Free Speech Ended With Illegal crucifixion of Julian Assange

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Julian Assange 52

Amnesty International implores the Australian government to call on the US to drop charges against Assange and stop attempts to extradite him

In commemoration of Julian Assange's 52nd birthday, Amnesty International released a statement calling on the Australian government to take all necessary measures to ensure the WikiLeaks founder's safe release.

"Monday 3rd of July will mark Julian Assange’s 52nd birthday. This will be his 13th birthday without his freedom … [Australian] Prime Minister [Anthony] Albanese and the Australian government must do everything in their power to protect Assange, an Australian citizen, from ongoing and threatened human rights violations, and take all necessary measures to ensure his safety.

The Prime Minister must ensure that this is the last birthday Julian Assange must spend in fear, locked away from his loved ones," Amnesty International said in a statement.

Furthermore, the human rights organization implored the Australian government to call on the US to drop charges against Assange and stop attempts to extradite him.

Julian Assange; a name that emerged in the media and international arena after WikiLeaks, a website he founded in 2010, revealed important and dangerous information and facts about what the United States government and other governments have wrought in the Middle East - crimes they have not been held accountable for yet.

As a result, Assange faced pressure and persecution, until he was arrested by the British police in 2019 after seeking refuge for seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Since then, Assange has been held in the high-security Belmarsh Prison near London, facing a possible prison sentence of 175 years after the UK Supreme Court approved his extradition to the United States in December 2021.

Recognizing the importance of Assange's revelations, and in support of press freedom wherever it may be, and as a tribute to his struggle for truth, Al Mayadeen produced a three-part docuseries titled "A Man Vs. An Empire."

Assange, who provided the world with important and dangerous information, paid a steep price for his revelations, but as a result, he established a new and pioneering school in investigative journalism around the world.

The docuseries delves into the details of Assange's long journey, documenting the inception of the WikiLeaks website and what Assange went through. It also explores what he revealed during the early years of his work, and the pressures and persecution he faced as a result of his actions.

This ultimately led him to seek refuge in an embassy before his arrest and his difficult life in prison, with the looming threat of extradition to the United States at any moment.

Each episode of this series showcases a phase of Assange's life and the story of WikiLeaks.

Check out: A Man VS An Empire: WikiLeaks... Truth as it is

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France rejects Julian Assange

In March, the Robin des Lois association called on France to "use all means" to allow Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to apply for political asylum

French media reported on Tuesday, citing the court ruling, that France has denied asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is currently serving a prison sentence in the UK.

According to AFP, the Creteil court ruled that the conditions restricting Assange's freedom do not allow an exception to the French law requiring asylum seekers to be physically present in France or the EU.

In March, the Robin des Lois association called on France to "use all means" to allow Assange to apply for political asylum, despite the rule that asylum seekers must be physically present in France or the EU.

The association said it would not appeal the court's decision; however, it urged the French Justice Minister and Assange's former lawyer to "take up the matter."

In July, lawmakers from France's left-wing political alliance, the New Ecologic and Social People's Union (Nupes), proposed a resolution calling on the French government to grant political asylum to Assange.

Julian Assange has been detained at London's Belmarsh Prison for the past four years, fighting extradition to the US on espionage charges for leaking classified US military documents that revealed war crimes committed by the US in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He has been in poor health and could face up to 175 years in prison if convicted in the US.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/pol ... for-asylum

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Censorship is Out of Control

During the Portugal Web Summit on Thursday, lawyer and human rights activist Stella Assange, the wife of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, asserted that the European Union (EU) imposes Internet regulations under the pretext of controlling misinformation

"The EU loves this new era of misinformation because it allows them to regulate the Internet extensively," she said, adding that the institutes and programs created to combat misinformation are not genuinely effective.

"If there were any truth to their eagerness to stop false information, then they would be the biggest supporters of WikiLeaks and would promote the WikiLeaks model as the best possible journalism. But usually, those involved in all of this are the staunchest critics of WikiLeaks because they see it as a real threat," Stella pointed out.

In addition to emphasizing that technology companies do not want to be regulated, the lawyer recalled that misinformation problems will not be resolved because there are "revolving doors" between major corporations and government intelligence agencies.

To truly combat disinformation in the contemporary world, "you need people from human rights and journalism backgrounds," she said, warning about the existence of "an entire censorship industry" built through technology of which most people are unaware. Therefore, "censorship is out of control," Stella stressed.

The activist also highlighted the significant imbalance emerging due to intermediaries regulating information that reaches people because they deem certain data "dangerous."

"Obviously, technology plays a key role, and we need many leaders in this area to push it back," Stella said, recalling that Julian Assange created an innovation that democratized information and ended the monopoly held by corporate media.

"Who in their right mind would publish Chelsea Manning's leaks today, knowing what they've done to Julian?" Stella asked, referring to the founder of WikiLeaks, whom the United States accused of espionage and computer intrusion for exposing war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Between 2012 and 2019, Assange was sheltered in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Subsequently, when Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno (2017-2021) revoked his political asylum, Assange was arrested and sent to the high-security prison in Belmarsh, where he is judicially fighting to prevent his extradition to the United States.

The Lisbon Web Summit is an annual event that, in its 2023 edition, brought together about 2,600 emerging companies and 70,000 people from 160 countries.

#UNGA78 | During her speech at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Honduras' President Xiomara Castro called for the release of Australian journalist Julian Assange. pic.twitter.com/27xwCppCwq
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) September 20, 2023

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Censorship-is-Out-of-Control-Stella-Assange-20231116-0015.html

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Appeal to Be Announced Later

On Wednesday, the United Kingdom High Court concluded its two-day hearing on WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's appeal against his extradition to the United States on espionage charges, but the judges said they would give their decision at a later date

Assange, 52, is wanted in the United States on allegations of disclosing national defense information following WikiLeaks's publication of thousands of documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, which included an Apache helicopter video footage documenting the U.S. military gunning down Reuters journalists and children in Baghdad's streets in 2007.

He has been held at southeast London's high-security Belmarsh Prison since 2019. Lawyers for the United States said earlier that he would be allowed to transfer to Australia, his home country, to serve any prison sentence he may be given.

The UK approved his extradition to the United States in 2022 under then Home Secretary Priti Patel after a judge initially blocked it on Assange's mental health concerns.

Assange was absent from the two-day proceedings due to illness as two judges at the UK High Court, namely Victoria Sharp and Justice Johnson, heard arguments from his legal team and lawyers representing the U.S. government.

Clair Dobbin, a lawyer for the United States, said during Wednesday's hearing that the WikiLeaks founder "indiscriminately and knowingly published to the world the names of individuals who acted as sources of information to the U.S." Assange's lawyers referenced alleged U.S. plot to kidnap or kill the WikiLeaks founder reported in 2021.

If the two judges at the UK High Court rule in Assange's favor, a full appeal hearing will be scheduled to consider his challenge and could lead to a new decision about his extradition.

If he loses the case, Assange could be extradited within weeks unless his legal team can get an emergency injunction at the European Court of Human Rights in time.

Hundreds of supporters of Assange gathered outside the High Court on Wednesday despite rain, holding signs that read "Free Julian Assange" and chanting "No extradition!."

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Ver ... -0003.html

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Final ruling due Tuesday

If Assange wins, a full appeal hearing will be convened to reconsider his case

London's High Court will rule on whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may appeal against extradition from Britain to the United States on Tuesday, in what could be the final chapter in his legal troubles in Britain.

Assange is facing a lengthy court struggle with the British government to prevent extradition to the United States to face trial for publishing thousands of sensitive US military data and diplomatic cables in 2010.

He was charged by US prosecutors in 2019 and has been captured in London since.

On Tuesday, at 10:30 am (GMT), two senior judges will rule. If he wins, a full appeal hearing will be convened to reconsider his case. If his battle is lost, his only alternative will be to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

During the February hearings, Assange's team claimed that the prosecution was politically motivated and that he was being pursued for exposing "state-level crimes," in addition to revelations that former US President Donald Trump had sought "detailed options" on how to assassinate Assange.

His lawyers have maintained that he only published material provided to him as any journalist would and therefore is not guilty.

Chelsea Manning, a former US Army intelligence analyst who was convicted of leaking government secrets to WikiLeaks, spent seven years in jail. According to legal experts, any term for Assange would most likely be shorter than Manning served.

Last month, UK justices in the High Court heard Assange's assertions that he risked punishment for his political ideas and that extradition would violate his right to free expression—an issue they are poised to decide on shortly.
US Justice Department mulling deal for Assange entailing guilty plea

According to sources familiar with the situation last week, the US Justice Department is considering allowing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to plead guilty to a reduced charge of mishandling classified information, potentially ending his 14-year legal troubles.

Sources told The Wall Street Journal that Justice Department officials and Assange's attorneys have had early conversations in recent months about what a plea deal may look like.

Barry Pollack, one of Assange's lawyers, divulged that he has yet to receive any indication the government will accept a bargain, if any.

Under such a deal, Assange might submit that plea remotely, without having to go to the US. The time he has spent behind bars in London would count toward any US sentence, and he would most likely be released soon after any agreement was reached.
Assange extradition breaches US-UK extradition treaty, Snowden says

Edward Snowden, former US National Security Agency contractor and whistleblower, said last month that the potential extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States by UK authorities would constitute a breach of the US-UK extradition treaty.

"The outrageous part of the UK's years-long 'trial' to condemn Julian Assange to die in an American dungeon is that the victim of his 'crime' (journalism) is a state rather than a person — the definition of a political offense, which the US-UK extradition treaty explicitly forbids," Snowden wrote on X.

He further called on political leaders and journalists not to remain silent on Assange's trial as they could still "actually influence the outcome."

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Biden is ‘considering request’ to drop charges

Assange's brother speaks out on reports Biden is 'considering request' to drop prosecution

Joe Biden’s consideration of dropping charges against Julian Assange is “significant”, the brother of the WikiLeaks founder has said.

The president said on Wednesday 10 April that he is considering a request from Australia to drop the decade-long US push to prosecute Mr Assange for publishing a trove of American classified documents.

Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese said Mr Biden’s comment was “encouraging”.

“This is a controversial prosecution and I think something that Joe Biden could easily get rid of in an election year,” Mr Assange’s brother, Gabriel Shipton, told Sky News.

https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/j ... 27711.html

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Assange 5 years imprisoned in UK

It has been five years since WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was imprisoned at a high-security prison in the UK after spending seven years living in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London

Assange has been detained at the Belmarsh prison since April 11, 2019.

Supporters staged a rally in London to demand that Assange not be extradited to the US.

Amnesty International issued a statement that called his imprisonment "unacceptable."

"Julian Assange dared to bring to light revelations of alleged war crimes committed by the USA. It is unacceptable that years of his life have been stolen," the head of the rights group, Agnes Callamard, said in the statement

She said he is detained on "politically-motivated charges" and noted that US authorities have failed to conduct a full and transparent investigation into his alleged war crimes.

"Instead, they have chosen to target Assange for publishing information leaked to him – even if it was of public interest," added Callamard.

The US charged Assange with hacking government computers and espionage after he acquired and published hundreds of thousands of classified documents between 2010 and 2011.

The UK High Court, in a pivotal 2021 ruling, decreed that Assange should be extradited, dismissing assertions about his fragile mental state and risks he might face in an American correctional facility.

Following suit, the Supreme Court in 2022 upheld that decision, while then-Home Secretary Priti Patel affirmed the extradition order, intensifying the legal battle.

In his latest bid for a reprieve, Assange is seeking authorization to scrutinize Patel's determination and challenge the initial 2021 verdict.

Last month, a UK High Court ruling granted Assange the right to appeal his extradition to the US and set a new hearing date for the case in May before adjourning it.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/wikil ... uk/3188796