Justice Dept Keeping Details of Assange Case Secret

The Justice Department suggested there could well be further charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange if he is ultimately extradited and faces federal court. Many of the details of the case against Assange are secret, and the department says they will remain so.

US Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger says that parts of the case against Assange contain “nonpublic information about an ongoing criminal investigation.” At least one of the documents involved in the case is only going to be filed in a redacted form.

Assange was arrested last week in London after Ecuador withdrew his political asylum. Terwilliger argued for keeping much of the case secret, and the government even redacted parts of the “Reasons for Sealing” section of the document requesting this secrecy.

This might ultimately loom large in US attempts to get him extradited. It’s already nearly a foregone conclusion Britain will not extradite Assange to face the death penalty, and there may be concerns that the US would sell the extradition on an innocent charge and then throw the book at Assange after they get ahold of him.