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posted by janrinok on Monday October 28 2019, @09:15PM   Printer-friendly
from the evil-is-what-evil-does dept.

Craig Murray of Information Clearing House writes about his observation at Westminster Magistrates Court:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/52433.htm

Before I get on to the blatant lack of fair process, the first thing I must note was Julian's condition. I was badly shocked by just how much weight my friend has lost, by the speed his hair has receded and by the appearance of premature and vastly accelerated ageing. He has a pronounced limp I have never seen before. Since his arrest he has lost over 15 kg in weight.

But his physical appearance was not as shocking as his mental deterioration. When asked to give his name and date of birth, he struggled visibly over several seconds to recall both. I will come to the important content of his statement at the end of proceedings in due course, but his difficulty in making it was very evident; it was a real struggle for him to articulate the words and focus his train of thought.

Until yesterday I had always been quietly sceptical of those who claimed that Julian's treatment amounted to torture – even of Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture – and sceptical of those who suggested he may be subject to debilitating drug treatments. But having attended the trials in Uzbekistan of several victims of extreme torture, and having worked with survivors from Sierra Leone and elsewhere, I can tell you that yesterday changed my mind entirely and Julian exhibited exactly the symptoms of a torture victim brought blinking into the light, particularly in terms of disorientation, confusion, and the real struggle to assert free will through the fog of learned helplessness.

I had been even more sceptical of those who claimed, as a senior member of his legal team did to me on Sunday night, that they were worried that Julian might not live to the end of the extradition process. I now find myself not only believing it, but haunted by the thought. Everybody in that court yesterday saw that one of the greatest journalists and most important dissidents of our times is being tortured to death by the state, before our eyes. To see my friend, the most articulate man, the fastest thinker, I have ever known, reduced to that shambling and incoherent wreck, was unbearable. Yet the agents of the state, particularly the callous magistrate Vanessa Baraitser, were not just prepared but eager to be a part of this bloodsport. She actually told him that if he were incapable of following proceedings, then his lawyers could explain what had happened to him later. The question of why a man who, by the very charges against him, was acknowledged to be highly intelligent and competent, had been reduced by the state to somebody incapable of following court proceedings, gave her not a millisecond of concern.

Now tell me some fine arguments justifying the legality and justness of such person destruction methodics, I wish to hear them.
 


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  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 28 2019, @09:43PM (13 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 28 2019, @09:43PM (#912975)

    they seem to be less inclined to take their marching orders from the US government

    I'll believe that when I see it, and not a moment sooner.

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  • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Monday October 28 2019, @10:08PM (12 children)

    by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Monday October 28 2019, @10:08PM (#912988)

    I am basing my view of the UK Supreme Court on the fact they followed the law, instead of doing what Boris wanted when they ruled on the prorogation of Parliament recently.

    I could be wrong of course.

    • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday October 28 2019, @11:41PM (7 children)

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday October 28 2019, @11:41PM (#913026) Journal

      Like every other court in the world, they get some things right, and other things wrong. The US has already ramrodded a couple of extraditions through the UK government, no reason right now to think they won't get their way again.

      • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday October 29 2019, @02:20AM (6 children)

        by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Tuesday October 29 2019, @02:20AM (#913090)

        You might be right.

        It seems odd to me. If there is one country in the world that ought to feel safe telling the US to bugger off, I would have thought it would be the UK.

        • (Score: 5, Insightful) by c0lo on Tuesday October 29 2019, @02:31AM (5 children)

          by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday October 29 2019, @02:31AM (#913098) Journal

          If there is one country in the world that ought to feel safe telling the US to bugger off, I would have thought it would be the UK.

          Snowden is in Russia, not UK. Just sayin'.

          --
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
          • (Score: 2) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Tuesday October 29 2019, @11:35AM (4 children)

            by GreatAuntAnesthesia (3275) on Tuesday October 29 2019, @11:35AM (#913226) Journal

            TFA is about Assange, not Snowden. Just sayin'.

            • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday October 29 2019, @11:57AM (3 children)

              by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday October 29 2019, @11:57AM (#913235) Journal

              Yeah, but the fact that Snowden is in Russia not UK does say something about the idea of UK being the country "that ought to feel safe telling the US to bugger off", dontcha think?

              --
              https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
              • (Score: 2) by toddestan on Wednesday October 30 2019, @02:47AM (2 children)

                by toddestan (4982) on Wednesday October 30 2019, @02:47AM (#913567)

                Russia can certainly tell the US to bugger off, and they very well might get away with it too. But I wouldn't call it a sure thing. The US has imposed sanctions against Russia. The US claims it's not about Snowden, it's up to you if you want to believe that or not.

                • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday October 30 2019, @03:00AM

                  by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday October 30 2019, @03:00AM (#913571) Journal

                  "that ought to feel safe telling the US to bugger off"

                  The US has imposed sanctions against Russia.

                  "Safe" doesn't necessarily means "for free", just that "I can afford the price without running into perils".
                  I'm not sure UK can put now enough on the table in terms of "advantages to US" or "resilience without US" to safely piss US off.

                  --
                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
                • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 30 2019, @08:20AM

                  by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday October 30 2019, @08:20AM (#913628)

                  Well maybe 99.9% Snowden and 0.1% Crimea?

    • (Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 28 2019, @11:47PM (3 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 28 2019, @11:47PM (#913028)

      Boris is trying to get done what the people voted for and the elites hate, so of course the UKSC overruled him. That ruling will be perfectly consistent with doing what other elites want with respect to Assange.

      • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 29 2019, @12:10AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 29 2019, @12:10AM (#913040)

        Elites financed the Leave campaign and people voted based in a £350M promise. Elites hate what they pushed... makes no sense, unless the game is seeing go get more feet blown. Boris is not getting that money, it was a lie.
        https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-350m-brexit-nhs-misled-uk-statistics-authority-the-telegraph-sir-david-norgrove-amber-a7951711.html [independent.co.uk]

        • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday October 29 2019, @02:24AM

          by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Tuesday October 29 2019, @02:24AM (#913093)

          £350M promise.

          £350 per week no less! When Boris lies, he goes all the way baby.

          It works too, as the useful idiot above proves.

      • (Score: 3, Informative) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Tuesday October 29 2019, @11:57AM

        by GreatAuntAnesthesia (3275) on Tuesday October 29 2019, @11:57AM (#913236) Journal

        That's a pack of lies.

        The people DID NOT VOTE FOR NO DEAL [theguardian.com]. In 2016 all the people now pushing us toward the cliff-edge were holding their hands up in feigned horror saying "heavens no, nobody would be so foolish as to suggest we might leave without a deal." Then they spent 3 years gaslighting and moving the goalposts to the point where they present it as SUPPORT CATASTROPHIC NO DEAL OR YOU'RE AN UNDEMOCRATIC MONSTER.

        The "Elites" driving this are soulless Eton-educated ERG autocrats like Johnson, Rees-Mogg and their lobbyists who are waiting in the wings to strip mine our economy and country.

        AC you are some combination of shill, liar and idiot. Go join Johnson in his ditch.