KazPost

Kazakhstan News
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2024

El juicio de extradición de Assange a Estados Unidos se reanudó en Londres

Assange's extradition trial to the United States resumed in London

A London court resumed the trial on Monday to decide whether the founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange , should be extradited to the United States, which wants to try him for espionage in a case that his defenders denounce as key to press freedom.

Dressed in a dark suit and a maroon tie, Assange confirmed his identity at the beginning of the hearing and formally declared that he rejected extradition. It was his first public appearance since February, when a first week of hearings were held before the case was postponed.



The Australian, 49, was due to return to court in April but the process was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The hearings are now expected to last three to four weeks and be marked by protests.

The United States charges him with espionage for releasing more than 700,000 classified documents on US military and diplomatic activities in 2010, mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan, which revealed acts of torture, civilian deaths and other abuses.

In recent weeks, the United States has presented new evidence against the WikiLeaks founder, accusing him in particular of having hired hackers.

Held in a high-security London prison since his arrest in April 2019 at the Ecuadorian embassy, ​​where he lived for seven years, Assange could face 175 years in prison if found guilty by US justice.

But for his supporting committee, they are "politically motivated charges" that "represent an unprecedented attack on press freedom."

Before ruling, the English courts must ensure that the United States' request is not disproportionate or incompatible with human rights.

His lawyers have tried to have the new accusations dropped from the proceedings, arguing that he had not had time to prepare, since communication with his client has been difficult due to restrictions related to the pandemic.

What happens is abnormal and liable to create an injustice, denounced his lawyer Mark Summers.

However, they managed to convince Judge Vanessa Baraitser to be analyzed "during the examination of the extradition request and not before."

Several dozen people, including British designer Vivienne Westwood, demonstrated outside the courthouse on Monday with banners reading "Imprison War Criminals, Free Julian Assange!"

"The future of journalism is at stake," said WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, while Assange's father, John Shipton, denounced an "abusive trial."

Assange's partner, Stella Moris, who says she fears that Assange will take his own life, delivered a petition with 800,000 signatures against his extradition to the British prime minister's office.

Allowing the extradition of Julian Assange on this basis would have a chilling effect on freedom of the press and ultimately could hamper the work of the press as a provider of information and public guardian in democratic societies, warned the Council of Europe.

United States defends that Assange is not a journalist but a "hacker" and claims that he helped intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal these secret documents before exposing the material to the eyes of the world.

US also accuse him of having conspired with members of the hacker groups LulzSec and Anonymous and of having had unauthorized access to a government computer system of a NATO country.

Assange's lawyers have been warning for months about the fragile physical and mental state of the Australian, who in previous appearances appeared confused and with difficulties to express himself or was simply absent due to health problems.

In the February hearings they assured that US President Donald Trump had promised to forgive him, if he denied that some emails published by WikiLeaks and that contributed to the defeat of his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential elections had been leaked by Russia.

The White House has denied this accusation.

According to the Australian's defense, Trump wants to make an example case of Assange in his "war against investigative journalists" and Assange would not have a fair trial in the United States.

"The political persecution is evident," said former Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón, who coordinates his team of lawyers internationally, on the sidelines of the February hearings.

Newsletter

Related Articles

KazPost
0:00
0:00
Close
It's always the people with the dirty hands pointing their fingers
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
40,000 child slaves in Congo are forced to work in cobalt mines so we can drive electric cars.
Historic Moment: Edgars Rinkevics, EU's First Openly Gay Head of State, Takes Office as Latvia's President
An Ominous Shift in Warfare: Western Powers Risk War Crimes and Violate International Norms with Cluster Bomb Supply to Ukraine
Bye bye democracy, human rights, freedom: French Cops Can Now Secretly Activate Phone Cameras, Microphones And GPS To Spy On Citizens
The Poor Man With Money, Mark Zuckerberg, Unveils Twitter Replica with Heavy-Handed Censorship: A New Low in Innovation?
The Double-Edged Sword of AI: AI is linked to layoffs in industry that created it
US Sanctions on China's Chip Industry Backfire, Prompting Self-Inflicted Blowback
Meta Copy Twitter with New App, Threads
The New French Revolution
BlackRock Bitcoin ETF Application Refiled, Naming Coinbase as ‘Surveillance-Sharing’ Partner
Corruption in the European Parliament - Business as usual
UK Crypto and Stablecoin Regulations Become Law as Royal Assent is Granted
Paris Suburb Grapples with Violence as Curfew Imposed: Saint-Denis Residents Express Dismay and Anger
A Delaware city wants to let businesses vote in its elections
Alef Aeronautics Achieves Historic Milestone with Flight Certification for World's First Flying Car
Google Blocked Access to Canadian News in Response to New Legislation
French Politicians Advocate for Pan-European Regulation on Social Media Influencers
×