Published on
Monday, September 07, 2020
byCommon Dreams
'This is Not Normal': Human Rights, Press Freedom Advocates Denied Remote
Access to Assange Hearing
The WikiLeaks founder, who exposed U.S. war crimes, faces up to 175 years in
prison if the U.K. agrees to extradite Assange.
byLisa Newcomb, staff writer
Supporters of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange protest outside London's Old
Bailey court as his fight against extradition to the U.S. has resumed, on
September 7, 2020, in London, England. Assange has been in Belmarsh Prison
for 16 months and is wanted over the publication of classified documents in
2010 and 2011. If convicted in the US, he faces a possible penalty of 175
years in jail. (Photo: Richard Baker/In Pictures via Getty Images)
Human rights and press freedom advocates cried foul early Monday morning
after they were denied remote access to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's
extradition hearing taking place in the United Kingdom.
"This is not normal," said Marie Struthers, director of the Eastern Europe
and Central Asia Regional Office of Amnesty Eastern Europe & Central Asia,
in a video interview outside the court proceedings.
Struthers said the human rights group was "shocked to find out that our
court observer has been denied access to the court online ... we conduct
trial monitoring all over the world, week in, week out."
"Amnesty is almost always granted access to monitor court cases around the
world," Struthers added. "For our legal observer to find out this morning
that he has not been granted even remote access to the Assange proceedings
is an outrage."
Amnesty had previously been granted remote access but was notified Monday
morning, Struthers said, that the access was revoked because the group did
not submit a required letter to the judge presiding over the trial.
She said they submitted the letter Monday morning, and that she "fully
expects" they will be granted access going forward.
Meanwhile, critics-including NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden-condemned the
U.S. effort to extradite Assange as a clear and present attack on press
freedoms.
PEN Norway was also reportedly denied access to the Monday morning
proceedings.
According to Shadowproof's Kevin Gosztola, who covered the trial from inside
the courtroom:
Assange is accused of 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act and one count
of violating a computer crime law that, as alleged in the indictment, is
also an Espionage Act offense.
The trial portion of Assange's extradition hearing in London began on
September 7 at the Old Bailey Courthouse. It is expected to unfold over the
next three to four weeks.
As of this writing, Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected a request by Assange's
lawyers to delay his extradition hearing until next year to give his lawyers
more time to respond to U.S. allegations that he conspired with hackers to
obtain classified information.
Asked at one point by the prosecution if he was "prepared to consent to be
extradited," Assange reportedly answered: "No."
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