I understand this. Release of secret information could be a blurry line. But what is the actual information Assange released? I don't think it involved the names of spies or spying operations in unfriendly countries.
But how did he "help", and did he "help" in a way that should be illegal? That is the question. All this seems like yet another example of the "criminalization of information". Giving information about how someone else can avoid being caught when they illegally obtain other information so you can share that information. No evidence that Assange was even the one who specifically did this. It was some anonymous person through the WikiLeaks site.
No different than the Pentagon Papers so far as I can tell or TMZ or any of the websites that provide an outlet for content. I mean if he helped them steal it, offered to pay them to steal it or something more along those lines it is a totally different matter but I have seen no indication that he in any way induced the theft. My standard is very much the standard established by the Supreme Court on the PP case.
Yes, one report stated about sixty agents had their covers blown. Assange becomes repsonsible for that, particularly when he said he would redact that information. All the papers were just too much for him, so he just dumped them on-line - that's criminal.
If that is actually true, and I am very skeptical it is, that would be a different situation. I don't think WikiLeaks actually made public the specific names of secret agents, even though those original documents might have been shared amongst some of the editors.
The report I read said most of these were Indian agents. So don't know what that was about. And not 'blown' but killed.
Okay then, why is the country of India not the one who is prosecuting Assange? Does the US get to arrest an Australian citizen who is in the UK because spies who were from India got killed?
This article says the reason why the US CIA sought revenge against Assange was because in March 2017 Wikileaks had published thousands of documents detailing the CIA's cyber-warfare program. Report claims CIA plotted to kidnap and assassinate WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2017 (firstpost.com) It looks like the CIA really went all out. The CIA plotted to kidnap the WikiLeaks founder in 2017, spurring heated debate among Trump administration officials over the legality and practicality of such an operation. A few senior officials even discussed killing Assange, going so far as to request “sketches” or “options” for how to assassinate him Even the possibility of poisoning Assange was discussed Pompeo publicly describe the Wikileaks group in 2017 as a "non-state hostile intelligence service". The designation opened the door for agency operatives to take far more aggressive actions, treating the organization as it does adversary spy services. A Spanish security company UC Global, which was hired by Ecuador to help shield its embassy from prying eyes was in fact doing double duty - was providing US intelligence agencies with detailed reports of Assange’s activities and visitors as well as video and audio surveillance of Assange from secretly installed devices in the embassy, the employees testified. US Officials developed multiple tactical plans to thwart any Russian attempt to get Assange out of the embassy to seek political asylum in Russia. Some of these contingency plans even envisioned clashes with Russian operatives in the British capital of London.
Very interesting. Whom he betrayed? Was he on service in the US intelligent services? He reveled the criminal activities of the government actions,that is not a crime.
Of course not, he will not spend 170 years in prison. They will poison him or he will commit a suicide once he is in prison, maybe in week or a little bit more. So far that is the so called freedom of speech in the US. Switzerland does not need neither NATO, no any other military organization. Lots of VIPs keep their money in Swiss banks, so noone will touch it. For the same reason it was not touched during WW2.
That seems rather unlikely. The link from the OP states that Assange faces up to 175 years imprisonment. I doubt that his tardiness, in facing charges, accounts for more than 150 of those years.
Can't blame him for not wanting to be tortured - thrown in jail - killed. and who are you kidding "Face Justice" -- Third world Kangaroo clown show Justice is what he will face Yes .. "Charge Stacking" - one of the most oft used kangaroo tactics .. along with a myriad of rule of law violations. Take out all the stops to go after free speech this Biden Clown show.
Aren't most, if not all, of the charges, years old, at this point? I mean, to even request extradition, don't there have to be actual charges, officially filed?
Its a clown show .. Assange a political prisoner - no due process - Rule of law out the window - forget equal justice. Assange has been in prison for longer than the guy that did the crime. A lesson to those who would engage in free speech the Gov't doesn't like
Without NATO our lovely Switzerland would be a Marxist state. And those who bang on about freedoms will be keeping their mouths shut. What information tells you Assange will be poisoned? There's lots of white collar, blue collar and political criminals in America who live out their lives in jail, or get out on parole. You know that.
He betrayed Western liberal democratic nations and their values. In his own way he was another Osama bin Laden - just going about his trade in a different way. No different to Assange's grandpa in Australia giving Japanese access to codes etc.. Doubt the Americans would bother about what nation he was - but then again, the pro Nazi Lord Haw Haw nearly escaped the British noose by claiming he was American.
Very interesting Pooh to know that the liberal democratic values include mass killing of civilians. Thank you for opening my eyes.
Oh yes, absolutely. Liberal democracies leveled Tokyo, Hamburg and Berlin. Had to, when you think about it.
Well, I suppose that Assange has another values than that are promoted by liberal democracies. Therefore, he betrayed noone and nothing.
Yes, this is where the moral equivalency comes in. There were people back in the 1930's who visited Stalin's Russia and wrote glowing reports about it. People like Walter Duranty. Would you want to live under Hoover and Roosevelt, or under Stalin?
What a load ... with all the flatulant accompanyments. What values did Assange "betray" .. you don't even know what "Liberal Democratic" values are .. never mind have an ability to make rational assessment of such a thing. Outing criminal acts within Gov't makes Assange a hero of liberal democracy .. a Patriot for freedom he is. Tis Scum bucket Obama-Biden who is in league with Bin Laden .. making his latent dreams come true .. hand in hand with Brother El Saud. Talk about having things all backwards. Up is down .. down is up. So lets hear about these Western Liberal Democratic Values .. this should be a hoot