Assange lawyer dismisses US promises over extradition
A lawyer defending WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has argued that promises offered by the U.S. government that he would not be subjected to harsh prison conditions if he is extradited to face American justice are not enough to address concerns about his fragile mental health and high risk of suicide.
WikiLeaks founder Assange denied bail in UK
A Julian Assange supporter reacts outside the Westminster Magistrates Court after Julian Assange was denied bail at a hearing in the court in London, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. On Monday Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled that Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the US. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)LONDON โ A British judge on Wednesday denied bail to WikiLeaksโ founder Julian Assange, ordering him to remain in a high-security prison while U.K. courts decide whether he will be sent to the United States to face espionage charges. It is illogical.โSeveral dozen Assange supporters gathered outside London's Westminster Magistrates' Court, shouting โFree Assange.โ Police said seven people were arrested for breaching coronavirus lockdown rules. In 2012, Assange jumped bail and sought refuge inside the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he was beyond the reach of U.K. and Swedish authorities โ but also effectively was a prisoner in the tiny diplomatic mission.
UK judge refuses US extradition of WikiLeaks founder Assange
A British judge has rejected the United States request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges, saying it would be oppressive because of his mental health. "I find that the mental condition of Mr. Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America," the judge said. Lawyers for the U.S. government said they would appeal the decision, and the U.S. Department of Justice said it would continue to seek Assangeโs extradition. โWhile we are extremely disappointed in the courtโs ultimate decision, we are gratified that the United States prevailed on every point of law raised," it said in a statement. โWe hope that after consideration of the U.K. courtโs ruling, the United States will decide not to pursue the case further," he said.
Assange 'binge-watched' suicide of ex-Bosnian Croat general
LONDON โ Julian Assange relayed how he โbinge-watchedโ the suicide of the former Bosnian Croat general in a U.N. courtroom three years ago, a doctor who visited the WikiLeaks founder on several occasions while he was in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London told an extradition hearing Thursday. Psychologist Nigel Blackwood, who assessed Assange at Belmarsh, rebutted defense experts on the extent of Assangeโs condition, saying his suicide risk was โmanageable." โI think there is some risk of suicide but that risk has to be carefully managed at Belmarsh," he said. Blackwood noted that Assange has been โhighly functioning to a very high level in running a very successful organization." โI think there is some risk of suicide attempt linked to extradition, but not substantial risk,โ he told the court.
Assange told to stop interrupting witnesses at UK hearing
A billboard truck depicting Julian Assange drives past the Central Criminal Court Old Bailey in London, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020. American prosecutors have indicted the 49-year-old Australian on 18 espionage and computer misuse charges over Wikileaks' publication of secret U.S. military documents a decade ago. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)LONDON A British judge told WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Tuesday that his extradition hearing will proceed without him if he continues to speak from the dock and interrupt witnesses. Vanessa Baraitser briefly adjourned the hearing at Londons Central Criminal Court after Assange interrupted defense witness Clive Stafford Smith, who was giving evidence. Assange is fighting an attempt by American prosecutors to extradite him to the U.S. to stand trial on spying charges.
Supporters gather for Assange court extradition showdown
Partner of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, Stella Moris, holds up a Julian Assange press card outside the gates of Downing Street, in Westminster, London, after attempting to deliver a Reporters Without Borders petition against the extradition of her partner to the US. Lawyers for Assange and the U.S. government will face off in London on Monday at an extradition hearing that was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. (Dominic Lipinski/PA via AP)LONDON Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and the U.S. government were squaring off in a London court on Monday at a high-stakes extradition case delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Assanges lawyers say the prosecution is a politically motivated abuse of power that will stifle press freedom and put journalists around the world at risk. The WikiLeaks founder was due to be brought from Belmarsh Prison on the outskirts of London to court for the hearing.
WikiLeaks' Assange to fight US extradition bid in UK court
FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020 file photo, demonstrators supporting Julian Assange hold banners outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London. Lawyers for Assange and the U.S. government are scheduled to face off in London Monday at an extradition hearing that was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. American prosecutors say Assange is a criminal, not a free-speech hero. The four-week extradition hearing is part of a twisting saga rife with competing claims of hacking, spying and subterfuge. The extradition hearing opened in February but was put on hold when the U.K. went into lockdown in March to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
UK judge warns Assange on US extradition hearing attendance
Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange protest in front of Westminster Magistrates' Court in London, Monday, June 29, 2020, where he is expected to appear in custody for the extradition case management hearing. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)LONDON A British judge said Monday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange must attend his next court hearing unless he can provide medical evidence to support his absence. Lawyers for Assange said he could not attend the latest hearing on his U.S. extradition case by video link from prison for medical reasons. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser set another hearing date of July 27 and said Assange must appear unless there is medical evidence to explain his non-attendance. He is in Londons Belmarsh Prison awaiting a full extradition hearing, which has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
WikiLeaks founder Assange faces new indictment in US
The Justice Department says a federal grand jury has returned a new indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange that does not include new charges but broadens the scope of conduct that the government believes broke the law. The department announced the new charges Wednesday against Assange, who was arrested in the United Kingdom last year and remains jailed there. The U.S. is seeking his extradition to face an 18-count indictment that accuses him of conspiring with U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to crack a password, hack into a Pentagon computer and release hundreds of thousands of secret diplomatic cables and military files on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.