“Here [in Assange’s case] we are not speaking of prosecution but of persecution. That means that judicial power, institutions and proceedings are being deliberately abused for ulterior motives.” — Nils Melzer, UN Rapporteur on Torture
The current Australian crackdown follows the example of the United States in its charges against and attempt to extradite Julian Assange.
Since the United States charged journalist Julian Assange with 17 counts of Espionage Act violations -- charges that could see Assange facing the death penalty -- Australia appears to be following America’s lead and cracking down on free press, particularly journalists and publications that publish government secrets. Australia -- Assange’s
Julian Assange and WikiLeaks revealed the American military’s war crimes, the American government’s corruption and the American corporate media’s pathetic servile flattery to the power elite.
Julian Assange is a dick. It’s important you understand that. Assange and WikiLeaks revealed the American military’s war crimes, the American government’s corruption and the American corporate media’s pathetic servile flattery to the power elite. So, if you’re a member of our ruling class, you would view those as textbook examples of
Assange’s predicament and its broad implications for journalism and speech are evidently of little concern to Amnesty International, which wrote a letter to the Julian Assange Defence Committee (JADC) telling them that Amnesty is not actively working towards Assange’s defense.
NEW YORK -- Journalist and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been hit with 17 Espionage Act charges by the United States. If convicted, Assange could be sentenced to up to 170 years in prison or even face the death penalty. A conviction would also set a dangerous precedent for journalists in the U.S. who publish classified material. National
Manning already spent two months in jail for refusing a previous subpoena to testify to a grand jury investigating WikiLeaks. She was released last week when that grand jury’s term expired, but prosecutors quickly hit her with a new subpoena.
Former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning was ordered back to jail Thursday for refusing to testify to a grand jury, even after telling a judge she'd rather "starve to death" than cooperate with prosecutors. U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga ordered her to remain incarcerated at the Alexandria jail either until she agrees to testify or
MintCast speaks with Matt Kennard, author of The Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs the Masters of the Universe, which recounts Kennard’s experiences as a reporter with the Financial Times and how the media aids and abets the global elite.
MintCast co-hosts Alan MacLeod and Whitney Webb were recently joined by Matt Kennard, a journalist at the Latin American Bureau in London who was previously a reporter for the Financial Times and has written for the Guardian, the New York Times and Mother Jones.
“I do not wish to surrender myself for extradition for doing journalism that’s won many, many awards and affected many people.”
During the first hearing in what's expected to be a protracted legal battle over the US's extradition request, Wikileaks' founder Julian Assange told a British judge that he wished to fight extradition, and the hearing was concluded with the next court date set for May 30. Assange, whom the US has charged with conspiring with Chelsea Manning to
