Assange charged for 'indiscriminately' publishing sources' names, U.S.
lawyers say
Send a link to a friend
[February 21, 2024]
LONDON (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is
being prosecuted for publishing sources' names and not his political
opinions, lawyers representing the United States said on Wednesday as
Assange fights to stop his extradition from Britain.
U.S. prosecutors are seeking to put Assange, 52, on trial over WikiLeaks'
high-profile release of vast troves of confidential U.S. military
records and diplomatic cables.
They argue the leaks imperilled the lives of their agents and there is
no excuse for his criminality. Assange's supporters, however, hail him
as a journalist and a hero who is being persecuted for exposing U.S.
wrongdoing.
Assange's lawyers told London's High Court on Tuesday that the case was
politically motivated, arguing Assange was targeted for his exposure of
"state-level crimes" and that Donald Trump had requested "detailed
options" on how to kill him.
But, on Wednesday, lawyers for the U.S. said Assange's prosecution was
"based on the rule of law and evidence".
Clair Dobbin told the court: "The appellant's prosecution might be
unprecedented, but what he did was unprecedented."
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Feb/21/images/ads/current/graue_sda_042021.png)
Assange "indiscriminately and knowingly published to the world the names
of individuals who acted as sources of information to the U.S.", she
said.
"It is these core facts which distinguish the position of the appellant
from the New York Times and other media outlets," Dobbin added.
"It is this which forms the objective basis for his prosecution. It is
these facts which distinguish him, not his political opinions."
Assange himself was again not in court on Wednesday nor watching
remotely because he was unwell.
The Australian's legal battles began in 2010, and he subsequently spent
seven years holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London before he was
dragged out and jailed in 2019 for breaching bail conditions.
[to top of second column]
|
![](../images/022124PIX/news_z5.jpg)
A woman holds a banner as supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian
Assange protest outside the high court on the day Assange appeals
against his extradition to the United States, in London, Britain,
February 21, 2024. REUTERS/Toby Melville
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2019/Sep/05/images/ads/current/stclara_lda_SPONSOR_090519.png)
He has been held in a maximum-security jail in London ever since,
even getting married there, while Britain finally approved his
extradition to the U.S. in 2022.
Assange's lawyers say that, if convicted, he could be given a
sentence as long as 175 years, but likely to be at least 30 to 40
years. U.S. prosecutors have said it would be no more than 63
months.
If Assange wins this case, a full appeal hearing will be held to
again consider his challenge. If he loses, his only remaining option
would be at the European Court of Human Rights and his wife Stella
Assange has said his lawyers would apply to the European judges for
an emergency injunction if necessary.
WikiLeaks first came to prominence in 2010 when it published a U.S.
military video showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters in
Baghdad that killed a dozen people, including two Reuters news
staff.
It then released thousands of secret classified files and diplomatic
cables that laid bare often highly critical U.S. appraisals of world
leaders from Russian President Vladimir Putin to members of the
Saudi royal family.
Assange's supporters include Amnesty International, media groups and
politicians including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese,
who last week voted in favour of a motion calling for his return to
Australia.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Ros Russell)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Feb/21/images/ads/current/ldn_smallsda_BUSINESSMAG_2023.png) |