Is It Time to Give Julian Assange His Freedom? | Media Watch

Julian Assange appeals to London’s High Court to block his extradition to the United States as calls grow for the WikiLeaks founder to be finally freed.

Joe Biden is said to be a devout Christian. Surely, then, as a devout Christian, he cannot possibly justify allowing Assange to be treated in this despicable, inhumane and unChristian manner. It is high time that President Biden show us all his true Christian colours and Christian compassion and order this poor man be released. Clearly, Julian Assange has suffered enough already. Let him return to Australia, to his family. It is the only truly Christian thing to do. – © Mark Alexander

Britain Approves Extradition of WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange to US | DW News

Jun 17, 2022 • Britain has approved the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States. That's where he's wanted on 18 criminal charges, including spying. Washington says Assange endangered lives by releasing troves of classified military records and diplomatic correspondence. Assange called Friday's decision a "dark day for press freedom and British democracy." He will appeal the decision at London's High Court.

Related here and here.

The Guardian View on the US Pursuit of Julian Assange: Set Him Free

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: The attempt to extradite the WikiLeaks founder is an assault on the press freedom that the Biden administration promises to promote

Supporters of Julian Assange gather outside the high court in London on Friday. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Opening his Summit for Democracy this week, Joe Biden urged his guests to “stand up for the values that unite us”, including a free press. The US president boasted of his new initiative for democratic renewal, including measures to support an unfettered and independent media: “It’s the bedrock of democracy. It’s how the public stay informed and how governments are held accountable. And around the world, press freedom is under threat.”

Yet the US government itself is endangering the ability of the media to bring to light uncomfortable truths and expose official crimes and cover-ups. On Friday, the high court ruled that Julian Assange can be extradited to the US, where he could face up to 175 years in prison. The decision is not only a blow for his family and friends, who fear he would not survive imprisonment in the US. It is also a blow for all those who wish to protect the freedom of the press. » | Opinion | Friday, December 10, 2021

Julian Assange Can Be Extradited to US to Face Espionage Charges, Court Rules

THE GUARDIAN: Decision overturns previous ruling that Wikileaks co-founder could not be extradited due to mental health concerns

Julian Assange can be extradited to the US, the high court has ruled as it overturned a judgment earlier this year.

The decision today deals a major blow to the Wikileaks co-founder’s efforts to prevent his extradition to the US to face espionage charges, although options to appeal remain open to his legal team. » | Ben Quinn | Friday, December 10, 2021

U.K. Court Rules Julian Assange Can Be Extradited to U.S.: The WikiLeaks founder can still appeal the verdict, which would leave him facing espionage charges that could put him in prison for decades. »

Assange Charges Dropped by Swedish Prosecutors

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

Austrian Court Approves Extradition of Ukrainian Tycoon Dmytro Firtash

THE TELEGRAPH: An Austrian court on Tuesday approved a US request to extradite a Ukrainian billionaire with ties to an associate of Donald Trump to face trial on bribery charges, in a move that could test the White House's relationship with Russia. » | Roland Oliphant, Moscow | Tuesday, February 21, 2017

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'Assange Stands by Everything He Said' - Lawyer on Wikileaks' Founder US Extradition Promise

Now that President Barack Obama has commuted much of whistleblower Chelsea Manning’s prison sentence, will Wikileaks founder Julian Assange follow through on his promise to accept extradition to the US? Melinda Taylor, lawyer for Assange, joins RT to discuss this issue.

'Despite Clear Unconstitutionality': Assange Ready for Extradition If Obama Pardons Manning

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange would leave his Ecuadorian embassy refuge and accept extradition to the US if whistleblower Chelsea Manning was granted clemency, the media organization has suggested.

Snowden to Fly to Cuba at 2:05 p.m.
THE MOSCOW TIMES: Edward Snowden is expected to fly from Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport to Cuba today at 2:05 p.m., Interfax reported, citing one of its sources.

Snowden, a 30-year-old former U.S. intelligence contractor, is wanted by the U.S. for revealing a highly classified surveillance program, but it appears that calls for Russia to extradite him back to his country of birth have fallen on deaf ears.

Earlier today National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said that the White House expects Russia to consider "all options available" to extradite Edward Snowden.

"Given our intensified cooperation after the Boston marathon bombings and our history of working with Russia on law enforcement matters — including returning numerous high-level criminals back to Russia at the request of the Russian government — we expect the Russian government to look at all options available to expel Mr. Snowden back to the U.S. to face justice for the crimes with which he is charged," the Associated Press quoted Hayden as saying. » | RIA Novosti | Material from The Moscow Times is included in this report | Monday, June 24, 2013

Snowden Saga: US Charges Whistleblower, Demands Extradition
The US has filed criminal charges against Edward Snowden, the man who exposed to the world the extent of the secret global surveillance network run by the NSA. Reports say Washington will now attempt to extradite the 30-year old from Hong Kong, where the ex-CIA employee turned whistleblower has been sheltering ever since exposing the American spy machine. RT's Gayane Chichakyan reports.

Somalian Al-Shabaab Group in New Attack Threat to Britain

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Somalia's al-Qaeda-allied Islamists have threatened to "eclipse the horrors of 7/7" with an attack on Britain in revenge for the extradition of the radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza to the United States.

A High Court ruling overturning attempts to stop the Egyptian-born imam being sent to the US was “a testament to the reality of the west’s vicious war against Islam and the Muslims”, al-Shabaab said.

For this, the group said on its official Twitter feed, Britain faced another terror attack that would be deadlier than those on July 7 and July 21, 2005.

“Britain will pay the heftiest price for its brazen role in the war against Islam and endless brutality against innocent Muslims,” al-Shabaab’s press office tweeted on Monday. “We remind the British government that we’re a nation that doesn’t tolerate oppression [and] their actions will be repaid in retaliatory measure.

“The nightmare that surreptitiously looms on British shores is bound to eclipse the horrors of 7/7 and 21/7 combined, insh’allah.” Security agencies have long feared that terror cells trained in Somalia, some comprising British citizens, were planning attacks in Britain. » | Mike Pflanz, Mogadishu | Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Islam has cast a pall over the civilised world. – © Mark

Abu Hamza Expected in US Court after Extradition
THE GUARDIAN: Islamist cleric to face judge within 24 hours of landing in US after he and four other terrorism suspects are extradited from UK

The Islamist cleric Abu Hamza is expected to appear in a US court on Saturday to face terrorism charges after he was extradited from Britain along with four other suspects. The men were deported on two planes which left a military airbase in Suffolk late on Friday night after the high court rejected their final appeals earlier in the day.

Abu Hamza faces 11 charges in the US relating to hostage taking, conspiracy to establish a militant training camp and calling for holy war in Afghanistan.

His lawyers argued he was not fit to be deported on health grounds but UK judges rejected his appeal, paving the way for his immediate removal from the UK.

He is set to go before a judge at an open hearing within 24 hours of landing at an airport in New York.

The high court also threw out challenges by Babar Ahmad, Syed Ahsan, Khaled al-Fawwaz and Adel Abdul Bary after ruling they did not show "new and compelling" reasons to stay in the UK.

The US attorney general has confirmed the arrival of a flight carrying Babar Ahmad and Syed Talha Ahsan who are due before a court in Connecticut in connection with the alleged running of a pro-jihad website. » | Cass Jones and Owen Bowcott | Saturday, October 06, 2012

Abu Hamza is wanted in the US on terrorist charges, including conspiring to set up a terrorist training camp in Oregon, helping to abduct 16 hostages, two of them American. In the UK, he was charged with inciting racial hatred and encouraging followers to kill infidels »

Abu Hamza Leaves Britain After Final Appeal Fails
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Radical cleric Abu Hamza has left British soil and is en route to the United States with four other terror suspects after being deported from the UK, Home Secretary Theresa May said today.

Speaking after the US-bound flights had taken off from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, Mrs May said: "I can confirm that tonight two planes have left RAF Mildenhall to transport Abu Hamza, Babar Ahmad, Adel Abdul Bary, Syed Ahsan and Khalid al-Fawwaz to the US to face trial.

"I am pleased the decision of the court today meant that these men, who used every available opportunity to frustrate and delay the extradition process over many years, could finally be removed.

"This government has co-operated fully with the courts and pressed at every stage to ensure this happened.

"We have worked tirelessly, alongside the US authorities, the police and the prison service, to put plans in place so that tonight these men could be handed over within hours of the court's decision.

"It is right that these men, who are all accused of very serious offences, will finally face justice." » | Martin Beckford, Home Affairs Editor | Saturday, October 06, 2012

THE GUARDIAN: Abu Hamza and other four terror suspects face 'clean version of hell': If convicted in a US court, the five terror suspects are likely to end up in the harsh 'supermax' prison at Florence, Colorado » | Alan Travis, home affairs editor | Friday, October 05, 2012

Abu Hamza Extradition Protests at The Royal Courts of Justice

DEMOTIX: Protesters gather at the Royal Courts of Justice as the high court rules whether Abu Hamza, Babar Ahmad, Syed Talha Ahsan, Khaled al-Fawwaz and Adel Abdul Bary will be extradited to the United States. Join the conversation » | Submitted by Rob Pinney | Friday, October 05, 2012

Abu Hamza to Be Extradited within Days after Final Appeal Fails

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Abu Hamza and four other terror suspects will be extradited to the US "immediately" after their last-ditch appeals were dismissed out of hand by senior judges.

Lawyers for the Islamist cleric had told the High Court his health was deteriorating so he should have an MRI scan to see if he was fit to plead.

Two of the other suspects, accused of hosting an extremist website, wanted to undergo a private prosecution in Britain rather than the US.

The remaining pair, accused of supporting Osama Bin Laden’s bomb attacks on US embassies in Africa in 1998, said new evidence showed they had no links to the campaign.

They made the fresh applications to stay extradition after the European Court of Human Rights rejected their appeal bid, and in some cases they have been fighting being sent to the US for trial for more than 10 years.

But Sir John Thomas, President of the Queen's Bench Division, and Mr Justice Ouseley, dismissed their claims in a judgment delivered on Friday afternoon.

It means Hamza and the other suspects should be flown to the US to face trial within a few days. » | Martin Beckford, Home Affairs Editor | Friday, October 05, 2012

'Not Even in Cold War’s Darkest Days': International Law Scrapped in Anti-Assange Crusade

Mother of Julian Assange Meets with Ecuadoran President
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The mother of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange met with Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa on Wednesday to discuss the fate of her son holed up at the country's embassy in Britain.

Assange, 41, is seeking asylum in the South American nation to avoid his extradition to Sweden, where he is accused of sexual assault.

"The important thing is for Julian to be assured that Ecuador is considering with great responsibility" his request, the president told Assange's mother, Christine Assange, during their hour-long meeting.

Mr Correa said his country has a "great humanist tradition and respect for human rights."

He added that he respects Britain, Sweden, and the people of the United States, and that the matter bears consultation, but that, ultimately, "Ecuador does not negotiate over its sovereignty."

Meanwhile, Assange told AFP that based on "a chronological history of the Swedish investigations and based on the fact, there is absolutely no doubt" the charges against her son are part of a political persecution against him. » | Source: agencies | Thursday, August 02, 2012

Ecuador Seeks to Stop 'Evil' of Julian Assange US Extradition

THE GUARDIAN: Ecuadorean diplomats seek UK assurances that WikiLeaks founder will not be extradited to US after proceedings in Sweden

The Ecuadorean government is seeking to avert the "evil" of the extradition of Julian Assange to the US, according to a senior legal adviser to the country's embassy in London, where the WikiLeaks founder has sought sanctuary with a view to claiming asylum.

Diplomats for the small Latin American country said they had been seeking assurances from the UK that Assange would not be extradited to the US after the completion of legal proceedings in Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over allegations of sexual assault.

Lawyers for Assange, who has been living in the Ecuadorean embassy for five weeks, believe there are secret plans to extradite him to the US to face trial, possibly for conspiracy to commit espionage. If found guilty, the 40-year-old could face life imprisonment.

Two officials at the Ecuadorean embassy said it had been seeking assurances from both the UK and Sweden that Assange would not be eventually sent to the US, but had received no answer. They saidEcuador would now formally ask the US if there were any legal proceedings against Assange or "an investigation which has identified him as a target and which may result in a later extradition request".

The senior legal adviser said: "In legal terms … the evil that Ecuador wishes to prevent is the extradition [of Assange] to the US. Now if there are ways and means of that being tied down, I think that would be a just solution." » | Paul Lewis | Thursday, July 26, 2012

UK's Highest Court Rejects Julian Assange Appeal against Extradition to Sweden
THE INDEPENDENT: The UK's highest court has rejected a move by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to reopen his appeal against his extradition to Sweden where he faces sex crime allegations.

The announcement was made today by the Supreme Court.

It said in a statement that the required period for extradition "shall not commence until the 14th day after today".

Seven Supreme Court justices unanimously dismissed the move as being "without merit". » | Cathy Gordon | Thursday, June 14, 2012

Julian Assange's Supporters and Lawyer React to Extradition Verdict
Julian Assange's supporters and lawyer say they are disappointed that the WikiLeaks founder lost his case against being extradited to Sweden. The verdict was given at the supreme court on Wednesday. Assange's lawyers have been given 14 days to consider whether to challenge a central point of the judgment on the correct interpretation of international treaties

THE GUARDIAN: Julian Assange given 14 days to challenge extradition ruling: Despite losing the appeal, Assange's lawyers are given time to consider a challenge to the judgment » | Owen Bowcott and Esther Addley | Wednesday, May 30, 2012

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