Rendition Plane, Increased Police Presence Raise Fears for Assange
March 24, 2019
A mysterious flight of a U.S. rendition plane to London and increase of
plainclothes British police outside the Ecuador embassy has heightened
concern for the WikiLeaks founder, as Elizabeth Vos reports.
By Elizabeth Vos
In four days, it will be a full year since WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange was
severed from contact with the outside world by the government of Ecuador.
Concern for Assange was heightened as the anniversary approaches after a
U.S. Department of Justice jet previously used for the rendition of an
accused Russian hacker landed in London on Tuesday and remained there for
days, only to return to the U.S. on Saturday. The flight reportedly departed
from Manassas, Virginia.
WikiLeaks stated via Twitter regarding the flight: “Note that the Edward
Snowden DoJ grab team plane N977GA also departed from Manassas, Virginia.”
WikiLeaks tweeted regarding the flight: “What is US Department of Justice
jet “N996GA” doing in London? The jet arrived on Tuesday from DC and was
last noted rendering alleged Russian hacker Yevgeniy Nikulin to the US last
year from the Czech Republic, causing a diplomatic incident with Russia.”
Assange’s Twitter account, run by members of his legal team, also tweeted:
“Note that the Edward Snowden DoJ grab team plane N977GA also departed from
Manassas, Virginia.”
In response to the news, Christine Assange said on social media: “This is
of urgent and real concern! Under cover of the 24/7 media frenzy on the NZ
Mosque shootings. Is the US planning to snatch my son Julian from the London
Ecuador Embassy they have been trying to force him from, for a CIA rendition
flight?”
While the jet remained in London, WikiLeaks quoted Assange’s lawyers
describing an increase of plainclothes British police officers on the ground
surrounding Ecuador’s London embassy:
“A build up of plain clothes ear-piece wearing operatives around the
Ecuador embassy in London in the last two days has been sighted by Julian
Assange’s lawyers. There are normally 2-4 plainclothes British operatives
present. The reason for the increase is not publicly known.”
The jet arrived in London on March 19 - the same day that Twitter imposed a
restriction on the account of Christine Assange which would last for more
than 24 hours, followed shortly afterward by the placement of an identical
restriction on the Twitter account of Telesur English, which has a record of
accurate reporting about Latin America. The restriction, and the subsequent
lifting of the measure, was never explained by the social media website.
A subsequent report by Consortium News noted:
“Ms. Assange told Consortium News by phone that she has had no contact with
Twitter and still does not know why her account was restricted or precisely
why it was restored. She was unable to post new Tweets or read anyone else’
s while the restriction was in place. On Thursday, Telesur English, the
Venezuelan state broadcaster’s English service, was hit with the same
restrictions by Twitter as had affected Ms. Assange, who tweeted a complaint
about it: ‘Telesur English account has been supportive of my son,
arbitrarily gagged & tortured journalist Julian Assange. They have been one
of the few media to factually update the public on his plight & the
political context behind his persecution.’”
That these unexplained restrictions coincided with the arrival of a DOJ jet
in London added to a growing sense of urgency surrounding WikiLeaks and its
arbitrarily confined founder.
Ecuador Elections
At the time of the plane’s arrival, Ecuador was set to hold mid-term
elections that could see what Bloomberg called the “beginning of a
comeback” for former President Raphael Correa. Under Correa, Ecuador
extended vigorous support towards Assange. In contrast, under President
Lenin Moreno’s leadership, Assange’s asylum has been transformed into a
state of torturous and near-solitary confinement.
In the United States, all eyes this week were fixed on the final chapter of
the Mueller investigation coming to a close, and the establishment fall-out
from the lack of indictments in Mueller’s highly anticipated report.
Meanwhile, the UK’s looming Brexit crisis raised the possibility that
opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn could become prime minister. Corbyn’s
stance towards WikiLeaks and Assange has been substantially friendlier than
that of Prime Minister Theresa May.
Since 2010, the global establishment has made no secret of its animosity
towards Assange and WikiLeaks. The Trump administration has likewise made
its desire to capture and prosecute Assange well known. WikiLeaks
whistleblower Chelsea Manning is again in solitary confinement due to her
refusal to cooperate with a Grand Jury regarding Assange.
Though the jet in question departed from the UK on Saturday, Met police have
been photographed outside the Ecuadorian embassy in addition to the
plainclothes police described earlier this week by Assange’s lawyers.
Elizabeth Vos is a freelance journalist and contributor to Consortium News.
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Tags: Christine Assange Elizabeth Vos Jeremy Corbyn Julian Assange Raphael
Correa Theresa May WikiLeaks
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Rendition Plane, Increased Police Presence Raise Fears for Assange
March 24, 2019 * 0 Comments
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A mysterious flight of a U.S. rendition plane to London and increase of
plainclothes British police outside the Ecuador embassy has heightened
concern for the WikiLeaks founder, as Elizabeth Vos reports.
By Elizabeth Vos
In four days, it will be a full year since WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange was
severed from contact with the outside world by the government of Ecuador.
Concern for Assange was heightened as the anniversary approaches after a
U.S. Department of Justice jet previously used for the rendition of an
accused Russian hacker landed in London on Tuesday and remained there for
days, only to return to the U.S. on Saturday. The flight reportedly departed
from Manassas, Virginia.
WikiLeaks stated via Twitter regarding the flight: “Note that the Edward
Snowden DoJ grab team plane N977GA also departed from Manassas, Virginia.”
WikiLeaks tweeted regarding the flight: “What is US Department of Justice
jet “N996GA” doing in London? The jet arrived on Tuesday from DC and was
last noted rendering alleged Russian hacker Yevgeniy Nikulin to the US last
year from the Czech Republic, causing a diplomatic incident with Russia.”
Assange’s Twitter account, run by members of his legal team, also tweeted:
“Note that the Edward Snowden DoJ grab team plane N977GA also departed from
Manassas, Virginia.”
In response to the news, Christine Assange said on social media: “This is
of urgent and real concern! Under cover of the 24/7 media frenzy on the NZ
Mosque shootings. Is the US planning to snatch my son Julian from the London
Ecuador Embassy they have been trying to force him from, for a CIA rendition
flight?”
While the jet remained in London, WikiLeaks quoted Assange’s lawyers
describing an increase of plainclothes British police officers on the ground
surrounding Ecuador’s London embassy:
“A build up of plain clothes ear-piece wearing operatives around the
Ecuador embassy in London in the last two days has been sighted by Julian
Assange’s lawyers. There are normally 2-4 plainclothes British operatives
present. The reason for the increase is not publicly known.”
The jet arrived in London on March 19 - the same day that Twitter imposed a
restriction on the account of Christine Assange which would last for more
than 24 hours, followed shortly afterward by the placement of an identical
restriction on the Twitter account of Telesur English, which has a record of
accurate reporting about Latin America. The restriction, and the subsequent
lifting of the measure, was never explained by the social media website.
A subsequent report by Consortium News noted:
“Ms. Assange told Consortium News by phone that she has had no contact with
Twitter and still does not know why her account was restricted or precisely
why it was restored. She was unable to post new Tweets or read anyone else’
s while the restriction was in place. On Thursday, Telesur English, the
Venezuelan state broadcaster’s English service, was hit with the same
restrictions by Twitter as had affected Ms. Assange, who tweeted a complaint
about it: ‘Telesur English account has been supportive of my son,
arbitrarily gagged & tortured journalist Julian Assange. They have been one
of the few media to factually update the public on his plight & the
political context behind his persecution.’”
That these unexplained restrictions coincided with the arrival of a DOJ jet
in London added to a growing sense of urgency surrounding WikiLeaks and its
arbitrarily confined founder.
Ecuador Elections
At the time of the plane’s arrival, Ecuador was set to hold mid-term
elections that could see what Bloomberg called the “beginning of a
comeback” for former President Raphael Correa. Under Correa, Ecuador
extended vigorous support towards Assange. In contrast, under President
Lenin Moreno’s leadership, Assange’s asylum has been transformed into a
state of torturous and near-solitary confinement.
In the United States, all eyes this week were fixed on the final chapter of
the Mueller investigation coming to a close, and the establishment fall-out
from the lack of indictments in Mueller’s highly anticipated report.
Meanwhile, the UK’s looming Brexit crisis raised the possibility that
opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn could become prime minister. Corbyn’s
stance towards WikiLeaks and Assange has been substantially friendlier than
that of Prime Minister Theresa May.
Since 2010, the global establishment has made no secret of its animosity
towards Assange and WikiLeaks. The Trump administration has likewise made
its desire to capture and prosecute Assange well known. WikiLeaks
whistleblower Chelsea Manning is again in solitary confinement due to her
refusal to cooperate with a Grand Jury regarding Assange.
Though the jet in question departed from the UK on Saturday, Met police have
been photographed outside the Ecuadorian embassy in addition to the
plainclothes police described earlier this week by Assange’s lawyers.
Elizabeth Vos is a freelance journalist and contributor to Consortium News.
image_pdfimage_print
1136
Tags: Christine Assange Elizabeth Vos Jeremy Corbyn Julian Assange Raphael
Correa Theresa May WikiLeaks
Post navigation
← Watch the 21st Vigil for Assange
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