US Withholding Key Evidence to Be Used in Assange Extradition Case

US case rests on secret evidence

Ongoing efforts by the Trump Administration to secure the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is facing more than a few questions, including Assange’s health after a long time in confinement.

What could be the most substantial legal challenge, however, is that the US case against Assange is built heavily around secret evidence. The legal argument they intend to use is being withheld in great measure from Assange and his legal team.

Providing a legal defense for Assange without access to the evidence is going to be a substantial challenge. The very fact that the US is withholding the evidence, which is not in keeping with US law, may well serve as a major line of defense in and of itself, however.

It can easily be argued that the US is acting in very bad faith in its attempt to acquire Assange, and trying to coast through the hearing on secret evidence. How the British government will handle this process still remains to be seen, but with the world watching, there will be major concern if Assange appears not to be given a fair trial.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.