Don't Extradite Assange

[Khandro]

All he did was tell the truth. If you agree, please sign;

https://dontextraditeassange.com/boris-johnson-priti-patel-dont-extradite-assange/

[Old_Geezer]

Never really followed this in detail. I get the impression he's a strange fellow, but you may have a point. I'll read following posts with interest.

[TheChair]

Revealeddocuments that proved that US government agencies were breaking US laws. The revelations were published by both the Guardian and the New York Times. He is the victim of the US desire for revenge, while both newspapers keep pretty quiet. UK establishment are keen to maintain the special relationship - the one in which, when the US says "My bottom needs wiping", the UK says "let me lick it for you".

[ynnafymmi]

Whats the point of keeping him here in the UK?Is he a British citizen anyway?Isnt he a strong supporter of Putin?For that last point alone,he should be extradited to the USA.They know how to treat bad bastrads.

[davebro]

send him home to Australia - let them deal with it.

[ynnafymmi]

Nah,the Aussies are as soft as us Brits.The prisons over there are probably just as luxurious as our prisons.The Yanks have proper prisons.Anyway Biden is in power over there now.He will give him a heroes welcome....wont he?

[Khandro]

Which bit of, "If you agree, please sign" do you not understand?

[webbo3]

Done.

[Gromit]

// Isnt he a strong supporter of Putin? //

Don’t think so.
Wikileaks has published a trove of documents from Russia’s state security services. Russia and Putin dislike Wikileaks just as much as the Americans.

[bednobs]

I haven't really any idea what he's done or why he chose to spend so long avoiding extradition. Anyone care to give me a brief precis?

[Gromit]

He was jailed for 50 weeks in 2019 for breaching bail conditions.
Curiously he is still being held at Belmarsh prison 3 years later. He is probably a political prisoner.

[Hopkirk]

No, I won't sign.

[Gromit]

Bednobs,
Chelsea Manning, a US analyst, leaked secret files to WikiLeaks which it published. Assange was editor of WikiLeaks so they have charged him under the Espionage Act 1917.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, guarantees freedom of the press.

The are just p*zzed off with him and want revenge. Will probably join the long list of people who mysteriously did while awaiting trial.

[New Judge]

//Curiously he is still being held at Belmarsh prison 3 years later.//

There’s nothing curious about that at all. Mr Assange has been indicted on 18 charges in the USA. Those charges involve the publication of classified information involving military operations. The US has been seeking his extradition for some time and those extradition proceedings were concluded in April this year when a judge issued his extradition order. That order has been approved by the Home Secretary and Mr Assange can leave UK custody at any time he chooses to be extradited to the US. He has chosen to appeal against the extradition proceedings and since he is very clearly a flight risk he has been detained in custody.

//He is probably a political prisoner.//

I don’t understand how you draw that conclusion. He is not being held for his political beliefs. He is being held because he is wanted in the USA to face serious charges involving the disclosure of classified military information. This is information which firstly he should not have been granted access to and secondly which, having come by it, he should not have published. The content of that information is immaterial. It was classified, he knew it was and you don’t get to pick and choose what classified information you consider to be suitable for publication. Mr Assange seems unwilling to accept that principle so must face the consequences.

[New Judge]

//The First Amendment to the United States Constitution, guarantees freedom of the press.//

The 1st Amendment does not unconditionally guarantee press freedom. It is restricted at times of war or threat of war and I imagine during peacetime as well so as to maintain the integrity of classified information. There is plenty of US legislation and case law to support this and frankly it would be ludicrous if there was not.

[ichkeria]

Well said NJ

[Khandro]

NJ; WikiLeaks disclosures have revealed a wealth of important information that the U.S. government wanted to keep hidden, particularly in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This included abuses by the military and a video that showed a U.S. helicopter attack in Iraq on suspected militants. Those killed turned out to be unarmed civilians and journalists.

But whether you sign or not is, of course, your choice

[fender62]

how much has he cost the tax payer already, put him on a military flight...to me he's just another parasite bleeding the tax payer.

[New Judge]

It doesn't matter what the information was, Khandro. I had a look at this many years ago when it first hit the news and I've largely forgotten the details. But IIRC, some of the information leaked could have jeopardised the lives of US service personnel. It seems to me that Mr Assange had no real idea what the totality of his leaks involved and didn't particularly care. He certainly could not have been aware of the content of all he published and most reports say that Wikileaks has published in excess of ten million documents.

I don't do petitions generally anyway, but if I did I would certainly not sign this one. I don't quite understand how Mr Assange ended up in the UK. It seems he has led quite a nomadic life and has spent a lot of his time hacking into computer systems of foreign nations, harvesting confidential and classified information and publishing it. This is an issue between the US, Sweden and Mr Assange's home nation of Australia (who, it seems have largely abandoned him to his fate). There may be others as I believe New Zealand was the target of one of his hacking exercises. The sooner he is removed from this country, the better.

[Hopkirk]

Fender and myself would push him up the aircraft steps.