Assange arrested

[stui magpie]

Looks like the Ecuadorian embassy finally ran out of patience

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/11/uk/j ... rce=twCNNi

[David]

Patience has nothing to do with it. Ever since their last change of government, the Ecuadorian leadership have resented this situation and been trying their best to make his life not worth living. This was inevitable.

Really worried that the extradition request from the US will be imminent now, and that everything that Assange has been warning about for eight years will come to pass. If so, that’s a sad day for publishers, civil rights advocates, whistleblowers and anyone who dares to stand up against the powerful.

[ronrat]

This will be fun. The USA want to be careful here. If they apply for extradition for a capital offence the British law won't allow it. Nor will Australia.Considering the amount of people banged up without trial in Gitmo they yanks can hardly say he will get a fair and speedy trial. Or even a trial at all. There is also the European Court to appeal to since Brexit hasn't happened. This could cost the UK even more than it already has. Geoffrey Robertson and co do not come cheap. Wikileaks could of course release another 100,000 documents and tie the intelligence services up for years. If they have anything on Trump out it comes.

[David]

You’re kidding, right? The US will say jump and May and Morrison/Shorten will ask how high. Really struggling to see any possible happy ending here.

By the way, any "progressive" who applauds or shrugs at a US extradition, if it comes to pass, is a coward.

[Wokko]

Video of the arrest.

https://twitter.com/barnabynerberka/sta ... 2518898688

**** the UK

[swoop42]

Wikileaks did Uncle Donald a favour during his Presidential campaign didn't they?

Uncle Donald should do the right thing now and pardon him.

I don't see what Assange has done wrong anyway as he merely provided a platform for the classified information and the person responsible for obtaining it in Chelsea Manning was subsequently pardoned by President Obama.

[David]

[thesoretoothsayer]

The US will say jump and May and Morrison/Shorten will ask how high.

I think Mark Latham's quote from back in the day was "a congo line of suckholes".
Very sad news.

[ronrat]

The Brits have enough on their plate at the moment. They are trying to establish sovereignty again and cowtowing to the Yanks as a matter of priority is not gonna happen. Even Trump can not overrule International law. He can flout it. Interested to see if Assange is classified as a refugee by UN. The Australian politicians have let an Australian citizen down badly and bothe sides should be condemened. I hope the question is asked during the election campaign "Whta re you going to do about the possibilty that an Australian may be executed by the USA for a "crime" that is enshrined as a right in their own constitution". They will be hoping it is not asked.

[swoop42]

While I'm no fan of Putin I thought he may have been willing and able to orchestrate Assange being smuggled out of the embassy prior to this point.

[David]

Same here, Swoop, and I suspect Russia would be a safe haven for Assange if he can get out of this. Of course it’d only really be about getting one over on the US for Putin, but credit where it’s due, they’ve given Snowden freedom for years when nearly anywhere else in the world would have given him up to America.

[David]

And the extradition request is now official:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/live/ ... 46f07ed557

Julian Assange, 47, (03.07.71) has today, Thursday 11 April, been further arrested on behalf of the United States authorities, at 10:53hrs after his arrival at a central London police station. This is an extradition warrant under Section 73 of the Extradition Act. He will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court as soon as possible

Make no mistake: whatever your views on the Swedish rape case or the legitimacy of his claims to asylum, Assange is at risk of becoming a political prisoner. Anyone who cares about justice should oppose that.

[stui magpie]

He should've made a break for it years ago. many ways he could've walked out with a little planning, get across to Europe to a country with no extradition treaty with the US and kick back.

[David]

I think he was caught in the web the minute Sweden tried to extradite him. The US indictment has been open since 2012. Best decision in hindsight might have been to try the Russian embassy instead, but hard to know that at the time (and I’m not sure they were offering).

[David]