[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0K806gtiGk&rel=0]
The Extradition of Julian Assange
The truth about Assange is that he’s broken far more stories
than all the rest of us put together.
It’s almost 10 years since the Collateral Murder video was released,
which is this footage of a helicopter gunship strike in Iraq which killed two Reuters photojournalists.
They are out to get him because he embarrassed power.
He exposed crimes committed against humanity on our behalf
without our knowledge and this is the only charge against him really.
These are the publications that WikiLeaks has won journalism awards the world over.
Julian has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but he faces 175 years in prison
because the Trump administration is going to try and make it a crime to do journalism.
Earlier this year, one of the most high profile legal trials
in recent British history began at Woolwich Crown Court in London.
In the dock stands this man, Julian Assange.
Who, for his work revealing American State secrets,
stands accused of espionage.
The US is, for the first time ever, using the Espionage Act against a publisher.
This is the first time in history that a statute designed
to prosecute treason is being used against a journalist and a publisher.
This is possible because of the UK-US extradition treaty,
which requires the UK to provide cooperation to the United States.
Typically being prosecuted for something which is a straightforward political offence,
espionage is a political offence would be barred
So this case is an abuse on so many fronts. It’s setting a precedent that any journalist
or publisher could be indicted in the United States,
sought for extradition and prosecuted for publishing truthful information about the United States.
That is the precedent is being set with this case
and why it is so dangerous, not just for Julian Assange, but for journalists everywhere.
The Iraq and Afghanistan war logs in 2010 shone a light on the brutal nature of American intervention.
and Assange’s advocates claim Wikileaks changed the face of journalism.
This won him plaudits..
…but also, inevitably, powerful enemies.
The united states strongly condemns the illegal disclosure of classified information
And for a time it was this dichotomy that shaped the world’s view of Assange.
Here, was a man hated by the defenders of Empire,
and adored by its opponents.
But, in December 2010, this clear-cut narrative was to be disrupted..
Julian Assange the founder of Wikileaks has been put on Interpol’s most wanted list.
In connection with a case of alleged sexual assault in Sweden.
Allegations of sexual assault against Assange were both serious and credible.
Yet his supporters would point to procedural irregularities
and question the motives of Swedish and British prosecutors.
Citing fear of onward extradition to the US, Assange sought asylum in the Ecuadorian Embassy.
He was able to continue his work in that location for quite a long time and Wikileaks released
several document sets of importance during that era.
But in April 2019, after almost 7 years in the Embassy, Ecuador – now under a new government
– revoked Assange’s asylum. And the British police were able to make an arrest.
Once in custody for breaching bail, the Swedes would re-open the sexual assault
case against Assange. Five months later the case was closed again,
due the weakening of evidence under the time elapsed.
But this coincided with Donald Trump’s rise to power.
And the US state department – now led by Mike Pompeo
– made the extradition request Assange had always feared.
I had good friends of mine Saying, “oh come on. They will never extradite
him, or say that there’s no not even a process
for extradite him to the.” Now, we know that Julian was right.
Wikileaks walks like a hostile intelligence service
and talks like a hostile intelligence service and talks like a hostile intelligence service.
Mike Pompeo effectively described Wikileaks as a non-governmental hostile intelligence
service and I thought this was brilliant,
this is exactly what it should be a statement to every journalist – we’re out to get you.
To the extent that you can be hostile and gather intelligence
as a non-governmental organisation against us who are in power, you’re on our hit-list.
The Obama administration systematically went through
every single way they could possibly think of of prosecuting Julian.
But they eventually decided not to do what the trump administration is now doing.
By prosecuting Julian for the receipt of important public interest information
and it’s publication and for communicating with a source.
They are threatening the New York Times as much as they are threatening Wikileaks.
For the Obama administration that was a step too far,
but unfortunately for the Trump administration that’s a feature not a bug.
He’s going to talk about Wikileaks, you had nothing to do with the leaking of those documents?
No I think it’s disgraceful I think there should be death penalty or something…
Due to the coronavirus Assange’s hearing has been postponed until September this year.
Whatever the outcome, the political implications for whistleblowing, journalism,
and indeed democracy itself may depend on the fate of Julian Assange.
I’m amazed that the British media has covered this in the way it has sort of neutral
way, not much reporting.
It’s a massive case about freedom of the press ultimately.
And the implications for journalism across the world, is massive.
We have a moment here whilst he’s still in the UK where our government
can actually step up and act in the interests of freedom of expression
and many other human rights obligations and not hand him over to be prosecuted in the US.
If Julian Assange can be extradited to be prosecuted
for this then so too can the editor of the guardian and the editor of the telegraph.
Let’s be clear about this: are we going to empower journalists
to be hostile critics of power, as liberalism not just radicalism,
but liberalism would dictate, or not?