By Alison Bevege
The process-torture of Julian Assange is coming to an ugly head.
On Tuesday and Wednesday next week, February 20 and 21, two UK High Court judges will review his case.
If he loses, he will be sent to the US, possibly immediately and most likely to his death.
If he wins, he can continue to fight the extradition in the UK courts.
His lawyers have also applied to the European Court of Human Rights in the hopes that it could block the extradition, Reuters reports.
Australia’s parliament officially recognised the importance of ending Julian’s extradition, voting 86 to 42 in support of a motion raised by independent MP Andrew Wilkie.
Assange, a father of two young children, is the greatest journalist of our age.
That is why he has been locked up in a maximum-security prison, warehoused in Belmarsh with the UK’s worst murderers and terrorists, for years.
Assange is in prison because he founded Wikileaks and shamed the US State Department by publishing evidence of crimes they had covered up, such as the US military murder of unarmed Reuters journalists in Iraq, 2007.
The US security state wants him flown to America to face a possible 175 years in prison for 18 charges “related to illegally obtaining, receiving and disclosing classified information” over Wikileaks’ publishing.
In other words, for journalism. Documents of great public significance were leaked to Wikileaks and after careful consideration and redactions, Wikileaks published them.
Assange has broken more world-changing stories than the New York Times, Sydney Morning Herald and Guardian combined, a thousand times over.
He did it by inventing a secure digital dropbox that allowed whistleblowers to safely share the secrets of the powerful, anonymously.
For this, Assange and Wikileaks won the 2011 Walkley Award, Australia’s highest media honour, for their outstanding contribution to journalism.
Assange and Wikileaks are champions of the public, opening governments to real scrutiny and transparency.
Human rights group Amnesty International said on Wednesday that if Assange were taken, the US government could extradite publishers and journalists it didn’t like from anywhere – and other countries would follow suit.
It would become a legal precedent for extraditing and imprisoning any journalist or publisher anywhere in the world who shares information with the public that the US doesn’t like.
Amnesty spokeswoman Julia Hall said these efforts to intimidate and silence investigative journalists must be stopped.
Julian’s wife Stella said her husband had found that lawlessness, hypocrisy and corruption abound when you come up against the interests of the intelligence-security sector.
“It will break every law,” she told UK journalist Andrew Gold on Heretics on Tuesday.
“He’s not even American, he’s Australian,” she said.
“He’s got nothing to do with the US except he exposed their crimes.”
The persecution of Assange is one more ugly shadow marking the rise of global fascism, dirtying up our once-treasured rule of law.
Stella Assange said public shows of support are crucial to saving Julian.
She has asked that anyone in London show up to the hearing if they can get there.
There are plenty of protests and activities in Australia also, here are a few:
Sydney concert and fundraiser: Saturday 17 February 5pm, at The Gaelic Club, Surry Hills, $27.78 tickets on Eventbrite.
Stella Assange’s website has a list of all the protests worldwide.
It lists the following for Australia:
SYDNEY:
Martin Place Train Station Elizabeth st. 20 Feb. 7:30am.
US Consulate. 50 Miller st. North Sydney, 21 Feb. noon.
Sydney Town Hall, 21 Feb. 5pm.
Twitter: @assangesydney
MELBOURNE:
UK Consulate 20 Feb. 12:30 PM & overnight candle vigil from 5pm
US Consulate 21 Feb. 12:30pm & overnight candle vigil from 5pm
Email: melb4assange@protonmail.com // Twitter : @melbourne4wiki // Instagram: melbourne4assange
Group name: Assange Vigil Melbourne // Twitter: @lorinebrice
PERTH:
Forrest Place 20 Feb. noon.
Group name: perth4assange // Twitter : @perth4assange
ADELAIDE:
Penny Wong’s Office, 19 Gouger st.
20 Feb. 4:30PM.
Adelaide For Assange // Email: adelaideforassange@gmail.com // Twitter: @ForAdelaide
Another group in Australia: assangefreedom.network
FOR AUSSIE JOURNALISTS
The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (journalists’ union) is holding a briefing on Friday February 16 at 8am AEDT via Zoom, with Stella Assange, human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson, Wikileaks editor-in-chief, Kristin Hrafnsson, and Rebecca Vincent, director of campaigns at Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
Register here for the one-hour briefing if you are a MEAA member.
The Swamp creatures have found someone to chew on, but Assange is proving to be a tough chew and a hard swallow for them.
So sad we Aussies were content to allow another Aussie to go down the river without even a whimper.
Bring Julian Assange home as a free man!!
Spot on John it seems UK lawyers are as ignorant as ours. Ed
zzz3856 said – “They need to hang their heads…”
Actually, that’s something that WE need to do – to THEM, sold-out low-life anti-Australian baby-eating arseholes that they are, one and all.
Because they can run, but they can’t hide from the indefatigable TRUTH that the penalty for TREASON is DEATH.
All done nice and legal like, of course, and ONLY in the best POSSIBLE taste.
Irene Laird… ” Albanese, Wong and the majority of our Politicians are nothing more than a bunch of self-serving, snivelling grovelling cowards! ”
And that sums up our government very well… They need to hang their heads in shame and are not to be trusted in any way, shape or form … ever.
Viva Assange !! and let us pray that he is offered asylum by a country that cares and will keep him safe..
To add to the hypocracy of our Government keeping Julian Assange detained. The High Court of Australia made a decision to release 149 migrant criminals, rapists and murderers onto our streets. Albanese has made no move to redetain them, even though a law has been passed to authorise this.
And yet a peaceful, highly regarded, award winning journalist, whose only “so called” crime was to bring the truth to the people has been ostracised by our shameful Government, abandoned and left to rot in a maximum security prison among the worst of criminals and kept in isolation for 24 hours a day.
Julian Assange does NOT want to become a martyr. He wants to go home to his family, be with his wife and 2 little boys.
Albanese, Wong and the majority of our Politicians are nothing more than a bunch of self-serving, snivelling grovelling cowards!
I believe Julian Assange is be a star witness in the current US lawfare. So yes, he will probably be extradited to the US sometime soon, particularly when the Seth Rich murder is under review.
If Assange had been freed at any tie over the past decade or so, he would be a dead man today. He appears to have the answers to many global crimes that would have lead to another “suicide”.
I would prefer he be kept safe in custody to reveal what he knows, rather than be a target for assassination.
He knows as he waves his clenched fist to his supporters should he meet his undeserving fate that he will be remembered as the first symbolic martyr of the new age World Wide Web independent media into transparency of our Western societies Governing bodies collectively with their agencies and partners. Possibly the first to show evidence into what we are all witnessing in current times on a daily basis to a position we’re a majority of Western citizens become normalised in the regular occurrence of these atrocities. Israel and Gaza is the most visible example in point that not even the perception of the highest court of the land (International Criminal Court), was seen as the toothless tiger in the corrupted world we live in.
Our only hope is as hardwired humans the masses will turn around if push comes to shove where their basic instinct switches to revenge. By nature a characteristic that is within us all.
End the occupation of our Government! Sign the petition for a national strike until the return of our original constitution & remove them all.
Just add https before the :// as I cant post it in full here/ 2nd go at it.
://petition.qomon.org/end-the-belligerent-occupation-national-australian-strike/
Original Video Link
://odysee.com/@BrigalowBill:e/1-A—84-Dick-Yardley:f?r=HpXoR5yoBjo7bsd7HKTUuyptPacjCGDP
Still finding it hard to believe Dutton and the Nationals voted against the motion. I mean it is virtually a crime against humanity to condemn a journalist to go to their death in the US for exposing their inherently evil and murderous ways. Dutton just lost a whole lot of voters in support of our compromised MSM what a fool. Good news of the day is a petition has been launched for a national ‘strike’ until the rotten illegitimate corporate Oz Government is removed. It is completely legit and could be the end of the treachery and ruination of our great country and people. They all are guilty of treason by default and will be removed.
Sign and pass it on
https://petition.qomon.org/end-the-belligerent-occupation-national-australian-strike/
Original Video Link
https://odysee.com/@BrigalowBill:e/1-A—84-Dick-Yardley:f?r=HpXoR5yoBjo7bsd7HKTUuyptPacjCGDP
If Julian Assange was being held in a Chinese, Russian or Eastern prison, Albo and Wong would be doing cartwheels to get him out just to show these Countries how fair and caring Western “democracy” is to its people. (In contrast to their unjust system). AND to win “brownie points” from the US!
As it is our Government, by “totally” ignoring the plight of Julian Assange has shown the world how weak it is. How uncaring of Australian citizens they are. How dependent our Government is on being controllled by their oversees masters.
The hypocracy, vicious spite, murderous intent and twisting of the law by the Government’s of Australia, UK and USA is mind blowing and heart-breaking at the same time.
FREE JULIAN ASSANGE!
Commander in Chief President Trump will pardon Julian soon after USA election. Calm down everyone 🌞
“No free man shall be taken indeed imprisoned, or exiled or outlawed, or dispossessed, or destroyed in any way, nor shall we pass over him nor send over him unless by the lawful judgement of his equals which is the law of the lane”. Magna Carta? Runnymede, England? Habeas Corpus? Did Julian Assange consent to summary jurisdiction? Do the Judges in the UK High Court know any of this? Does Julian Assange know any of this? Whose side are his lawyers on?
[…] candle vigil from 5pmUS Consulate 21 Feb. 12:30pm & overnight candle vigil from 5pmEmail: melb4assange@protonmail.com // Twitter : @melbourne4wiki // Instagram: melbourne4assangeGroup name: Assange Vigil Melbourne // […]
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Well, here’s a cause that’s about as righteous as any we’re likely to see lately, right up there with the best of them.
Poor old Julian Assange is a sacrifice to the American Empire, collapsing though it may be. Or maybe a sacrifice to the City of London, in a roundabout fashion.
I doubt we’ll see any justice dispensed against his tormentors in this world. But their fate, and IMO Julian’s own reward, is guaranteed in the next.
[…] candle vigil from 5pmUS Consulate 21 Feb. 12:30pm & overnight candle vigil from 5pmEmail: melb4assange@protonmail.com // Twitter : @melbourne4wiki // Instagram: melbourne4assangeGroup name: Assange Vigil Melbourne // […]
[…] candle vigil from 5pmUS Consulate 21 Feb. 12:30pm & overnight candle vigil from 5pmEmail: melb4assange@protonmail.com // Twitter : @melbourne4wiki // Instagram: melbourne4assangeGroup name: Assange Vigil Melbourne // […]