Julian Assange: Difference between revisions

From Citizendium
Jump to navigation Jump to search
imported>Sandy Harris
imported>Sandy Harris
Line 107: Line 107:
| title = Julian Assange: UK issues 'threat' to arrest Wikileaks founder
| title = Julian Assange: UK issues 'threat' to arrest Wikileaks founder
| date = August 16, 2012
| date = August 16, 2012
}}</ref> The vaguely worded private message to Ecuador, which it chose to publish, refers to the [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1987/46 Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987], which gives the Secretary of State power to close down individual diplomatic premises (without necessarily breaking off diplomatic relations completely), provided he is satisfied it would comply with international law. Ecuador has now granted the asylum application, but Britain says it will not grant Assange safe passage from the embassy to Ecuador.<ref>[http://uk.news.yahoo.com/uk-duty-extradite-assange-095626679.html]</ref>
}}</ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2012/08/21/world/europe/uk-assange-asylum/index.html] The vaguely worded private message to Ecuador, which it chose to publish, refers to the [http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1987/46 Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987], which gives the Secretary of State power to close down individual diplomatic premises (without necessarily breaking off diplomatic relations completely), provided he is satisfied it would comply with international law. Ecuador has now granted the asylum application, but Britain says it will not grant Assange safe passage from the embassy to Ecuador.<ref>[http://uk.news.yahoo.com/uk-duty-extradite-assange-095626679.html]</ref>


His defense team now includes prominent Spanish judge and extradition expert [[Baltasar Garzón]], who calls the charges against Assange "arbitrary and baseless".<ref>{{citation
His defense team now includes prominent Spanish judge and extradition expert [[Baltasar Garzón]], who calls the charges against Assange "arbitrary and baseless".<ref>{{citation

Revision as of 20:34, 26 August 2012

This article is developing and not approved.
 Main Article
 Discussion
Related Articles  [?]
Bibliography  [?]
External Links  [?]
Citable Version  [?]
 
https://en.citizendium.org/wiki/index.php?title=Julian_Assange&printable=yes
This editable Main Article is under development and subject to a disclaimer.
(CC) Photo: Peter Erichsen

Julian Assange is an Australian who is editor-in-chief at WikiLeaks. The Times has a profile[1] of him and The Australian a more detailed one.[2]

For his work with WikiLeaks, Assange received the 2008 Economist Freedom of Expression Award and the 2010 Sam Adams Award. Utne Reader named him as one of the "25 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World". In 2010, New Statesman ranked Assange number 23 among the "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures". The Sydney Peace Foundation gave him their peace medal in 2011.[3]

Swedish rape charge

In December 2010, the Swedish Supreme Court ruled that Assange, must appear before a magistrate in Stockholm to answer accusations of rape and sexual harassment brought by two Swedish women. Previously, Assange's offer to appear when in Sweden was not taken up, apparently waiting for him to leave the country before challenging him. Sweden also refused to grant him a residence permit, which had been sought in order to gain legal protection for the wikileaks website.

Following the court's refusal to hear an appeal of the warrant, Swedish authorities said they were fine-tuning a "red notice" for Assange's arrest that is being relayed to member countries by Interpol, the international anti-crime cooperative."[4] Police in Britain, where Assange is located, had "they could not act on the mandate without more specifics on the potential charges and the penalties Assange might face under Swedish law. " Sweden responded, on 3 December, with a new warrant. Assange's attorney, Mark Stephens, called the entire process irregular.[5]

There is a Justice for Assange campaign.

He lost the first round. The judge in the extradition hearing ruled against him on all major points.[6] This was appealed, and the higher court confirmed the lower court's ruling. Another appeal [7] was lodged and lost[2] and an appeal to the Supreme Court [8] failed as well.

He then took refuge in the embassy of Ecuador and applied for political asylum to avoid the extradition.[9] Ecuador are trying to get assurances from the UK, Swedish and US governments that he will not be extradited to the US from Sweden; after the first few weeks no responses have been forthcoming.[10] Ecuador say they have received a "threat" from the British to "storm the embassy", and they are very displeased at that.[11][3] The vaguely worded private message to Ecuador, which it chose to publish, refers to the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987, which gives the Secretary of State power to close down individual diplomatic premises (without necessarily breaking off diplomatic relations completely), provided he is satisfied it would comply with international law. Ecuador has now granted the asylum application, but Britain says it will not grant Assange safe passage from the embassy to Ecuador.[12]

His defense team now includes prominent Spanish judge and extradition expert Baltasar Garzón, who calls the charges against Assange "arbitrary and baseless".[13] A leaked police document says they plan to arrest him the instant he leaves the embassy for any reason[4].

Extradition to US?

Assange's lawyers have argued that the Swedish charges are politically motivated and the goal may be to get him to Sweden so that he can be extradited from there to the US. Under the rules for the European Arrest Warrant, this would require the consent of the "competent authority" in the UK.[14] There has been talk in the US of charges under the Espionage Act. Email revealed by an Anonymous hack on the private security firm Stratfor discusses an additional secret warrant.[15]

Media

A play[16] called "The Stainless Steel Rat" (the name borrowed from stories by Harry Harrison) and an opera[17] are being rehearsed.

The Russia Today TV network [5] has hired Assange to host a talk show called "World Tomorrow".[18]

Assange (actually Bill Hader impersonating him) is a regular visitor on Saturday Night Live.

He turns up as the new next door neighbor when The Simpsons move.[19]

Australian senate

He is reportedly running for the Australian Senate[20] and at least one media report[21] suggests that he may have a good chance.

References

  1. ↑ "Profile: Julian Assange, the man behind Wikileaks", Sunday Times, April 11, 2010
  2. ↑ Robert Manne (March 5, 2011), "Inside the brain of WikiLeak's Julian Assange", The Australian
  3. ↑ "Assange handed Sydney peace medal", Sydney Morning Herald, May 11, 2011
  4. ↑ Edward Cody (2 December 2010), "Swedish court upholds warrant for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange; amid furor, provocateur remains out of sight", Washington Post
  5. ↑ "Wikileaks warrant 'issued to UK'", BBC News, 3 December 2010
  6. ↑ Clive Coleman (Februray 24, 2011), "Wikileaks' Julian Assange handed 'resounding defeat'", BBC
  7. ↑ Court clears way for Assange extradition fight, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2011-12-06. Retrieved on 2012-08-08.
  8. ↑ Julian Assange loses extradition appeal at Supreme Court, BBC News, 2012-05-30.
  9. ↑ Ecuador says WikiLeaks founder Assange is seeking asylum, CNN, 2012-06-20. Retrieved on 2012-08-08.
  10. ↑ Paul Lewis. Ecuador seeks to stop 'evil' of Julian Assange US extradition: Ecuadorean diplomats seek UK assurances that WikiLeaks founder will not be extradited to US after proceedings in Sweden, The Guardian, 2012-07-26. Retrieved on 2012-08-08.
  11. ↑ Julian Assange: UK issues 'threat' to arrest Wikileaks founder, BBC, August 16, 2012.
  12. ↑ [1]
  13. ↑ Giles Tremlett (July 25, 2012), "Julian Assange defence to be led by Spanish jurist Baltasar Garzón", The Guardian
  14. ↑ Article 28(4)
  15. ↑ Philip Dorling. Charges against Assange drawn up in US, says email, The Age, 2012-02-29.
  16. ↑ Alison Rourke. WikiLeaks play brings Julian Assange's life to the stage: Stainless Steel Rat, by the award-winning Australian playwright Ron Elisha, follows WikiLeaks' release of government cables, The Guardian, 2011-05-26.
  17. ↑ Ashleigh Wilson. Led on by WikiLeaks, opera has a song in its art, The Australian, 2011-10-15.
  18. ↑ Exclusive TV series hosted by Julian Assange to premiere on RT in March, RT, 2012-01-25.
  19. ↑ Nick Rosen. The Simpsons and Julian Assange to meet at off-grid hideout, Off-grid, 2012-01-31.
  20. ↑ Julian Assange to run for Senate, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 2012-03-17.
  21. ↑ Steve Huff. ‘Senator Julian Assange’–Not as Crazy as it Sounds, The Observer, 2012-05-19.
Retrieved from "https://citizendium.org/wiki/index.php?title=Julian_Assange&oldid=815220"