The WikiLeaks founder appeared via video link in Westminster Magistrates Court for the first hearing in what could be a lengthy process in the US request for extradition.
By Joe Lauria
Special to Consortium News
Julian Assange had his first day in court on Thursday in his fight against extradition to the United States in an historic press freedom case that could have a profound impact on the future of journalism.
Dressed in jeans, a dark jacket and a T-shirt, Assange appeared on a video screen inside a cramped courtroom in Westminster Magistrates Court in London. “I won’t surrender to the U.S. for doing journalism that has won many awards and protected lives,” Assange told the court, according to a tweet from a USA Today correspondent.
Assange was arrested on April 11 after Ecuador lifted his political asylum at its embassy in London where Assange had lived since June 2012. On that day the U.S. unsealed an indictment against the publisher for conspiring with WikiLeaks’ source Chelsea Manning to crack a password needed to hide Manning’s identity. Protecting a source is a routine part of investigative journalism.
Watch the replay of a Special Extradition Vigil for Assange webcast Thursday on Consortium News.
(Story continues below video)
The U.S. also filed a request that day to the British government to extradite Assange to face the charges, which carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Thursday was Assange’s first appearance in the extradition case before Judge Michael Snow.
A large group of Assange supporters gathered outside the courthouse as well as inside Court Three, where many sat on the floor for the 10-minute hearing, the Daily Express in London reported. Many reporters and supporters were unable to gain entry after the hearing was moved to the smaller courtroom from Court One.
A further procedural hearing was scheduled for May 30, and a substantive court date was set for June 12. On that day the U.S. faces a deadline to reveal any further charges against Assange for which the British courts must base their extradition decision. The court was told resolution of the case was still months away, the Express reported.
The U.S. is weighing charging Assange under the 1917 Espionage Act for unauthorized possession and dissemination of classified material. It would be the first time the Act would be used to prosecute a journalist for receiving and publishing secret information. “It is not just a man who stands in jeopardy, but the future of the free press,” NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden said in a message to a pro-Assange rally in Berlin on Wednesday.
Assange is serving an 11-month sentence for skipping bail imposed on him on Tuesday connected to a Swedish investigation of sexual abuse allegations that was dropped in 2017. “Julian Assange‘s sentence is as shocking as it is vindictive,” WikiLeaks tweeted. “We have grave concerns as to whether he will receive a fair extradition hearing in the UK.”
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Sickening article on the chemical torture and destruction of assange-who is directing these US/UK vermin, Gina?
https://www.lewrockwell.com/2019/05/karen-kwiatkowski/pray-and-weep/
Assange is obviously a journalist and only a journalist…so what’s going on? Speech itself is being colonized and criminalized? Well, yes, so it seems. Now Assange is a respectably guy…but he’s not entirely alone, other people’s speech is also being used to put them into serious trouble…
Consider this gem:
“…Last August, Kachbalian ran a list of prosecution witnesses on his Facebook page that he had copied from the Facebook page of area journalist Kevin C. Shelly. Shelly is a former editor of The Press of Atlantic City. Kachbalian also provided a link to Shelly’s page. Shelly was not charged.”
The sad story, which may remind people that what the law does to little people spreads to the upper classes by degrees Anyway, see> http://www.agingrebel.com/17523
This is slightly off topic, but it may interest people here to know that FAIR has recently published an article by Alan MacLeod (https://fair.org/home/media-cheer-assanges-arrest/) that, while ostensibly suportive of Assange, states the following as fact:
“Assange … originally took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy after England’s High Court ruled to extradite him to Sweden to face *charges of rape*.” [Emphasis added.]
This is false, as I’m sure everybody here knows. He was never charged with any crime in Sweden (he was only wanted for questioning) and was always willing to cooperate with the Swedish investigation, even to the extent of returning to Sweden for questioning, provided he would be safe from extradition to the US.
While I don’t expect much from the mainstream media, it’s distressing to see FAIR, an otherwise fine organization that does great work, publish still more disinformation and slander about Julian Assange.
If everyone here could take a moment to post a comment on the article, as I’ve done, and write to them at fair (at) fair.org (be polite and respectful– they’re good people), I’m sure they’ll issue a correction.
Thanks.
Since an indictment has been issued, the work of the grand jury is complete, no? so why is Chelsea Manning still in prison?
Assange will establish a precedent for journalists, if tried, but he is, at the moment, put away for 50 weeks in an English prison for skipping bail on a non-existent charge. Chances are, he is placed on the back burner and, unless used to be paraded around first, he will be silenced, forgotten, and soon die of “natural causes,” just like Milosevic at the Hague, and in a similar fashion, will be declared innocent posthumously.
The end result will be the same
Tnx Joe… Got curious from comment below… Reuters report 2011 poll: 24 nations… 18,829 online respondents- foreign: 79% aware… 66% no charge2 Julian (article states2/3)… 75% make public gov or corp secrets(a.states 3/4)… US: 81% aware… 69% 2 charge Julian… 61% oppose Wikileaks…
1. Isn’t Julian Assange a citizen of Australia who happened2 be in GB at time of embassy protect request?
2. How many NY Attys General scandalized by sexual claims?
judge Deborah Taylor presiding at bail-skipping charge:
https://www.lawyersweekly.com.au/folklaw/15076-tell-that-to-the-judge
Freedom of the press is critical for democracy to survive. Attacking the messinger is not supporting freedom of the press or the US Constitution. Politicians that want to be president have to take a position of Assange’s persecution.
“Truth: the most deadly weapon ever discovered by humanity. Capable of destroying entire perceptual sets, cultures, and realities. Outlawed by all governments everywhere. Possession is normally punishable by death.” ~ John Gilmore
“As the interned American citizens of Japanese descent learned, the Bill of Rights provided them with little protection when it was needed.” ~ Glenn Harlan Reynolds
“The cult of the omnipotent state has millions of followers in the united States. Americans of today view their government in the same way as Christians view their God; they worship and adore the state and they render their lives and fortunes to it. Statists believe that their lives — their very being — are a privilege that the state has given to them. They believe that everything they do is — and should be — dependent on the consent of the government.” ~ Jacob Hornberger
Pity the poor, wretched, timid soul, too faint hearted to resist his oppressors. He sings the songs of the damned, ‘I cannot resist, I have too much to lose, they might take my property or confiscate my earnings, what would my family do, how would they survive?’ He hides behind pretended family responsibility, failing to see that the most glorious legacy that we can bequeath to our posterity is liberty!” ~ W. Vaughn Ellsworth
“Most people prefer to believe that their leaders are just and fair, even in the face of evidence to the contrary, because once a citizen acknowledges that the government under which he lives is lying and corrupt, the citizen has to choose what he or she will do about it. To take action in the face of corrupt government entails risks of harm to life and loved ones. To choose to do nothing is to surrender one’s self-image of standing for principles. Most people do not have the courage to face that choice. Hence, most propaganda is not designed to fool the critical thinker but only to give moral cowards an excuse not to think at all.” ~ Michael Rivero
“But constant experience shows us that every man invested with power is apt to abuse it, and to carry his authority as far as it will go.” ~ Charles-Louis de Secondat
“Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under.” — H. L. Mencken
“We are all Julien Assange.”
Demonstration for Julien Assange and freedom of press in Berlin, 1st May, with a letter from Edward Snowdon being read.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GRFej-HcKgQ
So the US is still weighing wether to bring charges on the Espionage law.
Well, there you go. Trump knows the whole RussiaGate thing is Bull. So Julian will be in the England jail for another year while Trump and Barr decide if they want Assange to make them out to be fools for falling for the same fake news that got the US Deep State to bring false charges and in essence an attempted Coup on the US President. If he is extradited (fat chance) Julian will be found Not Guilty. Remember you heard it here and This is my book and you are in it! Love and Peace!
Julian Assange has NEVER set foot on US soil; plus, he’s an Australian citizen, not a citizen of the US or the UK. The UK violated international law by imprisoning Assange, just as Ecuador’s current president, Lenin Moreno.
It was Moreno’s predecessor, Correa, who had given Assange asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy in the first place; and Moreno unlawfully rescinded it.
What should’ve been done in this case was to allow Assange to return to his native country of Australia; that’s what he wanted, but the UK would have none of it. The truth is, the UK violated international law, as well as the G0d-given rights of Assange, by not allowing him to return to his country of birth and of which he’s still a citizen.
The US has NO jurisdiction over this man since he’s not a citizen, just as the UK has NO jurisdiction over him for the same reason. Release him and send him back to Australia.
I totally agree. If this is allowed everyone in any country is subject to US law.
This is contrary to the most basic concepts of jurisprudence.
Just further proof of the new fascism being practiced in late stage capitalism.
Trump has deserted his base supporters
Well, go xall a cat a cat, Mr Assange has been an English political prisonner for some years (it does not matter if the prison was a foreign embassy up to now, or if the charges were imaginary). I still wonder about Australia’s soveriegnty, it does not look good. What is worrisome, is that his culpability has been proven in the US in the eyes of the democrat’s bumble bees (who still do not understand the causes of those mass migrations from central America, for example – they could understand with Wikilieaks!). The laughings that Oliver, Colbert,… draw from their audiences is painful and telling. One way to stick it to the medias, eould be to create an “Assange and Perry foundation” that rewards integrity and truthfulness in journalism.
He may not have a choice
I am an American. I’m not seeing much about this on the media unless I type in Julian’s name, but it’s not on the main MSN page or my Google news feed. There’s an MSNBC poll with 95% of almost 10,000 people voting NO on charging Julian. The majority of American people don’t want to see him extradited. It’s a lie from the war mongering elite. I have no fear of posting info, wearing a tee shirt with his face, or holding a freeassange sign here, because the people don’t care. They don’t hate him and aren’t calling for his persecution. The US media doesn’t even want us to know about him. If the majority hated him, media would be playing his story around the clock here to drum up the hate more. To be honest people here are either passionate about freeing him, just don’t care, or are ignorant about it except a small few. I’m sure if the people knew how much money from our wages has been spent trying to destroy him, they would support the US walking away. I’m looking to fly over for one of the hearings, and I’m hoping more Americans can show up to voice their disgust at the US governments actions and convince the UK not to bow to our out of control leaders.
95% of people who read that article! Another poll, asking random people, said 53% of Americans want Assange extradited. I find it impossible to believe that 100% of Americans are up to speed on this topic and care what happens to Assange, when the majority of Brits are clueless! But, then, I keep forgetting that the American people are unique in the world, care and love everyone, are highly educated and highly informed, just better than all the rest! So, it is, indeed, possible that we’ll see mass riots and protests if Assange gets extradited.
Maybe because Julian is right in their midst, I have more faith in the British people to do the right thing than US citizens.
I am a US citizen he has nothing to fear from me/us or British citizens I believe. It is all about politics Bad people win because they are willing to do bad things.
Soooo…, is yours is an armchair comment? Those “Bad” people are doing things in your name. Who is charged with American governance in the founding legal documents?
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” —
Not any less an armchair comment than yours. In essence even yourself, by your twisted logic, would be responsible for Yemen and a host of other evils by simply “not doing something”. That’s ludicrous! We have an evil government that is run amok by people who plaster themselves in political face paint to placate stupid wishmongering fools. To do the right thing would require a lot more than comments or even politicians are ready to face.
David, you’re wrong! The Brits are kicking up quite a fuss over Brexit, if not in the street, then at the ballot box. Assange and Yemen have no bearing on how people vote in the UK.
Suzanne, your faith is misplaced! Most Brits are clueless when it comes to Assange. They’re NOT going to do anything!
Sweden has earned its little place in history as the despicable fascist lackeys of the anglo american fascist empire.
I’m all for protecting journalism and Assange and Manning, but this sentence from the article is misleading:
“On that day the U.S. unsealed an indictment against the publisher for conspiring with WikiLeaks’ source Chelsea Manning to crack a password needed to hide Manning’s identity. Protecting a source is a routine part of investigative journalism. ”
In this case, Manning was trying to hide her identity by using someone else’s login credentials so that the investigation of the leak would be pinned on that other person. So, yes, in one sense it would hide her identity, but it would do so by using someone else’s identity.
Thanks for clearing that up. Couldn’t make any sense of that, even after reading it several times.
Boomslang, you state that, “Manning was trying to hide her identity by using someone else’s login credentials so that … the leak would be pinned on that other person.”
What evidence may you produce to support that contention?
In fact she was trying to sign in as “admin” not the name of another person. This amounts to yet another smear of Chelsea Manning,
Thank you for clearing that up.
The efforts to besmirch the characters of Manning and Assange are considerable and the mean suspensions are rapidly spread among many who have been primed and manipulated to expect and believe the worst about both of these courageous human beings.
I cannot but consider that there are “professional” opinion shapers, very well-funded, behind these smears, as well as amateurs more than pleased to pass along slanders not dispersed through the already extremely ugly media propaganda.
Unfortunately, many who do not recognize these false assertions for what they are and believing them to be true, will pass them on as gospel.
Mean suspicions …
Ah yes, common comment when you try to enlighten about the lies and propaganda peddled by the Western media ‘but I saw it on television’, bout says it all eh!!
Thanks for your strong support of the publisher and a free press.
I fully support Manning’s actions as humanitarian in intent, but if she admitted to signing in as “Admin,’ she would indeed be signing in as another person- the administrator, no?
A “built in” administrator password is not a person, any more than is a corporation.
Your claim of supporting a “humanitarian” intent on Manning’s part, seems a misdirection, implying that you are really on her side, that you may then, with apparent compassion, repeat the suggestion that Manning was seeking to shift blame on to another.
Posturing as sympathetic and supportive before creating distrust is a rather pathetic tactic.
Even for a commenter who chooses to hide behind “OTOH/IMHO” as their “handle”.
These special/default accounts exist as part of the operational nature of some software. While the accounts are not created for a specific person, someone or someones are responsible for their proper use. The password for such accounts are general shared amoungst a few such responsible individuals for operational continuity across personnel absences and the like.
While break-ins are an illegal act, one must consider the proportional nature of the harms.
The Media, PA, FBI office burglars – Exposed the corruption of the Edgar Hoover, and the illegal tactics of the FBI against peaceful and legal protesters and assemblies of protesters.
Daniel Ellsberg – The Pentagon Papers demonstrated the lawless behaviors of the US gov’t Re: Vietnam War.
Mark Felt – Watergate
Frank Serpico – NYC corruption, probably targeted for his actions
Karen Silkwood – Kerr Magee nuclear facility safety, murdered
Jeffrey Wigand – Tobacco industry cigarette doping
Sherron Watkins – Enron financial fraud
Manning, Bradley/Chelsea – Iraq war info to Wikileaks
Frederic Whitehurst – incompetence of the FBI Crime Lab – now directs the FBI Oversight Project of the National Whistleblower Center
William Binney – NSA waste spending on Trailblazer, the phone call metadata surveillance we were all subject to until program finally recently terminated
Edward Snowden – leaked PRISM surveillance program existence
Many others – incomplete list: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_whistleblowers
Major General Smedley Butler – “War is a racket”, and he meant like the Mob
Benjamin Franklin became one of the first American whistleblowers in 1773.
I don’t know who is the author of the saying “Fools rush in, where angels fear to tread.” I’m neither, but I’m not so conversant with all that has transpired with Manning to decipher what you wrote. It didn’t escape me the ambiguous couching of boomslang’s qualifications of their remarks – a red flag did go up for me.
It makes no difference to me and my regard of Manning’s intention or character that she probably tried to hide her tracks. Or if it was necessary in the moment to get the information or whether it was an attempt to possibly avoid discovery and prosecution. If I had done what she did I’m absolutely certain that I would have tried to pull it off and somehow avoid being discovered. And I have to believe she absolutely knew the probable consequences of her actions and that an outraged and moral mass of Americans would not rush to her defense. She, like the rest of us, lived through the gigantic web of lies and disinformation that led to the disaster in Iraq.
As to the footage of human depravity celebrating the slaughter of obvious civilians: to me of course it was sickening, but it was not shocking. War, as it is said, is the summation of all evils. It may at times bring out the best in some individuals, but it is certain to always bring out the worst in many. Perhaps Manning thought it was important to show the American public that “Our military troops are all heroes” is a hollow and false trope. That footage pales to near insignificance when compared to the several assaults upon the city of Fallujah, the facts, the chain of responsibility, and the horrible consequences of which all seem to have been disappeared.
Noting that red flag I probably should just have posted the free-standing question “Could you please clarify this sentence?”
Not necessarily, it could have been a generic Administrator password that all such systems have. I don’t know, though.
Boomslang, your statement about Chelsea’s hiding her identity was clarified. Where is your acknowledgement? Are you going to continue with your smearing ?
boomslang, again, quoting DW Bartoo.
Boomslang, you state that, “Manning was trying to hide her identity by using someone else’s login credentials so that … the leak would be pinned on that other person.”
What evidence may you produce to support that contention?
You seem a little slow with your reply, so much so I would believe it to be BS.
Now, I’ve always heard that Manning spoke with a “friend” who turned her in.
boomslang, shame on you for smearing Manning yet again! :( Do ten minutes of self-flagellation as penance. To be fair, it’s a thought I had, but I didn’t know what “admin” meant, so I kept my mouth shut. Was it the account of a computer administrator, for example – someone responsible for the maintaining the system – or just a generic “admin” account that we all have on our computers? The media is so bad, nothing is ever explained properly!
Incorrect, the account he tried and failed to hack was a system account. These accounts are not tied to users but used by software daemon running in the background.
The parasites in the british media have hardly reported on this – they fal to see the potential consequences for them to in the mad rush to do the elites bidding. britain stinks.
I have the impression that most ‘journalists’ in mainstream media never intend to undertake investigative journalism and so feel prfectly safe.
Britain does, indeed, stink, which is why I do the lottery – the hope keeps me alive! :(
This global *hero could outweigh Goliath in the battle for peace … and HUMANITY!
Les Stein —I highly suspect that the UK is following orders from the USA, and the USA would prefer that Julian get “suicided” in the UK instead of the USA…The USA must think we are all very stupid. This is going to backfire on them all big time. I’m going to call our so-called “department of justice” and say this to them. Here is the phone # Department Comment Line: 202-353-1555 I just left my message…please share and do the same. I also told them to get some integrity and apologize to the US citizens for committing atrocities in our name and please STOP, Let Julian go… the American people would have more respect for the USA if they did that
PLEASE SHARE!
I am not into Twitter or Facebook or Instagram but I came up with a great idea when Julian was taken out of the Equadorean Embassy in London holding Gore Vidal’s book, “History of the National Security State”.
Everyone who supports Assange should buy this book (and read it!!) and have a picture taken holding the book then post it on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc. as a show of support.
I ordered the book from Amazon in paperback and got it the next day.
This will be an easy way to support Assange and Gore Vidal and to spread the word about what is actually happening with Assange and “The National Security State”.
I applaud you for your suggestion and action. I would do the same but I’d rather not have accounts on those platforms. But I will still buy the book. I won’t buy it from Amazon though, as it is also a huge problem, not to mention it is providing cloud services to the CIA and has a $600 billion contract with them. And it is putting other businesses out of business. Jeff Bezos aims to make Amazon become not merely a monopoly, but “the market”.
Support independent bookstores in your area. Call them and ask if they have the book you want. If not, and they can’t order it, then call the local chain bookstore. Bookstore owners and the people they employ, having far better working conditions than Amazon provides, need our business.
I suspect another legal tact they might consider, is the validity of any law involving the Internet, that was passed in an era BEFORE the internet existed.
Privacy is a quaintness of a long bygone era, and abuse of “Classified” is now rampant despite legal guidelines on its uses that are routinely ignored, and done mostly for reasons of political or illegal activity cover, rather than keeping secret actual dangerous things.
All of these could be attacked on legal grounds to undermine the USA Gov’s case.
At a recent US correspondence dinner, dedicated to the lst amendment and freedom of speech, Assange’s name was never mentioned. The media in America has lost it’s independence to corporations and capitalism. Making money is the guiding principal.
it is called Judeo-Zionist Inquisition of the West.
Wikileaks: checking the neo-barbarians from their final goal of world domination, both physical and spiritual.
Julian Assange is standing fearlessly resolute. As ever. And so must we.
That which can be destroyed by the truth should be.
Too many secrets, too much corruption and fraud, too little morality, eithics and critical thinking in this dying empire.
Julian Assange is a great hero and has given up everything to inform the world of the truth. I hope Assange survives to save freedom of information and that truth will force the evil ring of power back into the crack of doom.
Thats a great line “what can be destroyed by truth should be”. Here is an idea i haven’t seen posited: what if he does go to trial in the US of A and he fucking wins. That could change everything. It would desperate the chang from the wheat. It would galvanize people. It would distinguish tribalist republicans and democrats from the real fucking people. Can you imagine the size of the protests? What if they have investigate the russoagate bullshit? Will we be able to determine with that seth green leaked those emails. If this went to trial in this county it would be more than the establisment could handle. It would break the self censored press/pentagon stenographors. The nyt would diversify the same way the koch brothers have : toilet paper
I agree it is great line. But when reality strikes, the US won’t let Assange win even if they bring out law books from the 18oos. This is a sad reflection, and an international curse on the what the US is even still pretended to be regarding the rule of law etc. Today the US had no moral ground, nor ethical rudder to scold anyone in the world. If they are the shining example on the hill ( a Reaganism methinks) their lights are not shining nor even dim. They have become an opaque corporate/military enterprise devoid of any rule of humanitarian law outside of their own caustic, greedy enterprises which put many countries in danger, and the world itself. It’s a 50 year cancer that has to find a resolve, and sadly that means this cancer has to be eradicated. A current example is ‘don’t stop the arms or help for the Saudis to put 14 mill people near death, because of the money’. Even Pat Robertson “prayed” that the US wouldn’t lose the money…….. he didn’t give a ‘rats behind’ about the suffering in Yemen. This is pathetic dogma, especially for ‘Christians’.
Clinton wanted to drone Assange, and the Corp media won’t defend him, as they will watch with shamed eyes and do nothing if it effects their own job.
Assange can’t win; he can only shortcut his losses at best. He’s been imprisoned for seven years and it will be at least a couple more years of incarceration before he could come to trial in the U.S.
Keep up the good work of protecting Julian Assange as you can and where are you can .
Laws are made to insure the domination of the masses by the powerful. If a law should seem to protect the powerless, those in charge can always ignore it, or interpret it to their own satisfaction. Our rulers are liars and criminals of the worst sort, who pretend to be upholders of virtue. Those who fall for their lies are their victims. If you trust your government, you are a fool.
What I have said is the simple obvious truth. If you can’t see it, then your eyes have been blinded by bullshit.
Exactly why we need a new seven facet government with one facet tasked to examine laws for justice content. Check a diagram of seven facet nonhierarchical government at constituentassembly.org
‘I Won’t Surrender to the US for Doing Journalism’
I just love those defiant words.
A truly brave and worthy man, altogether, but one facing Washington’s savages in silk suits.
Simply the most important reporting of our time.
“If wars can be started by lies,
Peace can be started by truth.”
— Julian Assange
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2owVwlXGM-8
If truth does not prevail, then we are headed for extinction. A culture based on lies cannot survive long term.