As the world celebrates Press Freedom Day, Julian Assange remains in Belmarsh prison
The Canary UK

As the world celebrates Press Freedom Day, Julian Assange remains in Belmarsh prison

As people worldwide celebrate the UN’s World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, WikiLeaks publisher and journalist Julian Assange remains incarcerated. The US continues to demand Assange’s extradition for his role in obtaining and publishing national defence documents from 2009 to 2011. The leaks, provided by US Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning, are known as the Guantanamo Files, the Iraq War Logs, the Afghan War Diary, and the US diplomatic cables (aka Cablegate). There are noteworthy parallels which can be drawn between Assange’s case and that of famed US Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. Ellsberg was a former senior adviser and analyst with the defence and state departments during the…

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2 May 2021
Vigils planned in support of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange
The Canary UK

Vigils planned in support of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange

Vigils are to be held this weekend to mark the second anniversary of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange being detained in prison after being dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London. Supporters demanding his release will join events on Sunday outside the embassy, at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, and at Belmarsh prison in London where he is being held. Assange lived inside the embassy for several years before being forcibly removed and arrested by police on 11 April 2019. A bid by the United States to extradite him was rejected at Westminster Magistrates’ Court earlier this year but he has remained in prison until the outcome of an appeal.…

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9 April 2021
Setback for Assange prosecution appeal after intervention by former government minister
The Canary UK

Setback for Assange prosecution appeal after intervention by former government minister

Another err? In her ruling Baraitser concluded: “The defence has not established that Mr. Assange has been the target of a politically motivated prosecution”. In other words, her interpretation of ‘politically’ was not about Assange and his motivations but the US prosecution. That can easily be challenged, as observed in a May 2019 article in The Canary. For example, CIA chief Mike Pompeo described WikiLeaks as a “hostile intelligence service”. There have also been numerous threats (including death threats) against Assange from the US, including by senior politicians: Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin demanded that Assange be hunted down “like an al-Qaeda or Taliban leader”. In 2010,…

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20 February 2021
Letter: The demonisation of Assange paves the way for more rape and murder by the State
The Canary UK

Letter: The demonisation of Assange paves the way for more rape and murder by the State

We are relieved the court ruled not to extradite Julian Assange to the US. His immediate release from Belmarsh, classified as torture by the UN Special Rapporteur, especially under coronavirus, must follow. The refusal of bail must be reversed immediately. As an anti-rape organisation, we resent the original use of alleged sex offences to facilitate Assange’s extradition to the US via Sweden. Knowing the evidence, that case was never viable, but it initiated and fuelled a witch-hunt against Assange and diverted from the real target: his Wikileaks reporting. Assange and Chelsea Manning exposed rape, torture, and murder by the US-UK coalition: war crimes that we all urgently needed…

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10 January 2021
Furious reaction as judge refuses Julian Assange bail
The Canary UK

Furious reaction as judge refuses Julian Assange bail

We need your help ... The coronavirus pandemic is changing our world, fast. And we will do all we can to keep bringing you news and analysis throughout. But we are worried about maintaining enough income to pay our staff and minimal overheads. Now, more than ever, we need a vibrant, independent media that holds the government to account and calls it out when it puts vested economic interests above human lives. We need a media that shows solidarity with the people most affected by the crisis – and one that can help to build a world based on collaboration and compassion. We have been fighting against an…

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6 January 2021
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange must be released after ‘inhumane’ bail refusal
The Canary UK

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange must be released after ‘inhumane’ bail refusal

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s hopes for freedom have been dashed after a judge refused him bail despite a decision to block his extradition to the United States. District judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected an application for Assange’s release with strict conditionals over concern he would abscond. It follows a decision that he should not be extradited to the US on mental health grounds due to the risk of suicide. Assange will have to remain in custody as the US government is appealing against Monday’s extradition ruling. Announcing her bail decision at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Baraitser said: “As a matter of fairness, the US must be allowed to challenge my…

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6 January 2021
The Canary and Max Blumenthal join protesters rallying against Assange extradition at the UK’s embassy in Washington
The Canary UK

The Canary and Max Blumenthal join protesters rallying against Assange extradition at the UK’s embassy in Washington

On Monday 4 January, a UK court ruled on the extradition of Julian Assange to the US. As The Canary reported, the judge fortunately refused the extradition request. And there’s more good news too. The day before, scores of protesters gathered outside the British embassy in Washington, DC to show their support for Assange. A sign of relief Judge Vanessa Baraitser turned down the US extradition request from the US for Assange. Assange is wanted by US authorities for allegedly violating 17 counts of the Espionage Act relating to the publication of state secrets. These state secrets include war crimes in Iraq; the Obama administration’s role in the…

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5 January 2021
#TheCanaryLive – Julian Assange extradition hearing decision: what next?
The Canary UK

#TheCanaryLive – Julian Assange extradition hearing decision: what next?

On the day a UK court ruled that Julian Assange will not be extradited to the US where he would face 175 years in prison, we discuss the verdict and what happens next.  Speakers include: Journalists John McEvoy and Mohamed Elmaazi, Maxine Walker from the UK-based Committee to Defend Julian Assange, Trade unionist and a member of the National Executive Committee of UCU Deepa Driver and former Ecuadorian consul Fidel Narváez. The event was chaired by the Pablo Navarrete, Director of No Extradition and filmmaker at The Canary, and was broadcast live from 7-8pm on Monday 4 January 2021. By Pablo Navarrete Source link

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5 January 2021
“Victory for Julian”: U.K. Blocks WikiLeaks Founder Assange Extradition to U.S. on Espionage Charges
Democracy Now (U.S.A)

“Victory for Julian”: U.K. Blocks WikiLeaks Founder Assange Extradition to U.S. on Espionage Charges

In a stunning decision, a British judge has blocked the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, saying he would not be safe in a U.S. prison due to his deteriorated mental state. In 2019, Assange was indicted in the United States on 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act related to the publication of classified documents exposing U.S. war crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. The United States has already announced plans to appeal the ruling. Press freedom advocates have campaigned against Assange’s prosecution for years, arguing it would set a dangerous precedent for prosecuting journalists. The blocked extradition due to concern over prison…

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4 January 2021
Breaking: Judge rules that Julian Assange should not be extradited to the US
The Canary UK

Breaking: Judge rules that Julian Assange should not be extradited to the US

Judge Vanessa Baraitser has ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should not be extradited to the US. The judgment on whether to extradite Assange was handed down on the morning of 4 January 2021. Baraitser rejected the extradition request based on Assange’s risk of suicide, and conditions in the US prison system. Baraitser’s decision follows a week of extradition proceedings at Woolwich Crown Court in February 2020, followed by an additional four weeks of proceedings at the Old Bailey in September. Espionage Act Assange, who revealed extensive evidence of war crimes and human rights abuses, is accused of violating the US Espionage Act on 17 counts and of…

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4 January 2021