https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2019/09/the-worlds-most-important-political-prisoner/The World’s Most Important Political Prisoner15 Sep, 2019 by craig murray
We are now just one week away from the end of Julian Assange’s uniquely lengthy imprisonment for bail violation. He will receive parole from the rest of that sentence, but will continue to be imprisoned on remand awaiting his hearing on extradition to the USA – a process which could last several years.
At that point, all the excuses for Assange’s imprisonment which so-called leftists and liberals in the UK have hidden behind will evaporate. There are no charges and no active investigation in Sweden, where the “evidence” disintegrated at the first whiff of critical scrutiny. He is no longer imprisoned for “jumping bail”. The sole reason for his incarceration will be the publishing of the Afghan and Iraq war logs leaked by Chelsea Manning, with their evidence of wrongdoing and multiple war crimes.
In imprisoning Assange for bail violation, the UK was in clear defiance of the judgement of the UN Working Group on arbitrary Detention, which stated
Under international law, pre-trial detention must be only imposed in limited instances. Detention during investigations must be even more limited, especially in the absence of any charge. The Swedish investigations have been closed for over 18 months now, and the only ground remaining for Mr. Assange’s continued deprivation of liberty is a bail violation in the UK, which is, objectively, a minor offense that cannot post facto justify the more than 6 years confinement that he has been subjected to since he sought asylum in the Embassy of Ecuador. Mr. Assange should be able to exercise his right to freedom of movement in an unhindered manner, in accordance with the human rights conventions the UK has ratified,
In repudiating the UNWGAD the UK has undermined an important pillar of international law, and one it had always supported in hundreds of other decisions. The mainstream media has entirely failed to note that the UNWGAD called for the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe – a source of potentially valuable international pressure on Iran which the UK has made worthless by its own refusal to comply with the UN over the Assange case. Iran simply replies “if you do not respect the UNWGAD then why should we?”
It is in fact a key indication of media/government collusion that the British media, which reports regularly at every pretext on the Zaghari-Ratcliffe case to further its anti-Iranian government agenda, failed to report at all the UNWGAD call for her release – because of the desire to deny the UN body credibility in the case of Julian Assange.
In applying for political asylum, Assange was entering a different and higher legal process which is an internationally recognised right. A very high percentage of dissident political prisoners worldwide are imprisoned on ostensibly unrelated criminal charges with which the authorities fit them up. Many a dissident has been given asylum in these circumstances. Assange did not go into hiding – his whereabouts were extremely well known. The simple characterisation of this as “absconding” by district judge Vanessa Baraitser is a farce of justice – and like the UK’s repudiation of the UNWGAD report, is an attitude that authoritarian regimes will be delighted to repeat towards dissidents worldwide.
Her decision to commit Assange to continuing jail pending his extradition hearing was excessively cruel given the serious health problems he has encountered in Belmarsh.
It is worth noting that Baraitser’s claim that Assange had a “history of absconding in these proceedings” – and I have already disposed of “absconding” as wildly inappropriate – is inaccurate in that “these proceedings” are entirely new and relate to the US extradition request and nothing but the US extradition request. Assange has been imprisoned throughout the period of “these proceedings” and has certainly not absconded. The government and media have an interest in conflating “these proceedings” with the previous risible allegations from Sweden and the subsequent conviction for bail violation, but we need to untangle this malicious conflation. We have to make plain that Assange is now held for publishing and only for publishing. That a judge should conflate them is disgusting. Vanessa Baraitser is a disgrace.
Assange has been demonised by the media as a dangerous, insanitary and crazed criminal, which could not be further from the truth. It is worth reminding ourselves that Assange has never been convicted of anything but missing police bail.
So now we have a right wing government in the UK with scant concern for democracy, and in particular we have the most far right extremist as Home Secretary of modern times. Assange is now, plainly and without argument, a political prisoner. He is not in jail for bail-jumping. He is not in jail for sexual allegations. He is in jail for publishing official secrets, and for nothing else. The UK now has the world’s most famous political prisoner, and there are no rational grounds to deny that fact. Who will take a stand against authoritarianism and for the freedom to publish?
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191 thoughts on “The World’s Most Important Political Prisoner”
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Ort
September 15, 2019 at 18:45
Assange’s appalling and reprehensible Via Dolorosa is now lengthened by another arbitrary, capricious, and malicious exercise in judicial fiat.
Assange is obviously being treated in accordance with a vicious, brutal administration of ostensible justice in which Enemies of the State are subjected to ultra-sadistic, viciously violent treatment as a lesson to the rest of us.
It recalls all of the worst of authoritarian “civil” punishment, from the Roman Empire’s punitive flagellation and crucifixions through the Spanish Inquisition, imprisonment and torture in the dungeons of the Tower of London, Bastille, etc.
The present-day version of this slow degradation and death is more Kafkaesque and Orwellian, of course– mediated by bureaucracy and high hypocrisy in the name of the “rule of law”.
It may be that the US government prefers to have Assange consigned to their tender mercies while he is still alive and relatively rational in order to wring information from him before finishing him off one way or the other.
But, as is obvious from any number of sudden and suspicious deaths of persons in US custody, if the victim somehow “ups and dies” along the way, the ruthless captors will consider it a satisfactory lesson to the public: here’s what happens to people who rock the boat.
I am not competent to assess the opinions of some who claim that Assange’s defense team is curiously inept or inadequate, and that more skilled or rigorous advocates might have more successfully resisted the continual depredations to which he’s been subjected.
But I fear that even “ironclad” objections and appeals would be give “due consideration”, while the deadly “facts on the ground” proceed apace.
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SmilinJackAbbott
September 16, 2019 at 07:29
“the ruthless captors will consider it a satisfactory lesson to the public: here’s what happens to people who rock the boat.”
This probably won’t be popular here but is there any doubt the continual imprisonment of Tommy Robinson on the sudden need to make an example of him & only him for some technical breach or other is the same thing? Interestingly Robinson said in an interview upon his release days ago he was in the same prison as Assange & communicating with him across a balcony.
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N_
September 16, 2019 at 10:33
Robinson is certainly a player, but probably almost anyone who didn’t speak with a public school accent would have been jailed for what he did.
(Try waiting outside a courthouse and shouting abuse at a judge and see what happens. They’d much rather be feared than loved. Also the Home Office have a network across the country staffed with responsibilities including “inter-community relations”, by which they mean preventing the race riots that they have long thought will break out at a moment’s notice if someone lights the touchpaper. This network hardly ever gets mentioned in the media. The same kind of mentality inspires some of those who work in “Prevent”, although the networks aren’t the same.)
I wouldn’t read too much into Robinson and Assange encountering each other at Belmarsh. If you’re in that situation, you’re going to say hello. There’s little point walking around with your nose stuck in the air.
@Ort is right about the tradition of public cruelty in England against miscreants. Practically every town had a gallows hill. The rate of executions was far higher than in Scotland.
Then again, even without the arbitrary public cruelty against Julian Assange would-be whistleblowers in say the NHS or local councils know to keep their mouths shut and just forget about stuff you can’t change. If they do start blowing the whistle, the most common path they then take is to crack up mentally. The authorities aren’t going to have an inquiry under Lord Muck that “finds” that the whole of the state is as corrupt as f****, which it is. Those who “have got anything to say” get individualised, just as under Stalinism in the USSR. If they potential whistleblower goes through official channels, the bureaucrats who handle their “concerns” will be far more interested in THEM than in what they have to say which might endanger the position of “proper people” on say £100K a year and who might wear Rolexes etc. The same is true in all parts of Britain.
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Ruth Gould
September 16, 2019 at 18:26
Surely the difference is that Robinson was found guilty of an offence, served his sentence and was released? None of these things apply to Assange.
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Mary Pau!
September 15, 2019 at 18:49
Has Liberty expressed a view on Julian Assange’s continuing detention ?
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pete
September 16, 2019 at 11:54
I searched though the first 20 pages of Liberty’s latest news to see if they had any mention of Assange, without success. I have written to them now about their attitude to this case, If I get a reply I will post it in this section of Craig’s blog
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Republicofscotland
September 15, 2019 at 19:00
From the plight of the Chagossians to the detaining of Assange in order for the Great Satan (US) to acquire him, Britain is in my opinion no longer seen around the globe as country of fairness and justice. The right wing coup by Johnson and the greatest recipient of state benefits ever Old Queen Lizzie reinforces that idea.
If/when we Brexit without a deal as predicted, and we embrace the Trumpian ideology injustices will only grow in broken Britain, which is on the verge of moving to independent nations, the sooner the better I say.
Assanges detainment and eventual handing over to the Great Satan, will be seen as just another nail in the coffin of British justice and fairness.
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Hatuey
September 15, 2019 at 19:29
The Lib-Dem’s is a party that is dedicated to representing middle class hypocrisy. They think they can stop Brexit but nobody can. If you stop it, you are into civil war territory anyway. It’s a lose/lose situation for them.
Brexit is truly beautiful.
Some day I will see a queue outside a food bank and half of them will be middle class people who have fallen from grace. That’s when I will know that Brexit has been a huge success.
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Republicofscotland
September 15, 2019 at 19:50
There is no successful form of Brexit, there’s only levels of self inflicted damage awaiting us.
You’ll hear from leavers that not to leave is an affront to democracy, even though Johnson, Gove et al, lied from day one, on the severe impacts of a no deal Brexit, even the architect of the vote David Cameron is now running for cover blaming Johnson and Gove.
As for the Lib/Dems, they’re nothing more than a gun for hire for whichever of the two main parties requires them to prop them up.
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Goose
September 15, 2019 at 20:23
@Hatuey
Any smug satisfaction, schadenfreude, from such a scenario would quickly turn to sadness, set against the personal downsides for you and yours. Think of all the people in the UK with medical conditions etc. The first thing the Tories would target would be the NHS; we’d be softened up for change with endless stories about its current unaffordability. The US has that sort of pay for everything culture , a raw ‘winners and losers’ society, where the rich are really rich and the poor are dirt poor ,having to work three jobs, and it’s not really something we want to emulate.
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Hatuey
September 15, 2019 at 22:47
It’s already like that here for many, and has been for decades. That’s the point. And that’s why the many and not the few voted for Brexit.
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Davey Dee
September 15, 2019 at 23:17
I never voted for Brexit because i am poor, will still be poor afterward.
But totally respect those who did.
Guy Verhostadt said the world order of tomorrow. is not a world order based on nation states, or countries.
It is a world order based on empires, this what he endorses, that the EU is an empire, how disgusting is that.
nevermind
September 16, 2019 at 13:00
You are living in a wannabe empire again, Davey De.
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doug scorgie
September 15, 2019 at 20:28
British judge jails Assange indefinitely, despite end of prison sentence
By Oscar Grenfell
14 September 2019
A website worth noting.
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lysias
September 15, 2019 at 22:17
What website is that?
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Robyn
September 16, 2019 at 03:47
The article is on the World Socialist Web Site:
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/09/14/assa-s14.html Reply ↓
Harry Law
September 15, 2019 at 21:05
In my opinion Julian Assange is being held in relation to an extradition request from the US government, who allege in 18 indictments his involvement in inter alia helping Manning continue her theft of classified documents and agreeing to help her crack a classified hash to a military computer
https://www.scribd.com/document/411275244/Assange-superseding-indictment#from_embed In his defence Julian has denied he helped crack a computer password and that at all times he was acting as a good Journalist. The extradition Act I presume is being handled properly by Julian’s lawyers
https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/extradition I also presume he has a top legal team who are unencumbered by ‘resources’, so I am rather perturbed by the accusations of Andrew F up thread, I hope Julian’s team can alleviate these concerns as soon as possible.
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kathy
September 15, 2019 at 21:50
His lawyer is the renowned Gareth Peirce who, almost single-handedly, was responsible for freeing the Guildford Four, wrongly convicted for the IRA Birmingham pub bombings for which they were imprisoned for many years.
He couldn’t get a better lawyer than her.
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Ingwe
September 16, 2019 at 00:01
Uh, Kathy, the Guildford Four had nothing to do with the IRA bombings in Birmingham. That was the Birmingham Six. Just saying.
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kathy
September 16, 2019 at 00:12
“Gareth Peirce (born March 1940), is an English solicitor and human rights activist. She is best known for her work and advocacy in high-profile cases involving allegations of human rights injustices. Her work with Gerry Conlon and the Guildford Four – wrongly convicted of bombings carried out by the Provisional Irish Republican Army – was chronicled in the film In the Name of the Father (1993), in which she was portrayed by Emma Thompson.”
As you can see from the above extract from wikipaedia, you are the one who has your facts wrong and I am correct.
—
[ Mod: Er, kathy, Guildford is not in Birmingham – Map ]
kathy
September 16, 2019 at 00:24
Oh, I see I made that mistake in the first post – sorry about that. I can only put it down to my ignorance of English geography since I am Scottish!
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Ren
September 17, 2019 at 08:39
She was involved with the Birmingham Six case too and several other high profile cases.
“During her career she represented Judith Ward, a woman wrongfully convicted in 1974 of several IRA-related bombings, the Guildford Four, the Birmingham Six, several mineworkers after the Battle of Orgreave, the family of Jean Charles de Menezes and Moazzam Begg, a man held in extrajudicial detention by the American government.
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, appointed Peirce as his solicitor in Swedish Judicial Authority v Julian Assange”
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jmg
September 16, 2019 at 00:04
It seems that multiple lawyers from several countries (UK, US, Sweden, Australia, Spain…) are involved in the different aspects of Julian’s defense, including Gareth Peirce who has acted as his solicitor at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, and others like for example Baltasar Garzon, the former judge who requested the extradition of Augusto Pinochet and who is now preparing the extradition battle as one of the defense lawyers:
Baltasar Garzón on Assange: This case involves an attack against the right of freedom of the press around the world
http://theprisma.co.uk/2019/05/06/baltasar-garzon-on-assange-this-case-involves-an-attack-against-the-right-of-freedom-of-the-press-around-the-world/ Reply ↓
jmg
September 16, 2019 at 09:33
The UK extradition cases of Julian Assange and Augusto Pinochet
– Assange: Investigative journalist and publisher of whistleblowers’ information of public interest for human rights.
– Pinochet: Mass murderer and torturer, ended democracy in Chile with a coup d’etat, dictator for almost two decades.
Charges in extradition requests:
– Assange: 18 US federal charges related to collaboration with a whistleblower to publish war crimes protected by secrecy.
– Pinochet: 94 counts of torture of Spanish citizens, the 1975 assassination of Spanish UN diplomat Carmelo Soria, etc.
Who called upon the British government to release them:
– Assange: UN working group on arbitrary detention, American Civil Liberties Union, Committee to Protect Journalists, multiple media organizations on First Amendment grounds, and many more.
– Pinochet: Former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former US President George H. W. Bush, far-right Chileans.
Situation during extradition proceedings:
– Assange: Small cell in the Belmarsh High Security Prison, denied a computer, can’t prepare his own defense.
– Pinochet: Under house arrest in a comfortable rented house, living with wife, visited by Margaret Thatcher.
When ill health:
– Assange: Moved to the health ward of Belmarsh prison. UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid signs US extradition request.
– Pinochet: Released by UK Home Secretary Jack Straw. Upon arrival at the Chilean airport, ill health suddenly disappears:
Pinochet’s return to Chile after his release in London for alleged ill health
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilxqhdgs4uU Reply ↓
Phil Espin
September 16, 2019 at 08:17
Kathy, Gareth Peirce has a remarkable reputation and is no doubt rightly revered by many. She is 79 years old. There is a reason judges have to retire at 75. I know nothing about her or her team but this single fact would have to make you think twice. Andrew F raises important points which need addressing.
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pretzelattack
September 16, 2019 at 16:35
she is 79, yes. age affects different people differently. do you have any reason to believe it is impairing her performance as a lawyer?
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kathy
September 17, 2019 at 00:33
While what you say has some truth in it, it can also work the other way. Her life long experience might make her unbeatable.
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Iain Melville
September 15, 2019 at 21:53
Time for a “free Assange” campaign.
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Carolyn Zaremba
September 15, 2019 at 23:19
A “free Assange” campaign has been going on for years, particularly supported by the World Socialist Web Site, journalists like John Pilger, Chris Hedges, Aaron Mate, and Caitlin Johnstone. In addition, such prominent people as Roger Waters, Pamela Anderson, and Vivienne Westwood have been speaking and writing about Julian’s case. Julian’s supporters have been writing to him in prison regularly to show our support for him. I have attended and spoken at rallies in support of Julian over the last couple of years.
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Tatyana
September 16, 2019 at 08:42
I understand the importance of keeping the case always in people’s minds, but besides showing the support, did it all help?
I mean, did it make any official to perhaps choose less severe punishment term, or to interprete the law in favor of Mr. Assange?
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PhilW
September 16, 2019 at 11:08
It will help Julian if, when Corbyn becomes Prime Minister, he feels it is an issue he has to stand up to the US about. The consequences for Corbyn, and for all of us in the UK, could be huge.
So far it has done nothing to help him. He is the human battleground in a great war between US imperialists and those who value freedom.
Belmarsh should be our Bastille
Ren
September 17, 2019 at 09:06
“Belmarsh should be our Bastille”
From listening to TR’s account (whatever you think of the person) following his release, it would seem the governor may have that in the back of his mind?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjT1ogCKn80 Reply ↓
Borncynical
September 16, 2019 at 11:29
Tatyana
Perversely for a supposedly democratic society, such campaigns are treated with disrespect, scorn and disdain and seem only to empower the dictators running our country. The latter don’t even feel it’s necessary to defend their position against those who challenge them. But, quite rightly and commendably, people of integrity and sound morals continue to persevere in their efforts to change the status quo.
I wrote to my MP on 22 July asking for the Government’s explanation of the legal basis (purportedly ‘EU sanctions’) for the detention of the Grace 1 oil tanker in Gibraltar. Despite several reminders from me since, my request has been met with complete silence. I have to draw only one conclusion from that, but it also serves to exemplify how ‘ordinary’ citizens like me who raise awkward but sensible questions are treated with nothing but contempt because we aren’t prepared to just sit back and accept what we are told without question.
J.
Ren
September 17, 2019 at 09:09
As for living in a democracy, most have no idea what that means…
(half way through)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUxV6SvQHc0&t=26m9s Tatyana
September 17, 2019 at 09:13
Let me tell it in other way.
Suppose, I’m a manager and one of my employees appears drunk in his workingplace. The reason is understandable by any human being, e.g. loss of a wife or a child, sort of that.
As a manager I have to dismiss the employee, but his coleagues ask me to let him stay. Everyone understands that I should act according to the law and everyone understands the man is not so very much guilty as to lose his job.
What am I supposed to do? To break the law, to replace the evidence or what?
There is a normal civilised way to make everyone happy – to change the law. Make ammendments to the law. Make legal precedent.
His coleagues might put forward an initiative so that the case will be examined in a special order, and amend the rules, instead of shouting “let him stay”, because I can’t let him stay under the current law.
It is not very good illustration, but I think you understand my idea.
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Brianfujisan
September 15, 2019 at 22:09
Great Post Craig
Julian must have a VERY Strong Spirit.. No Sunlight, No Fresh Air to Breathe.. For all these Years.. is 9 now.
Here, the Brilliant John Pilger speaks, at the recent Roger waters Event outside Patel’s H.O
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-k7Be1X-2E Reply ↓
A2
September 15, 2019 at 22:09
Have you considered that the US may actually prefer indefinite detention to extradition and a trial which could prove uncomfortable even if a guilty verdict was returned?
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Brianfujisan
September 15, 2019 at 22:15
Hi A2
I don’t think so myself.. Certainly not for the reasons you speculate upon.. I think the U.S would love to get their hands on Julian.. Unless some other humane reason emerges.. Money is no Object after all.
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N_
September 16, 2019 at 12:14
@A2 – Would you argue for that being likely and on what basis?
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bevin
September 15, 2019 at 22:28
It seems to me fairly clear that the most obvious way to put an end to Julian’s sufferings, and, more importantly, the crippling of that essential arm of popular democracy that is wikileaks is to join local Labour Parties and ensure that at the coming General Election, a socialist committed to democracy, anti-imperialism and free speech represents you in Parliament.
In the meantime CLPs can pass resolutions calling for the matter to be discussed at Conference. Labour MPs or candidates not ready to support Julian would not be likely to fight for their constituents either and should be de-selected.
Of course, a similar option exists for Nationalists in Scotland and Wales. The commitment of the SNP to Assange is not obvious and some MPs are as bad as any in the PLP but joining the SNP and fighting for decent policies, including an end to the persecution of our friend and wikileaks is a viable policy.
In any case, short of mass action, and there has been none of that in the past years, the best hope of translating pieties into policies is through the Parliamentary process.
It is my considered opinion that the Assange issue-and the matter of imperialism- is of far more importance than the relatively trivial matter of Brexit. A point with which, I suspect Jonathan Cook would agree.
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Brianfujisan
September 15, 2019 at 23:13
You made a very Good Point Bevin
And made me wonder.. that No One Man is should come before an Independence vote for SNP..
Then I wonder if the Battle for Julian, and Wkileaks is lost.. Would any Scottish investigative journalist be safe WHILST IN Scotland, for exposing U.K ..US Crimes.
The mind boggles at the elite’s webs and tentacles… and their latest Technological Eyes n Ears… Oh, and their Lust for ever more Land, Oil, Gold, BLOOD
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OnlyHalfALooney
September 16, 2019 at 10:38
Perhaps an independent Scotland can simply ban extradition of Scottish citizens and permanent residents (except possibliy within the EU). (Like France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway and the Czech Republic).
This is probably the only way for a country to protect it’s citizens against the USA, which seems to think it has jurisdiction over the whole world.
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Hatuey
September 15, 2019 at 23:16
As I said, the problem is that ‘the many and not the few’ voted for Brexit and they think it’s quite important.
Of course, in causal terms, Brexit in itself represents a failure of the Labour Party.
In Scotland, Labour are finished and will never be trusted again. It would be hypocritical of me to encourage English people to vote for them when I wouldn’t myself.
If Corbyn’s Labour can’t give you a straight answer on the low lying fruit of trident renewal, it’s hard to believe that they will represent anything other than business as usual if they win power.
I think England needs a new party to represent ordinary people.
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JeremyT
September 16, 2019 at 06:55
38% voted for leaving, 35% voted remain, 28% of voters didn’t bother.
Not that many.
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Hatuey
September 16, 2019 at 11:29
This referendum gets more special by the day. Now we need to factor in those that didn’t vote too.
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Dom
September 16, 2019 at 08:20
Has your encouragement swayed anybody to vote a certain way in the past?
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Hatuey
September 16, 2019 at 11:33
It’s not about me.
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N_
September 16, 2019 at 10:41
Brexit represents a countrywide version of the campaign successfully fought in the Smethwick constituency in 1964 by Peter Griffiths.
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N_
September 16, 2019 at 11:54
Kirsten Johnson, the LibDem candidate in North Devon (who incidentally uses the style “Dr” legitimately – she is a doctor of music) let slip the real reason people voted for Brexit (or “White Power” or “Enoch was Right” as it is also known) and then she tried to backtrack.
Personally I think if there’s a third Brexit referendum then even if you take away Brexit voters’ dinner and you tell them “Look, you cretins, you won’t be getting any food if you vote the same way you did last time, and you will agree that food in your belly is more important than living next to neighbours who all share your skin colour, yes?” they will STILL vote for Brexit and they will probably scrawl an extra big X in the box (if they can put down their smartphone for long enough) just to make sure, because “no-one tells THEM what to do”. Brexit voters are racist cretins and they should be called what they are. Yes there are a few exceptions and a man such as Dennis Skinner has my respect but they could probably all be fitted on a single double-decker bus.
Creeping down to the polling station to vote for the nudge nudge wink wink “leave the EU” option rather than having the guts to put on their white hoods is their element.
Tony
September 16, 2019 at 19:16
Ugh!!! What a repulsive, ignorant post!
RenWeb
September 17, 2019 at 09:23
Why not try educating yourself, rather than believing propaganda…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUxV6SvQHc0&t=26m9s Reply ↓
N_
September 16, 2019 at 12:18
@Bevin – “Democracy” rarely denotes much that I ascribe great value to, but on what basis do you call Wikileaks, which functioned as a small secretive organisation acting out of a box number in Australia, an “arm of popular democracy”?
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tom kane
September 15, 2019 at 23:00
This is atrocious treatment… Is there even a precedent for keeping a man with no charges against him in jail, let alone Belmarsh?
Surely this has to be a case for Amnesty International now? There is something about what we have become that is past creepy.
Respect, Craig.
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Ingwe
September 16, 2019 at 09:41
Amnesty International? You’re joking aren’t you? What are Amnesty going to do?
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OnlyHalfALooney
September 16, 2019 at 10:32
Amnesty International does NOT consider Julian Assange a “prisoner of conscience” apparently.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/05/23/assa-m23.html They didn’t recognise Chelsea Manning as a “prisoner of conscience” either, although AI did campaign for “clemency”.
I’m afraid AI seems to become rather muzzled over the past decade. Isn’t Assange the perfect example of a prisoner of conscience?
Perhaps AI is afraid rich “liberals” might not leave them lots of money in their wills any more?
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John A
September 16, 2019 at 14:10
Amnesty International is currently running a hate campaign in Norway against a Norwegian biathlon coach who was recently appointed coach of the Chinese national team.
https://steigan.no/2019/09/amnestys-urimelige-angrep-pa-ole-einar-bjorndalen/ Amnesty International argues China is using sport for propaganda purposes. As if China is somehow unique in this respect! Amnesty has become an American propaganda operation.
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N_
September 16, 2019 at 10:46
@Tom – Julian Assange has been charged in the US.
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Borncynical
September 16, 2019 at 12:06
Tom
Besides the fact that Amnesty International is one of the many NGOs which operates entirely at the bidding of the US, a UK government that selectively ignores the views of the UN when it doesn’t suit their agenda (such as the UN General Assembly’s emphatic verdict supporting a non-binding ruling from the International Court of Justice that the UK should return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius) is highly unlikely (to use their favourite phrase) to pay any attention to the views of Amnesty International if it doesn’t accord with their agenda.
Earlier this year the UN’s special rapporteur on torture, Nils Melzer, officially expressed extremely critical views on the treatment Julian Assange has been subjected to by the UK but his concerns were arrogantly met with no reaction whatsoever from the UK government.
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Tony
September 16, 2019 at 19:21
Didn’t he have a bit of a Twitter skirmish with bird-brain Hunt, in which he put Hunt firmly in his place?
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Borncynical
September 17, 2019 at 16:17
Indeed, Tony.
https://twitter.com/nilsmelzer/status/1134400849097220102?lang=en Reply ↓
Gary
September 15, 2019 at 23:11
No, to simply dwell on the words “these proceedings” is to overlook the fact that he avoided/evaded potential action against him by seeking political asylum. This was widely used against him s ‘if you’ve nothing to hide..’ He DID ‘make himself unavailable’ at the very least. Any court seeking to offer bail would have to consider that he might ‘make himself unavailable’ again. They WOULD look stupid if, when released, he did exactly the same again.
But you’re right, he was punished for seeking political asylum. He was made out to be a sex offender. All of the charges, including the current ones, are pretexts. It IS entirely political, he is a political prisoner and this is not even being given the veneer of respectability by either the state or, more shockingly, or ‘so called’ free press. Are our press self-censoring or have they been given handouts on EXACTLY how to report on this case, a list of do’s and don’ts about what they must say? Words that must not be used? Reminds me of how the BBC report on ISIS, they never call them ‘ISIS’ they ALWAYS call them ‘so called Islamic State’ perhaps someone, somewhere is scared that if the BBC called ISIS a ‘state’ then they WOULD be considered a defacto state. But I suppose annexing land and calling it your sovereign state is solely the province of Israel these days…
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pretzelattack
September 15, 2019 at 23:54
he made himself unavailable because sweden wouldn’t give him assurance that they wouldn’t render him to the u.s., which was illegal in the first place, not that that has stopped any of the state actors in this drama.
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N_
September 16, 2019 at 12:05
“So-called Islamic State group” is another dogwhistle. Regime media are pretending to imply “We think real Muslims are OK” and “Britain is tolerant”. They are making the name of the enemy sound as foreign and outlandish as possible while in this case continuing to use the English language. Honky governments always speak with forked tongues. If there were any such thing as a nomenclature unbesmirched by either side’s propaganda in the war between the poshboy kingdom and the headchopper caliphate, the contenders would be called Britain and Iraq-Syria, which is what the second “IS” in “ISIS” stands for, or “Iraq-Levant” if you want to use the “ISIL” form. Which is not to say this foul organisation has ever been recognised as having legitimacy by any more than a small minority of people in those two countries, but that is what they call themselves. It is not as if there haven’t been two conflicting states each referencing the same nation before. For example there were two German republics, two Finnish republics, etc.
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Carolyn Zaremba
September 15, 2019 at 23:15
Dear Craig. It is not “leftists” who are not supporting Julian Asange. It is the bourgeois liberals. The true left, i.e., socialists, particularly the Socialist Equality Party and the World Socialist Web Site, have been publishing articles about this outrage and holding rallies all over the world in support of Julian Assange. Please do not write about the pseudo-lefts as though they represented anything approaching the real left.
Other than that, I am grateful for your continued revelation of the truth behind the lies concerning the DNC computers and the Mueller “investigation”. Keep it up.
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Dom
September 16, 2019 at 08:25
Indeed, it’s as liberal an application of the term leftist as that used by Mike Pence.
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Andrew Nichols
September 16, 2019 at 02:21
Sadly the por sod has been consigned to the media memory hole – a deliberate voluntary act analogous to the SA Apartheid state “banning” which eliminated all mention of the targeted unfortunate from any public forum…ie they became an “unperson”. We are descending into a very dark period with no relief in sight.
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jmg
September 16, 2019 at 09:23
It appears that — at least according to law — on next Sunday (Sep 22) Julian should change from convicted prisoner to remand prisoner awaiting trial, with much less restrictions to prepare his defense:
“The WikiLeaks founder would have been released from HMP Belmarsh on 22 September, Westminster magistrates court heard on Friday, but he was told he would be kept in jail because of ‘substantial grounds’ for believing he would abscond again. . . .
“Another administrative hearing will take place on 11 October and a case management hearing on 21 October, the court heard. The final extradition hearing is expected in February.”
Julian Assange to remain in jail pending extradition to US — 14 Sep 2019
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/sep/14/julian-assange-to-remain-in-jail-pending-extradition-to-us Reply ↓
jmg
September 16, 2019 at 09:25
“Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot ordered for a full extradition hearing, expected to last five days, to begin on 25 February 2020.”
Julian Assange extradition case ‘outrageous assault on journalism’ — 14 June 2019
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48633682 Reply ↓
OnlyHalfALooney
September 16, 2019 at 10:20
F*ing Guardian: “Julian Assange to remain in jail pending extradition to US”
As far as I know, the extradition hearing has yet to be held. I’m not optimistic in view of the obvious bias of the judges so far. But the headline suggests it has all already been decided.
Why does this not surprise me from the UK’s prime mouthpiece for the intelligence services?
.
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Borncynical
September 16, 2019 at 11:41
…and the Daily Mail reported three days ago:
“Julian Assange will not get out of prison half way through his sentence like most criminals because the courts don’t trust him not to run away again ahead of his PLANNED [sic, and my emphasis] extradition to the US”.
One can hope it’s ignorant and sloppy journalism (no surprise) but it’s a pretty emphatic statement.
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Hatuey
September 16, 2019 at 11:52
“Trump: US ‘locked and loaded depending on verification’ of attack on Saudi oil field“ (CNN)
It looks like Iran will be bombed in the next 24 hours and the war in the Middle East that we have all been dreading is essentially underway.
I suspect the timing will be more down to Israeli elections than any “verification” which means they will attack imminently.
Iran will not take kindly to being bombed.
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Republicofscotland
September 16, 2019 at 12:28
Who’s to say the attack wasn’t perpetrated by the Saudi’s themselves in order to get a green flag from the Great Satan (US) to prepare for war against Iran.
Even with British help in murdering countless civilians, starving women and children, and at one point using banned explosive devices, Saudi Arabia, hasnt neutralised the Houthis in Yemen.
The plan now could be take out Iran and remove backing for the Yemeni fighters opposed to a Western state puppet leader.
Expect a rise in prices at the petrol/diesel pumps in the UK, as they try and squeeze every last penny out of the attack.
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nevermind
September 16, 2019 at 15:15
Bibi would be very happy if that happens and his election/ failure to get elected, is postponed indefinitely due to the state of war Israel will put upon itself.
He has the greatest reasons , and he would be helping his friends the Saudis to bring up the oil price, by bombing their insured oil refineries/infrastructure.
How can it be possible that the newspapers writing futuristic copies of each others predictions that Julian will be extradited, as much as they can rig trials by choosing neocon judges, they can’t change the law, or erase facts as they have happened, and we can only hope that Gareth Pierce will hole their boast below the waterline.
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Northern
September 16, 2019 at 12:12
Couple of fantastic comments on this thread. Some equally risible ones from people who are still living in fantasy land too. Private finance has been asset stripping society for the last 4 decades but we’re supposed to all rally around the health service now? Where were all these people when they were busy farming out the contracts for the railways, prison services etc etc? We’re living through class war on steroids and it’s like the middle class just woke up and noticed after the EU referendum.
RE: Julian – I agree with the commentators who are starting to question Julian’s own circle at this point. I note with interest that the ‘write to Julian’ website is still wrongly informing people not to include his prisoner number on their correspondence, thereby ensuring he will not receive it.
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Hatuey
September 17, 2019 at 02:29
“Private finance has been asset stripping society for the last 4 decades but we’re supposed to all rally around the health service now?“
Anything that impinges on the “haves” is immoral. Everything can be explained with that simple idea.
Thus, food banks, austerity, rising suicide rates, wars, etc., they’re good to go. And don’t forget about their environment and global warming…
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Richard
September 17, 2019 at 16:50
WRITING TO JULIAN
Northern, you’re wrong! Belmarsh prison itself state that if you don’t know the prisoner’s number, then you must state their birth date, in the format stated by “writejulian”:
https://www.prisonadvice.org.uk/hmp-belmarsh It says: “If you do not know the prisoners’ prison number, please address the envelope as above with the prisoner’s date of birth next to his name.”
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Doghouse
September 16, 2019 at 13:02
Northern @ 12.12
It would be foolish not to question both Assange’s inner circle of so called friends and his team of Counsel considering not an attributable word in 18 months. Let’s face it, the preferred method is both established and proven, infiltrate to control the top, just one person all it takes. The friendly Ecuador leader was replaced, the Swedish and British judiciary are bending the light laws of legal physics to a degree that would frazzle Einstein’s already frazzled barnet. By that measure one would consider that over a decade, what remains of essentially an internet team – don’t forget two including the PR representation have been subject to almost identical fate as Julian – and a bunch of lawyers should be the proverbial piece of piss think ye no…….
It’s a no brainer imho.
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Sharp Ears
September 16, 2019 at 13:02
I have been watching various segments of the coverage of the LD conference. Chuka was boasting of their heritage in standing up for human rights and liberty, to much applause including from the Dear Leader.
Throughout I heard not one mention of Julian or of his predicament.
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Chris Hopkins
September 16, 2019 at 13:17
Craig – Overall, I appreciate this article’s intent (to point out that Julian will soon be detained only for his releases of american secrets), but there is a factual error in the statement, ‘It is worth reminding ourselves that Assange has never been convicted of anything but missing police bail.’ In his much younger days, in Australia, Julian was convicted of computer crimes (he hacked into some Nortel systems in 1991). I’d hate to have the article dismissed for this small error.
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Courtenay Barnett
September 16, 2019 at 13:29
Chris,
Julian was making the template to hand over to Chelsea so that she could later him hand him most useful and revealing information.
However viewed – from my perspective – much kudos and respect to Julian Assange.
And thank you Craig Murray.
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richard
September 17, 2019 at 17:05
Chris, the article is referring to convictions in relation to his imprisonment in Belmarsh, NOT in Assange’s enti
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