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June 7, 2023

Allegations about Julian Assange

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If we are making claims or allegations about Julian Assange we should not forget ‘innocent until proven guilty’. Assange is in his fourth year of imprisonment without charge.

Swedish prosecutors dropped the sexual assault charges in 2019. The 18 indictments planned by the US government make no mention of the events in Sweden.

Assange will be charged under a resurrected Espionage Act of 1917, the first journalist to be prosecuted under the Act.

If convicted he risks 175 years’ imprisonment.

I refer readers to The Trial of Julian Assange by Nils Melzer, former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture. Melzer is an authority on these matters with over 20 years in the field of international law and human rights. Melzer details the abuse of due process, breaches of standard procedure and failure by Swedish prosecutors and police to secure justice.

Given recent revelations of plans by US intelligence to kidnap and assassinate him, the possibility of extradition from Sweden to the US was not paranoid delusion. He was spied upon in the embassy including during discussions with his lawyers, amounting to a breach of his client-attorney confidentiality rights. Many believe the case should have been dismissed.

Thanks to Byron Councillors for passing a motion on 10 November 2022 calling on Albanese and the US president to drop the charge. 

Supporters recognise that there is much at stake for society as a whole: principles of free speech, free press and our right to know what is being done in our name and with our resources.

Roy Drew, Mullumbimby

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3 COMMENTS

  1. 13 th december 2022

    The Egyptian journalist ” Mohamed Abdel Hameed” lost his money and his job 100% because he is the man number one on planet of earth who talked hundreds of thousands of people from 200 countries about ” Julian Assange ” . He will be very sad if England sends ” Julian Assange” to the death prisons in USA.

    Few hours ago president of Brazil asked the freedom for ” Julian Assange”.

    The Egyptians , the Latin Americans , the Arabs , the black Africans and the red indians will be very angry with prince ” Williams” if he sends ” Julian Assange”

    The Russians and the Italians will be very angry with prince ” Williams” If he sends ” Julian Assange ” to prisons of the death in USA

  2. What an appalling waste of Byron Council’s time and money getting involved in aiding and abetting a convicted criminal evade justice, it’s little wonder Byron’s roads are in such a poor state when the Council tries to involve itself in worldly legal matters best left to the courts to decide; if Albo has got any brains he won’t touch this saga with a barge-poll.

  3. It is not correct that Julian Assange is being held without charge. He is subject to an indictment by the US for alleged offences under the US Espionage Act. If Mr Assange beleives he did not commit the very serious alleged offences , which included inter-alia aiding the release of large volumes of Australian material cosnisdered potentially harmful to our interests, he could have brought the matter to a swift conclusion by appearing before the US courts. It would appear however Mr Assange and his legal team’s concern is that he did indeed breach the US law and will be found guilty. It is difficult to see why then justice should not be allowed to prevail in this matter.

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