Bob Carr hopes to manipulate the Australian public. In the last 12 months the Australian government has provided no legal, financial or logistical assistance or advice to Mr. Assange, whatsoever. There is a reason that Bob Carr will not explain what he means by “consular assistance”.
In the last year it has meant sending DFAT minders to Assange’s hearings the minders do not communicate their observations to Mr. Assange or his legal team. They do not even say hello. Their job is to provide the Minister of Foreign Affairs with a heads up, so he can better spin to the Australian public.
Similarly, according to the SMH [Sydney Morning Herald ], when DFAT asked Washington for info on US extradition plans, it was only within the explicitly stated context of knowing prior to the media. Not knowing in time to assist Mr. Assange or with a view to assist Mr. Assange. But knowing with a view on how to manipulate the Australian public.
Sources
https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/208166726154723328
https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/208167250090393601
https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/208167695479345152
https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/208167985251221504
https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/208168404278968321
https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/208168649079533568
https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/208168980999962624
https://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/208169051514605569
(Compiled by @JLLLOW)
It is the first bilateral visit to Sweden by a US Secretary of State in a long time, Sweden’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt writes, as he wishes a warm welcome to US Secretary Hillary Clinton who will arrive in the country just 4 days after Britain’s Supreme Court announces its decision on whether Julian Assange is to be extradited to Sweden.
The announcement of Clinton’s visit to Sweden, which will center on the subjects of ‘Internet freedom, green energy, Afghanistan and the Middle East’, as well as other broad topics such as democracy and counter-terrorism, took place just 3 days after the Supreme Court published a date for Julian Assange’s verdict to be issued on (the Supreme Court published the date of its judgment on May 23, Secretary Clinton’s visit was announced on May 26).
Julian Assange’s verdict will be known Wednesday, May 30 and his extradition would occur within the 10 following days. Although extradition to Sweden would facilitate Mr. Assange’s subsequent surrender to the United States, his extradition to the US is likely to be sought even he is allowed to remain in the UK. Therefore after the verdict is made public, regardless of the outcome, four countries are lined up to say no to his potential extradition to the United States through a series of rallies that will occur in many different cities.
Countries participating in the #Rally4JA initiave include the United States, where 5 cities will protest, the United Kingdom, from where the extradition could happen amidst continuing calls for urgent reform of extradition laws that do not comply with safeguards required by the Joint Committee on Human Rights, and Australia, Mr. Assange’s homeland. Germany will also participate in the global call for protection of Julian Assange’s civil rights, as well as individuals from all over the world who are campaigning for this cause by disseminating facts concerning irregularities in Sweden’s investigation against Mr. Assange, often misrepresented by the media, and the risks he faces if extradited to the US.
It is worth stressing that a US Secret Grand Jury in Virginia has had a sealed indictment against him for over a year. Its existence revealed by WikiLeaks ealier this year, with the publication of emails from US private intelligence firm STRATFOR referring to the potential arrest of WikiLeaks’ editor-in-chief (and the financial blockade imposed on WikiLeaks since December 2010) in the following terms:
“[b]ankrupt the arsehole first, (…) ruin his life. Give him 7-12 yrs for conspiracy.”
Furthermore, numerous public calls for Mr. Assange’s assassination have been made in this country by prominent figures, and, WikiLeaks just made public this evening, multiple European citizens have been detained and interrogated about Julian Assange by US authorities this week.
In Australia, documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request have revealed Julian Assange’s extradition to the United States and possible charges of conspiracy and espionage to be the subject of numerous exchanges between Australian and US Intelligence.
In the United States, American soldier Bradley Manning has been held in prison for over 2 years, awaiting judgment. Manning, who allegedly submitted classified material to WikiLeaks exposing war crimes and worldwide corruption, now finds himself, for the second consecutive year, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Given the intricate network of political pressure surrounding Julian Assange’s extradition, it is safe to assume that the United States “internet freedom” agenda to be discussed next week in Sweden will include, if not focus, on Julian Assange’s imminent surrender.
STAND UP FOR JULIAN ASSANGE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE: http://wlcentral.org/standup
Urgent - Soutenez Julian Assange: Participez à des mobilisations lors de la décision de la Cour Suprême le 30 mai! Contactez-nous sur frenchfowl@tormail.org
Julian Assange’s verdict will be delivered next week, on Wednesday, May 30. On this date, he will have been detained without charge in the UK for 540 days.
Britain’s Supreme Court will rule on whether the European Arrest Warrant issued for Julian Assange’s extradition to Sweden is valid, but regardless of the outcome, he still faces extradition to the United States where a secret indictment against him has been issued by the US Government for over a year (“[b]ankrupt the arsehole first (…) ruin his life. Give him 7-12 yrs for conspiracy”) and public calls for his assassination have been made by prominent figures.
It is in our hands to ensure WikiLeaks’ editor-in-chief Julian Assange, whose work in the field of investigative journalism has been recognized with many prestigious awards, is protected from the threats he faces in the US.
In this page you’ll find a list of resources for this purpose that will be kept up to date. Here is what you can do to support Julian Assange.
· UPDATE - Call to Action: Tell your MP to sign this new motion demanding immediate reform of UK extradition laws and help prevent any extradition from the UK until reform of the European Arrest Warrant framework and of the UK-US extradition treaty is achieved.
Email an MP here: http://ukextradition.appspot.com/
If not in the UK, please read: http://www.facebook.com/NovalisLore/posts/465741530110042
1) ATTENDING RALLIES:
· Supporters will rally outside the Supreme Court in London next Wednesday May 30, at 8:00AM. The verdict will be given at 9:15AM local time.
How to get there: http://www.supremecourt.gov.uk/visiting/how-to-find-us.html
Details concerning access to Supreme Court building and live stream:
http://www.supremecourt.gov.uk/news/julian-assange-v-swedish-judicial-authority-judgment.html
· Global Rallies Planned After the Verdict: http://wlcentral.org/node/2513
Attend one near you, your presence is crucial.
POSTERS AND FLYERS TO BE USED IN THESE RALLIES: http://somersetbean.blogspot.com.au/
You can also use WikiLeaks’ merchandise to draw attention to this cause and at the same time support the organisation with a donation: http://wikileaks.spreadshirt.com/
· List of Australian Embassies and Representative Offices where you can demonstrate, anywhere in the world: http://www.dfat.gov.au/missions/
· For assistance with organizing your own rally, contact your local Friends of WikiLeaks: http://ffmfowl.wordpress.com/fowl-net/
2) DISSEMINATING FACTS:
· Contact your local political representative and media organizations with facts on this case and a request for assistance. See,
Christine Assange’s Talking Points: http://wlcentral.org/node/2486
Comprehensive background on the case by WikiLeaks’ lawyer Jennifer Robinson:
http://wlcentral.org/node/1418
Template Letters and contact information of politicians with decision power regarding Julian Assange’s extradition and protection:
http://justice4assange.com/action
· Challenge slanderous media reports. Read Common Misconceptions of the Assange case and demand the correction of misleading articles: http://wlcentral.org/node/2554
(Note that @wikileaks has drawn attention to this issue on twitter, with the message:
Latest bad journalism is to say that Assange faces ‘allegations’ without saying he has not been charged, leaving the imputation that he has.)
3) DONATIONS:
· Contribute towards the WikiLeaks and Julian Assange Defence Fund with a donation:
http://shop.wikileaks.org/donate
4) INVESTIGATE:
· Research the Timeline for United States v. Manning, Assange, WikiLeaks, and the Press for overlooked information on the Secret Grand Jury investigation.
As tweeted by @wikileaks on the 20th May 2012. Tell your friends about this new social network that is about to be launched!
(Une traduction française est disponible sur wikileaks-forum.com)
WikiLeaks’ ‘encrypted Facebook’ is almost ready to launch: wlfriends.org
1. WL Friends introduces you to people you want to know, but don’t know yet. Facebook connects you to people you already know – no point.
2. Facebook is a mass surveillance tool. You put your friends into it, you betray your friends. Do friends betray friends? WLFriends wlfriends.org doesn’t know your friends. It introduces you to new friends.
3. Facebook records everything you do, hands it over to the US government and corporations. WLFriends wlfriends.org doesn’t.
4. WLFriends keeps your data so encrypted, not even the system amins can decrypt it. You and your friends decrypt on login automatically.
5. WLFriends uses military grade cryptography and the best industry standards (OpenPGP + Elliptic Curves). wlfriends.org
6. WLFriends even uses homomorphic encryption for certain operations so WLFriends doesn’t even know how many friends you have…
7. The more you use WLFriends, the less you use WLFriends. WLFriends is designed to build, not control, a robust network of shared value.
8. WLFriends is designed for more than just WikiLeaks. It is a general solution to build a robust support network under hostile conditions.
9. Friends of Israel, Friends of Palestine, Friends of the Tea Party, Friends of Catholicism are all possible with WL Friends.
10. WL Friends is designed to make infiltration costly. No person can be seen to be more important than any other or individually targeted.
11. WLFriends builds a strong support network instantly for any shared belief by connecting supporters in a way that maximises communication
12. As time goes by the WLFriends network for any shared belief is designed to mathematically grow stronger and stronger
Sign up to WLFriends wlfriends.org now to be part of the core WLFriends network when it launches.
NOH8ER's BLOG: Assange case in brief -
Legal Advisor describes Julian Assange extradition fight
CHRIS UHLMANN: Are you confident that Julian Assange can win this appeal?
JENNIFER ROBINSON: Well I think we have to be confident when we consider what the precedent will be set if he doesn’t win this appeal. If he doesn’t win it means that anyone can be extradited from the UK, be arrested and put into detention at the behest of any prosecutor anywhere in Europe without having to show any evidence, without being charged and without proper judicial oversight. So I have faith that the British justice system should not and cannot stand for this sort of precedent.
This week a few important things happened:
15 Overlooked Facts About the Assange Extradition Case
1) Julian Assange is not charged with anything in Sweden or any other country.
[Source: @wikileaks]
2) Julian Assange did not flee Sweden to avoid questioning. He was given permission to leave the country on the 15th September 2010, after remaining 5 weeks in Sweden for the purpose of answering the allegations made against him.
[Source: Undue delay for Julian Assange’s interrogation]
3) The case against Julian Assange was initially dropped, and deemed so weak it could not warrant investigation. After the intervention of a Swedish politician close to American diplomats, it was revived by a different prosecutor. [Source: Why is Julian Assange in jail?]
4) In all instances, the 2 plaintiffs consented to sexual intercourse, which they did not take the initiative to stop: they never expressed non-consent and afterwards declared to not have felt threatened by Julian Assange. [Sources: Swedish Police Report and The offences described in the EAW are not extradition offences]
5) A condom submitted as evidence by complainant AA, who claimed it had been deliberately torn by Julian Assange during sexual intercourse, contains no chromosomal DNA from either the complainant or Julian. [Source: Overlooked evidence in the Assange trial]
6) Text messages exchanged between complainants and their friends contradict the factual allegations in the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) issued for Julian Assange and cast doubt on the allegations.
[Source: Brief to Canberra Meeting of MPs]
7) After the date of the alleged sexual misconduct: a) Complainant AA created then deleted evidence (tweets) indicating she was enjoying Julian Assange’s company; b) AA went as far as suggesting one of her friends (Witness C) should be intimate with Julian as well.
[Sources: AA: The Twitter Trail, Göran Rudling Witness Statement and Police Statement of Witness C]
8) The law firm hired in the Assange investigation is ran by Claes Borgström (politician and legal representative for both plaintiffs) and by former minister Thomas Bodström. Both are members of the Social Democrat Party in Sweden. Bodström is a friend of police interrogator Irmeli Krans, who interrogated complainant SW. [Source: Irmeli Krans: The Facebook Trail]
9) Police interrogator Irmeli Krans is, in turn, friends with the other plaintiff, complainant AA, with whom she has political ties (Social Democrat Party). Krans also breached protocol by commenting negatively about Julian Assange on social media. [Source: Irmeli Krans: The Facebook Trail]
10) Swedish prosecutor, Marianne Ny, refused to provide Julian Assange or his lawyers with information on the allegations against him in writing. This violates the Swedish Code of Procedure (RB 23:18) and the European Convention of Human Rights (article 5), and the EU Fundamental Charter on Human Rights.
Prosecution also refused all voluntary offers for cooperation that fit under Mutual Legal Assistance protocol, such as making use of alternative methods to interview Julian Assange.
[Sources: Fair Trial for Julian Assange? and Abuse of Process: Disproportionate use of EAW and INTERPOL Red Notice]
11) Both the EAW and the Interpol red notice were issued for Julian by Sweden just before WikiLeaks began to publish Cablegate. [Source: Brief to Canberra Meeting of MPs]
12) The allegations against Julian Assange do not constitute an offense in Australia or in the UK. [Source: The offences described in the EAW are not extradition offences]
13) If extradited to Sweden: still without charge, Julian Assange would be held incommunicado and placed under solitary confinement. Pre-trial detention would last for an indefinite period. Trial in Sweden would be held in secret. [Source: Fair Trial for Julian Assange?]
14) The Swedish legal system features lay judges who are appointed because of their political affiliations. They have no formal legal training. [Source: Lay Judges]
15) Sweden has the highest per capita rate of cases brought to the European Court of Human Rights relating to article 6.1 (right to a fair trial). [Source: Fair Trial for Julian Assange?]
Conclusion and References
Julian Assange is wanted in Sweden for questioning. According to the law, Julian is not required to be present in the country for the interview to take place. It could instead be conducted using alternative methods, such as a simple phonecall.
On the 13th July 2011, during an extradition appeal hearing, Judges on the case asked why this did not happen:
”Why go through all of this if Mr. Assange offered to be interviewed?”
”Why does judicial corporation not entail… sensible steps to get on with it?”
[Source: 2011-07-13 WikiLeaks Notes]
Prosecution, however, continuously refuses to interview Julian in the UK, insisting he must be extradited to Sweden for interrogation. For this purpose an European Arrest Warrant was issued by Sweden, in disregard for one of its basic restrictions: an EAW is for prosecution purposes only.
The extradition to Sweden insisted upon by prosecution would facilitate subsequent extradition to the US, as Sweden never once denied a US extradition request since 2000. Therefore, the Swedish case against Julian Assange cannot be dissociated from the ongoing US Grand Jury investigation on WikiLeaks. As such, it is extremely important any opinion formed on this specific subject be based on facts.
This list of 15 facts is mostly based on information originally put together by Christine Assange (twitter account: @AssangeC), and it covers crucial aspects about irregularities and political interest in Sweden’s extradition case against Julian Assange. These important details are often ignored or misrepresented by the media.
Another reference document you might wish to read is the briefing note written by WikiLeaks’ legal advisor Jennifer Robinson, a detailed overview of Human Rights concerns regarding Julian Assange’s extradition to Sweden: http://wlcentral.org/node/1418
And over at Justice4Assange.com you will find a lot more information on this case.
Visit the Action page to know what you can do to support Julian Assange:
http://www.Justice4Assange.com/Action.html
To make a donation to the Julian Assange Defence Fund:
http://www.Justice4Assange.com/Donate.html
Please take the time to read and share.
When possible, demand any misleading information in the press be corrected.
Fiddled with WikiLeaks’ logo today. Silly results.
(Published in: 2012-01-01 WikiLeaks News | WL Central)
2011 ended with the alarming approval of the National Defense Authorization Act by the US Congress, which places ultimate authority on the President of the United States to decide on the indefinite military detention of terrorism suspects worldwide. The bill was signed on New Year’s Eve, a festive occasion, its strategic timing reminiscent of the date set for Bradley Manning’s pre-trial hearing, which also took place during last year’s holiday season.
As of the 1st of 2012:
WikiLeaks: 394 days of banking blockade - no process
Assange: 391 days of detainment without charge
Manning: 588 days in military jail
Efforts to impede the work of WikiLeaks continue. Julian Assange and Bradley Manning have been detained for well over a year, and WikiLeaks is still operating under unlawful financial embargo, imposed by major banking companies at request of the US Government. It is also worth noting that two of these companies (VISA and Mastercard) currently refusing to process funds to WikiLeaks, controversially channel donations to white supremacist groups that encourage and/or perpetrate violent acts, such as the KKK, English Defence League and Aryan Nations.
Further, the pre-trial of Bradley Manning, that finally took place last month, made clear how determined prosecution is to link Manning to Julian Assange (even recurring to the presentation of chat logs as evidence in court, despite it being impossible to accurately determine users’ identities). The risk of extradition to the US for Julian Assange is increasingly evident as are the efforts to prosecute WikiLeaks.
By releasing information to the public exposing Government abuses and corruption, WikiLeaks and its volunteers risk their freedom to provide us with means to defend our rights. WikiLeaks pays service to all of us and it is us, the people, who risk to be silenced when its existence and that of future whistleblowing organizations is threatened.
It is clear that if our freedoms are to be preserved, action must be taken to protect WikiLeaks. To facilitate this, the Friends of WikiLeaks (FoWL) network was created and is soon to be completely launched,
wlfriends.org
Please join, and also find out about other ways you can support WikiLeaks.
Action to defend freedom of speech and information will prove decisive throughout the New Year.