Assange should be furloughed from Belmarsh prison, says human rights org. Here's a thought: He could stay with friends!
- Reference: 1588101193
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/28/assange_prison_furlough/
- Source link:
The apparently serious suggestion was made by human rights charity Humanade, of which Joseph Corré is a trustee.
Corré, Westwood's son by the late Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, told the British press that he, along with lawyer Clive Stafford-Smith, is "set to liaise with the UK government to 'furlough Julian Assange' from Belmarsh prison due to the serious threat on his life imposed by COVID-19."
"If Assange contracts COVID-19 and dies, the UK government will be accused of deliberately and methodically killing Julian Assange," Corré added in a canned statement.
A furlough – which can mean a temporary leave of absence or a temporary layoff to cut costs – is not [1]new to the tech world , but many Brits have found themselves quickly swotting up after the UK government used it in the treasury's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. In the taxpayer-funded scheme, if staff can't work because of the nationwide coronavirus shutdown, businesses are given the option of sending them home and receiving a grant to cover 80 per cent of their salary up to a £2,500 gross monthly wage.
Furlough is also used to describe a situation where US prisoners are released for [2]compassionate or medical reasons ; in the UK eligibility for temporary release schemes are governed by the Ministry of Justice and such inmates who qualify (see guidance [3]here ) and do not have a tariff need "ministerial permission".
Assange lawyer: Trump offered WikiLeaker a pardon in exchange for denying Russia hacked Democrats' email [4]READ MORE
Earlier [5]this week , Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service introduced the End of Custody Temporary Release scheme (ECTR), although that's only for "risk-assessed prisoners, who are within two months of their release date". The MoJ said "pregnant or extremely medically vulnerable" types would be considered for Release on Temporary Licence on a case-by-case basis.
Humanade "believes Assange should be 'furloughed' somewhere outside of London, a hotbed for COVID-19, in one of the safe places that one of Julian's many friends would be happy to accommodate him, well away from London".
Lest anyone needs reminding, the last time old Jules was paroled to a mate's house, he promptly scarpered straight into the Ecuadorian Embassy in the UK capital, where he remained for most of the 2010s. Police, with the consent of the embassy, eventually dragged him out in 2019. He was later [6]sentenced to a year in prison for jumping bail.
Moreover, Assange's previous attempts to get out of jail by using coronavirus as an excuse have already been [7]dismissed by a judge and a legal system alike that are determined to treat the feisty WikiLeaker just like any other accused who's been remanded in custody.
Assange faces charges in the US of [8]conspiracy to commit computer intrusion along with one-time US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning. American authorities are seeking to have the Aussie extradited from London, though the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown has seemingly thrown the planned trial [9]into chaos . ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/08/06/ibm_furloughs_hardware_workers/
[2] https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/28/570.31
[3] https://www.justice-ni.gov.uk/articles/temporary-release-schemes
[4] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/02/19/assange_russia_trump_pardon/
[5] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-prison-releases
[6] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/05/01/julian_assange_sentenced_50_weeks_jumping_bail/
[7] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/03/25/assange_coronavirus_bail_attempt_refused/
[8] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/04/11/assange_indicted_for_conspiracy_to_commit_computer_hacking/
[9] https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8260673/Julian-Assange-extradition-case-not-restart-November-coronavirus-pandemic.html
[10] https://go.theregister.co.uk/tl/1936/-8552/how-to-accelerate-brilliant-digital-experiences-with-low-code?td=wptl1936
Sure...
a few more facts
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=17012
The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Deems the deprivation of liberty of Mr. Julian Assange as arbitrary
On 4 December 2015, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) adopted Opinion No. 54/2015, in which it considered that Mr. Julian Assange was arbitrarily detained by the Governments of Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and more recently , Belmarsh 2019
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Terrorism/FinalSRTStatementGA14Oct 2019.pdf (pdf, 6 pages)
Mr. Assange showed a pattern of symptoms typical for long-term exposure to psychological torture, I regret to report that none of the concerned States have agreed to investigate or redress their alleged involvement in his abuse as required of them under human rights law.
from Nils Melzer, United Nations special rapporteur on Torture, professor of international law at the University of Glasgow; holds the Human Rights Chair at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights in Switzerland
"Julian's many friends would be happy to accommodate him, well away from London".
Julian is a very good friend of mine. He can come and stay over here. I'll send transport over and an escort detail so he does not come to any harm during the journey.
Donald
The UK government will stop at nothing to hunt down foreigners who have sex with foreigners abroad without a condom.Look at the masses of Met police swarming Ibiza every summer
Previous for breaching bail conditions..... very unlikely to get bail again.....
Although stranger things have happened
At least where I live
They've been doing early release from prison for people eligible for parole, and some people were released early on the promise to return later when ordered! That would require a fair amount of trust, something that a guy who hid out in an embassy and cost British taxpayers millions of pounds to prevent him from escaping does not deserve.
"If Assange contracts COVID-19 and dies..."
Well, there's always an upside to a disaster.
It's so unfair when a bad reputation follows ou around like that.
Have the warders at Belmarsh told him they are wearing masks while in fact they aren't?
Assange has proven to be a flight risk, so he should stay where he is.
Sure...
Joseph Corré can take his place and only be released upon his return.
He's obviously very confident of that happening, so nothing to worry about.