Salmond, or other information that might identify them. In March 2021, she found Murray to be in contempt of court after he published information that in her view could potentially lead to identifying some of the complainants, and sentenced him to eight months' imprisonment." Craig Murray - Wikipedia
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