Chomsky: Arrest of Assange Is “Scandalous” and Highlights Shocking Extra-territorial Reach of US

Attorneys for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange are vowing to fight his possible extradition to the United States following his arrest in London, when British police forcibly removed Assange from the Ecuadorean Embassy, where he had taken asylum for almost seven years. On Thursday night, Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman spoke to Noam Chomsky about Assange's arrest, WikiLeaks and American power.

Julian Assange of WikiLeaks Arrested in London; Faces US Charge Related to Chelsea Manning Leaks

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested in London. Earlier today, British police forcibly removed Assange from the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, where he has been living since 2012. London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement that Assange was arrested on behalf of the United States authorities. The U.S. has charged Assange with helping Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning hack a government computer. The indictment was unsealed shortly after his arrest. We speak to Renata Ávila, a member of Assange’s legal team, as well as British human rights attorney Geoffrey Robertson, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Glenn Greenwald and former Justice Department attorney Jesselyn Radack.

Julian Assange, WikiLeaks Founder, Is Arrested in London

THE NEW YORK TIMES: LONDON — Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder who released reams of secret documents that embarrassed the United States government, was arrested by the British police on Thursday at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London, where he had lived since 2012, after Ecuador withdrew the asylum it had granted him.

President Lenín Moreno of Ecuador said on Twitter that his country had decided to stop sheltering Mr. Assange after “his repeated violations to international conventions and daily-life protocols,” a decision that cleared the way for the British authorities to detain him.

The relationship between Mr. Assange and Ecuador has been a rocky one, even as it offered him refuge, and WikiLeaks said last Friday that Ecuador “already has an agreement with the UK for his arrest” and predicted that Mr. Assange would be expelled from the embassy “within ‘hours to days.’ ”

Video footage showed a bearded Mr. Assange being taken down the steps of the red brick embassy in the wealthy area of Knightsbridge in central London by several plainclothes police officers and put into a gray police truck that was waiting to take him away. » | Richard Pérez-Peña | Thursday, April 11, 2019

WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange May Be Arrested Soon

All eyes are on the Ecuadorian embassy in London after reports that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange will be kicked out after seven years of asylum. Investigative journalist Ben Swann takes a dive into this situation with RT America’s Sara Montes de Oca.

Assange Enjoying Final Days of Freedom?

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange may be enjoying his final days of freedom. Ecuador’s president, Lenin Moreno, is reportedly preparing to hand Assange over to British authorities. RT correspondent Anya Parampil explores the legal scenarios Assange now faces.

Assange Charges Dropped by Swedish Prosecutors

Swedish prosecutors announced today that the preliminary investigation into Julien Assange has been dropped

Assange's Thousand Days: 'Careless Crackdown on Whistleblowers Won't Stop'

Monday marks one thousand days of confinement for WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange, most of it under house arrest. But since June 2012 the whistleblower has been holed up in London's Ecuadorian embassy attempting to avoid extradition to Sweden where's he's wanted on sex crime allegations. Assange fears should he step out of the embassy he will be arrested, and ultimately handed over to the U.S. to face life imprisonment. Wikileaks spokesperson Kristinn Hrafnsson told RT why they're so worried.

Assange's Year On Ice: 'Every Day We Live Our Principles, We Truly Live'
WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange says he'll remain in the Ecuadorian embassy in London - even if the sex crime allegations against him are dropped. He fears being snatched and extradited to the United States - especially since Washington renewed its assault on whistleblowers wherever they are. Sara Firth reports on Assange's struggle and his now year-long confinement.

Assange’s Health Could Drastically Worsen in Embassy – Lawyer
RT.COM: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could suffer serious health problems if he stays in London’s Ecuadorian embassy, warned his lawyer. The whistleblower faces immediate arrest and extradition to Sweden should he leave the building.

“Assange is in good health, but the situation is getting steadily worse,” lawyer Baltasar Garzon said during an anti-corruption conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The confined conditions in which Assange is currently living could cause him to “suffer from serious medical problems,” and lead to “psychological issues,” Garzon said.

Assange has been confined tinside Ecuadorian Embassy since June 19 in conditions Garzon described as worse than prison. Assange took refuge there to avoid being extradited to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning on charges of sex crimes.

According to Garzon, Assange is not seeking to escape questioning in Sweden, as they allegedly have evidence proving his innocence. “We want the trial to go ahead in Sweden, but we want a guarantee of his safety.” Garzon said the whistleblower risked being re-extradited to US jurisdiction should he be taken to Sweden. Previously, Ecuadorian vice foreign minister Marco Albuja said that he was “very worried” for Assange’s welfare, and that “he had lost a lot of weight.” » | Sunday, November 11, 2012