US government appeals UK ruling against Julian Assange’s extradition

The Guardian ^ | Fri 12 Feb 2021 13.25 EST | Agence France-Presse in Washington

[sockmonkey]

The US government has appealed a UK judge’s ruling against the extradition of the WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange, according to a justice department official.

The appeal made clear that Joe Biden intends to have Assange stand trial on espionage- and hacking-related charges over WikiLeaks’ publication of hundreds of thousands of US military and diplomatic documents.

The justice department had until Friday to file an appeal against the ruling on 4 January that Assange suffered mental health problems that would raise the risk of suicide were he extradited to the US for trial.

“Yes, we filed an appeal and we are continuing to pursue extradition,” a justice department spokesperson, Marc Raimondi, told AFP.

Human rights groups had called on Biden to drop the case, which raises sensitive transparency and media freedom issues.

After WikiLeaks began publishing US secrets in 2009, the Obama administration – in which Biden was vice-president – declined to pursue the case. Assange said WikiLeaks was no different than other media outlets constitutionally protected to publish such materials.

Prosecuting him could mean also prosecuting powerful US news organisations for publishing similar material – legal fights the government would probably lose.

But under Donald Trump, whose 2016 election was helped by WikiLeaks publishing Russian-stolen materials damaging to his opponent, Hillary Clinton, the justice department built a national security case against Assange.

In 2019, Assange, an Australian national, was charged under the US Espionage Act and computer crimes laws on multiple counts of conspiring with and directing others, from 2009 to 2019, to illegally obtain and release US secrets.

In doing so he aided and abetted hacking, illegally exposed confidential US sources to danger and used the information to damage the US, according to the charges. If convicted on all counts, the 49-year-old faces a prison sentence of up to 175 years.

[sockmonkey]

There are the usual mistruths in this article.

[Meatspace]

The ACLU pushing Biden to pardon Assange.

[Lurkinanloomin]

But under Donald Trump, whose 2016 election was helped by WikiLeaks publishing Russian-stolen materials damaging to his opponent, Hillary Clinton, the justice department built a national security case against Assange.
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The only thing true in this is that the Justice Dept. during the Trump admin. went after Assange.
Illustrating that the Justice Dept. is the heart of the Deep State.

[Undecided 2012]

well they are lawyers so what would you expect.

[kiryandil]

"The appeal made clear that Joe Biden'S HANDLERS intend to have Assange stand trial on espionage and hacking-related charges"

[blueplum]

Beijing Biden needs as many distractions and sideshows for the peasants as possible