DISCUSS: Julian Assange to be Extradited?
A British magistrate’s court has approved Julian Assange’s extradition order, meaning the Australian journalist may soon be sent to the United States to face up to 175 years in prison for “revealing state secrets” and “computer hacking”.
Assange’s legal team will doubtless appeal the ruling, probably fruitlessly, but it’s part of the process.
The decision now moves on to the UK’s Home Secretary Priti Patel, to either approve or deny the order. One would assume she would pass it over and ship Assange stateside without much delay, but you never know.
Interestingly, there are a few signs of anti-extradition opinion among mainstream politicians…
Whatever you may think of Julian Assange, the UK's extradition treaty with the US is still fundamentally asymmetric and unbalanced in favour of the United States. https://t.co/sUhCVC2HxS
— David Davis (@DavidDavisMP) April 20, 2022
It may be that in the final analysis, the establishment sees more to be gained in handing the “left” a win and pretending to some national independence. If that’s the case, the order might be denied. It’s unlikely, but possible.
Julian Assange's wife speaks after todays court hearing: "The UK has no obligation to extradite Julian Assange to the US, in fact it is required by its international obligations to stop this extradition..this is a political case..free Julian Assange" @stellamoris1 #FreeAssangeNOW pic.twitter.com/MBjsw9SfXm
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) April 20, 2022
We are aware that many of our readers, and some in the independent media, do not trust Wikileaks or the Assange story in general. We get emails and comments about that whenever Assange is in the news, but whatever your opinion and whatever the truth of the matter, the official narrative we’re being sold should be cause for concern for anyone who cares about human rights.
Consider just what is being slowly normalised by the UK government’s treatment of Assange:
- Silencing of publishers and journalists by the state.
- Criminalising the exposure of government wrong-doing.
- Indefinite detention without charge or trial.
- Court proceedings hearings via video-link only.
Whether or not you like or trust WikiLeaks and Assange is almost immaterial – the story we’re being told is just plain wrong, and in protesting this treatment we hope to protect not just Assange, but any one of us who may one day find themselves in the crosshairs of the state.
But what do you think?
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