UK Supreme Court snubs Assange anti-extradition bid
- Reference: 1647367366
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/03/15/assange_uk_extradition/
- Source link:
The former WikiLeaks chief's future now rests in the tender hands of British Home Secretary Priti Patel, who must formally decide whether or not to extradite him for trial in the US.
American prosecutors want the Australian in court over a multitude of espionage charges, including one alleging that he [1]commissioned the cracking of a password protecting US Department of Defense files from unauthorized access.
[2]
Assange's fiancée Stella Moris described the Supreme Court rejection of her betrothed's legal efforts as "corrupting," saying: "Julian was just doing his job, which was to publish the truth about wrongdoing. His loyalty is the same as that which all journalists should have: to the public. Not to the spy agencies of a foreign power."
[3]
[4]
WikiLeaks has been repeatedly accused of being a willing conduit for Russian intelligence agencies to steer and control political debate in the US. Although the site's operators denied formal links, the US Democratic Party [5]sued the Russian government in 2018 for hacking its servers. It alleged that WikiLeaks had been used to launder the stolen information into American political discourse, laying the grounds for Donald Trump to be elected US president in 2016. So the case goes, Trump was Russia's preferred alternative to Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton.
Set up as a website for whistleblowers to leak confidential documents into the public domain, WikiLeaks became notorious very quickly for its disclosure of stolen US diplomatic cables in plain-text. These form another part of the case against Assange in America: Uncle Sam says he placed its spies and diplomats' lives at risk by publishing the cables, something he has denied.
[6]Julian Assange will NOT be extradited to the US over WikiLeaks hacking and spy charges, rules British judge
[7]Russia: We did not hack the US Democrats. But if we did, we're immune from prosecution... lmao
[8]US offers Julian Assange time in Australian prison instead of American supermax if he loses London extradition fight
[9]Ecuador shreds Julian Assange's citizenship
Assange's fate now rests with Patel. Moris said: "It is in her hands to prove that the UK is better than all of this. Patel can end Britain's exposure to international ridicule because of Julian's incarceration."
The ex-WikiLeaker was in [10]this exact situation 10 years ago, when the British Supreme Court described a previous legal bid to avoid extradition as being "without merit" – lawyer-speak for "not a sodding chance, mate."
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At that time Assange was trying to avoid extradition over what he said were politically motivated [12]allegations of sexual assault in Sweden. His version of events was that the accusations were trumped up by Swedish allies of the US government as a pretext to kidnap him en route and fly him to the US, where he would be imprisoned (or even executed) for WikiLeaks' travails. When the British justice system rejected his 2012 bid for freedom, Assange jumped bail and holed up in Ecuador's London embassy.
There he outstayed his welcome until, after eight years and a change of government, the Ecuadorians ejected him straight into the hands of London police. He now lives in Her Majesty's Prison Belmarsh, a category A institution in southeast London, where he is remanded in custody as a flight risk.
Over the past couple of years Assange has been fighting extradition from England to the US, almost wholly unsuccessfully. A district judge threw out all of his legal arguments against extradition at first instance – [13]except for one finding that he would commit suicide if sent to America. The inevitable US appeal overturned that, [14]based on promises of humane treatment. ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/12/assange_extradition_latest/
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YjEaqJJYGv5rzYEGlcwIegAAAMI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YjEaqJJYGv5rzYEGlcwIegAAAMI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YjEaqJJYGv5rzYEGlcwIegAAAMI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2018/11/13/russia_immune_dnc_hack/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/04/julian_assange_extradition_judgment/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2018/11/13/russia_immune_dnc_hack/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/08/assange_us_to_appeal_extradition_ruling/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/28/ecuador_shreds_julian_assanges_citizenship/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2012/06/14/julian_assange_application_to_reopen_extradition_case_dismissed_by_supreme_court/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_security/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YjEaqJJYGv5rzYEGlcwIegAAAMI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2011/11/15/assange_extradition_supreme_court/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2021/01/04/julian_assange_extradition_judgment/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2021/12/10/assange_extradition_confirmed_high_court/
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Well, to be fair, most of them probably travel over cables, either copper or fibre, at least some of the way. They still have "wire fraud" in the US too.
Well that's probably that, then
If this is in Priti Patels hands then I think Julian had best start packing his bags right now. She is not known to have much of a soft side and I think that the UK just wants rid of him now.
Re: Well that's probably that, then
Well yes, but isn't there precedent for England sending supposed criminals to Australia, the native land of the accused in this case? (Sorry, if you don't want him either, Australia. Maybe there's some foundation that could pay the internment costs.)
Re: Well that's probably that, then
Under the current Australian government he wouldn't get the the airport terminal. It'd be off the arriving plane and straight onto the US government one. Maybe not even touch the ground!
It is amazing how much hassle it is to get someone to show up in court and face justice. The decades of excuses and BS "legal arguments" are astounding, not to mention hiding out in an embassy for years on end.
Not exactly the actions of a brave man...
And if he'd gone to sweden, he'd more than likely been cleared and deported back to Aus, or at worse had a 5 yr jail term followed by being deported back to Aus......
Instead hes in belmarsh clink..... 12 yrs after all this began....
And if he'd just kept his dick in his pants . . .
Nothing wrong with that, by itself.
Funny thing is that how Swedish prosecutors invented rape charges a day after US Foreign MInister had visited and had a 'discussion' with Swedish Minister of internal affairs, i.e. head of the Police.
Before that, nothing. Also it was funny how Swedes promised to give him to US authorities, i.e. CIA, even before any court case.
Also it's funny how remote court case wasn't possible at all in Sweden. As if they *wanted* him there to be given to CIA. Political move, all the way. See: Putin, Castro.
"And if he'd gone to sweden, he'd more than likely been cleared and deported back to Aus,"
No, Into US. Swedes already announced that they'll 'give' him to US authorities.
Obviously you have no idea how the Federal justice system works.
Federal law in the US is characterized by innumerable vague concepts that are routinely used as 'gotchas' for people caught in their net. For example, most non-citizens are unaware of the legal jeopardy that they face just filling in a visa application (or exemption) or landing card, for example. Obviously the law is applied selectively -- Joe Tourist is rarely, if ever, bothered -- but "lying on a Federal form" carries severe penalties which, as many people of Chinese origin have learned over the last few years can mean just about anything the Feds define it to mean.
Forget legal technicalities. Assange is screwed.
"It is amazing how much hassle it is to get someone to show up in court and face justice. "
False. He did show in court, in UK. If CIA gets him, he won't ever see any court, except *possibly* FISA.
If you believe otherwise, you're moron. Sorry about that.
"The inevitable US appeal overturned that, based on promises of humane treatment. "
This is a joke of the year. He'll be moved into Guantanamo without any kind of trial and kept there for ever. Anyone who believes otherwise is a moron.
US police murders coloured people daily on the streets, that's their opinion on 'humane'.
Wasn't it Facebook what won it for Trump?
and Cambridge Analytica? If that's the case then WikiLeaks would have played a small part at best. There is also a difference between "providing a platform that happened to be used by Russia" and "colluding with Russia", at least I hope so because I haven't checked who does what with all that free software I put up for download
were still calling communications "cables" ?