ICYMI| It’s time to start the hashtag ‘#JULIANASSANGEdidNOTKILLHIMSELF …
RICH WLESH| It has been over two-and-a-half years since WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange was ripped from the Ecuadorian embassy in London after seven years in hiding from British authorities. During that time, Assange fought a long court battle while he remained in prison. Now, his biggest battle is set to begin as a British high court ruled on Friday that the WikiLeaks founder could be extradited to the United States to face charges that could put him in prison for life.
Judges at the Royal Courts of Justice in London overruled a lower court judge who had decided nearly a year ago that Assange should not be extradited to the US because of the threat of Assange facing unjust physical harm (not to mention the very real possibility that Assange might kill himself, as the judge acknowledged). Think about how the Biden administration has been treating selfie takers from January 6 as it has been reported they are living in squalid conditions with no medical treatment, they are beaten regularly by guards, and are given inadequate food. Imagine what these thugs will do to Assange.
The court ruled that Assange can face extradition to the US, which is almost a guarantee that he will stand trial in an American court.
There is no sense in Assange appealing the ruling because it seems pretty cut and dry that the odds are stacked against him. The US government wants him badly and I am certain threats have been made to get him. They want to file charges against Assange under the Espionage Act. Hillary Clinton clearly violated the Espionage Act and could have done a hundred years of prison time, and no one charged her, but don’t bet on Assange escaping such a fate. He doesn’t have a D next to his name.
Julian Assange is facing 18 counts in the US, with most of them falling under the Espionage Act. He would be facing up to 175 years in prison if found guilty.
Wikileaks blasted the US government in response to the ruling for avoiding accountability for a “collateral murder” incident they covered up where two Reuters journalists were killed in Iraq along with innocent civilians, all by the US military. Chelsea Manning is the one who leaked the footage from the incident to Assange. This was when she/he/it was still an army intelligence analyst named Bradley.
I’ve always considered Assange a whistleblower. He’ll never get that status because there are too many higher ups who are involved. He will be the scapegoat. They’ll make it about him and not the murders. Let’s hope they don’t Jeffrey Epstein him.
Wikileaks is a news media site that releases news stories and how many times has the New York Times or the Washington Post received classified information that they published and courts said that the people who publish are not the ones who violated the Espionage Act. So then why is Assange being treated any differently.
Start the hashtag now. #JulianAssangeDidNotKillHimself
