British authorities dragged the Australian from the embassy on Thursday and US authorities announced charges against him of conspiring to break into a Pentagon computer, setting up what is expected to be an epic legal and political battle over whether to extradite him to the US.
WikiLeaks editor-in-chief, Kristinn Hrafnsson said the prison where Assange is being held has medical facilities and presumably access to dental care and a garden.
“But comparing one prison to another and giving a star rating is not really what’s on my mind,” he said.
“What’s on my mind is there’s an innocent man in prison for doing his job as a journalist, and that’s an outrage.”
He said Assange is in relatively good mental condition considering the stress of recent days.
The political debate over whether to extradite Assange is already taking shape, with Britain’s opposition Labour Party urging the government not to hand him over to the Americans.
Party leader Jeremy Corbyn tweeted that the US is prosecuting Assange because he exposed “evidence of atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan”.
Assange’s bid to fend off extradition could take years and involve several layers of appeal.
He could also face a second extradition request if Sweden decides to pursue a rape case against him that was suspended in 2017, when he was in the embassy, beyond the reach of the law.
If found guilty of the US charges, Assange faces up to five years in prison.
His next court appearance is set for May 2 via a prison video link.
Extradition lawyer Ben Keith said the court will not assess the evidence against Assange to determine his guilt or innocence but will scrutinise whether the offence he is accused of in the US would be a crime in Britain.
“The most likely outcome is that he will be extracted to the United States,” Keith said.
If Assange loses in extradition court, he could appeal several times and ultimately try to have his case heard at the European Court of Human Rights – unless Britain has left the EU by that time.
from 1stnews.
*This is serious....For his sake i pray Brexit is delayed further!!
Too bad
ReplyDeleteEgberun saamu o le sa mo olorun lowo.
ReplyDeleteWhat is brexit all about
ReplyDeleteBritain wants to leave the EU and be on their own.
Delete7 years inside the embassy, how did he manage it without going crazy?
ReplyDeleteRobert Sobukwe, one of the South African anti-apartheid heroes was locked in a prison room in Robbens Island for 7 years guarded by two different prison guards everyday. No one spoke to him for the entire 7 years that he was in that prison and was not let out throughout. Just food and nothing. No pen and paper. By the time he came out, he had lost his speech and was losing his mind. For those who have no info what the white apartheid government did to South Africans, this is just one out of thousands of atrocities. Assange’s is fair but still hard to be in a place that long.
DeleteHow did he manage it? Apart from stepping out, he had a soft landing there.
DeleteHave you watched the movie Papillon? Or better still read about it. People stay years in solitary confinement in a 6ft by 6ft concrete room, no one to talk to, poop and pee in the room, if lucky you get an hour to walk around the secluded ground after other prisoners have gone in.
Assange? He had a flat... nice one I might add, a cat as a pet, cooked his own meals and generally made life miserable for the embassy staff and the ambassador. He smeared feaces on the toilet walls, clogged the toilet with soiled underwear, refused to clean up the kitchen and after his pet and was a nuisance. His lousy behavior forced the embassy to give him up because he refused to comply to the stipulated living terms. He had a soft landing there oh yet refused to have sense. Sweden and US governments are panting to have him 😏
I just looked up Robert Sobukwe, many activists really suffered in the Apartheid period. Sad.
DeleteNo, not seen Papillon. 6ft space, na wa o.
I've been following this story. I'm still shocked at his stay in a place for years.
ReplyDeleteI don't even understand head or tail of this story.
ReplyDeleteCan someone please explain this Brexit thing to me. I have been seeing it all over the news but finding it difficult to understand the whole thing
ReplyDeleteWith Brexit, the UK will do anything to remain afloat. I wonder what they traded him for.
ReplyDeleteHe was too afraid. He couldn't have stayed there forever, better he had faced whatever he needed to face seven years ago. He even looks like an 80 year old now because of lack of sunshine. We all need sunlight.
ReplyDelete