London’s High Court will rule on Tuesday whether WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can appeal his extradition to the United States, where he would face trial for exposing US war crimes.
According to WikiLeaks, the written ruling is due to be delivered by 10:30 am London time.
Last month, Assange’s legal team presented its case for the appeal. His lawyers also introduced new evidence, including a bombshell report from Yahoo News that revealed the CIA in 2017, under Mike Pompeo at the time, considered kidnapping and even discussed assassinating Assange over WikiLeaks publishing detailed the CIA’s hacking tools, known as Vault 7.
Assange did not attend the two-day hearing due to his poor health, and he remains in London’s Belmarsh Prison, where he’s been held since 2019. Assange’s family and legal team believe he will die if extradited to the US.
The news of the High Court’s impending decision comes after The Wall Street Journal reported that the US was considering offering a plea deal to Assange and that Justice Department officials had preliminary talks with his legal team. However, Assange’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, said in response to the report that the US has “given no indication” that the US will take a deal.
Assange faces 17 counts under the Espionage Act and one charge for conspiracy to commit a computer intrusion for obtaining and publishing documents from a source, a standard journalistic practice. If Assange is convicted, it would set a grave precedent for press freedom in the US and around the world. A plea deal that criminalizes the journalist-source relationship could also set a dangerous precedent.
WikiLeaks has been asking Americans to put pressure on the Biden administration to stop its pursuit of Assange by contacting their House representatives and telling them to support H.Res.934, a bill introduced by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) that calls for the US to drop the charges against Assange.
It’s freedom of the press vs the Military Industrial Complex. It couldn’t be simpler.
Freedom of the press has responsibilities. Did he violate those responsibilities? That is the question.
If you don’t think the press has responsibilities would you be OK if the press published details on how to make a nuclear bomb after someone stole the information?
The responsibility is entirely voluntary. The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press’ handbook which all news rooms refer to is clear on that: https://www.rcfp.org/resources/first-amendment-handbook/#prior-restraints
No, it is not entirely voluntary. There are laws that must be obeyed.
Tim: He didn’t reveal how to make an atomic bomb. He revealed many things that the national security apparatus is fearful of Americans finding out about. About some of the ways the national security apparatus is abusing its authority. Some of the ways it is spying on every-day Americans in the name of national security. Some of the ways in which the national security apparatus is pushing us into wars that maybe we really are better off not waging.
Better everyone have the bomb recipe than Washington/Israel exclusivity. Besides, it’s thoroughly documented how exquisitely responsible Wikileaks was.
The idea of everyone having access to the bomb recipe is beyo9nd stupid. It is extra stupid. And exquisitely responsible Wikileaks comment is almost as stupid.
Everyone’s had access to the bomb recipe for half a century now.
If you lock up Assange, you literally lock up TRUTH, PEACE and SOCIAL JUSTICE. So what the bloody hell is the problem, then, with are bloody system?
Free Assange!
If the court OK’s an appeal then Assange must be given bail. That is where the focus should be.
Release Assange Now…!
The court announced it’s delaying its ruling while it seeks “further assurances” from the US regime.
IMO, in tandem with the “plea deal” talks, I think this indicates that some kind of deal is being worked out for “time served, extradition to Australia.”
https://consortiumnews.com/2024/03/26/assanges-fate-awaits-us-assurances/
Free Julian Assange!