from the wheels-of-'justice'-grinding-away dept.
In what Shadowproof‘s Kevin Gosztola calls “a not-so-subtle effort to criminalize the journalism of an adversarial media organization that the United States has spent the last decade working to destroy,” WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been hit with another superseding indictment [PDF] by the US Department of Justice.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/wikileaks-founder-charged-superseding-indictment
The new indictment does not add additional counts to the prior 18-count superseding indictment returned against Assange in May 2019. It does, however, broaden the scope of the conspiracy surrounding alleged computer intrusions with which Assange was previously charged. According to the charging document, Assange and others at WikiLeaks recruited and agreed with hackers to commit computer intrusions to benefit WikiLeaks.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2020/06/25/assa-j25.html
Significantly, none of the events was held in the United States, but are cited as evidence of intent, or conspiracy, to violate American laws. This is in line with the unprecedented assertion of extraterritorial jurisdiction on which the entire indictment is based. The Justice Department is essentially arguing that domestic US laws apply to all individuals and gatherings in every part of the world.
Unlike the previous indictment, the latest US charge sheet condemns Assange over WikiLeaks’ role in assisting Edward Snowden to travel from Hong Kong to Russia in 2013, where he successfully obtained political asylum. Snowden is a multi-award winning whistleblower, who exposed illegal global surveillance operations by the US National Security Agency.
The document complains that WikiLeaks publicised its role in defending Snowden to display its commitment to whistleblower protection. This alone brands the new indictment as a further assault on fundamental journalistic practices.
A substantial part of the new material in the indictment appears to be based on testimony and information provided by two acknowledged informants of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI): Sigurdur “Siggi” Thordarson, named in the document as “Teenager,” and Hector Monsegur, known by the online pseudonym “Sabu.”
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2020, @06:35AM
I missed a link in the first quote to the Shadowproof article: https://shadowproof.com/2020/06/25/assange-indictment-wikileaks-staff-criminalized-help-snowden/ [shadowproof.com]
Also just for clarification, I added those links Thordarson and Monsegur at the end of the last quote. Those were /not/ in the original wsws article (wsws only ever seems to link to themselves. I'm sure there's a good commie joke to be made there, but I'm too lazy. TMB?).
(Score: 2) by leon_the_cat on Saturday June 27 2020, @06:50AM (3 children)
death by burocracy.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by canopic jug on Saturday June 27 2020, @10:36AM (1 child)
It does seem to be the UK's/Sweden's/USA's end game in regards to him personally, they have been on the way to arrange it so that he dies 'by accident'. The noted medical journal, The Lancet, has also posted recently about the ongoing torture and medical neglect of Julian Assange [thelancet.com]:
It's been clear for years that he's being abused for political reasons, thus making him a political prisoner in Europe.
However the long game seems to be about reining in or eliminating journalism in general, at a global level.
Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2020, @11:41AM
I think they plagiarized that from a recent PETA press release:
"We reiterate our demand to end the torture and medical neglect of Julian Assange's cat. PETA states that, in view of Mr Assange's cat being a victim of psychological torture, Assange's extradition to the USA would be warranted under international animal rights law. PETA emphasises that withholding appropriate litterbox changes can itself amount to torture, and under the Convention Against Torture, those acting in guardianship capacities can be held complicit and accountable not only for perpetration of torture, but for their silent acquiescence and consent. As veterinarians, we have a professional and ethical duty to speak out against, report, and stop torture. Silence on Mr Assange's cat's torture might well facilitate its death. The silence must be broken. Now. Please join us!"
(Score: 4, Informative) by EEMac on Saturday June 27 2020, @01:07PM
It's very much "make an example of him so nobody else dares do the same thing." Actual justice isn't even in the picture at this point.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2020, @06:53AM (6 children)
Perfect example of the corrupt Democrats destroying a man's life to protect their corrupt agenda. If only someone could stop them... TRUMP! DO SOMETHING! ANYTHING!
(Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2020, @07:22AM (5 children)
LOL. Trump is as anti-whistleblower as it gets. He would love for Assange to die in prison.
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/02/24/europe/assange-extradition-hearing-intl-gbr/index.html [cnn.com]
https://amp.theguardian.com/media/2020/feb/19/donald-trump-offered-julian-assange-pardon-russia-hack-wikileaks [theguardian.com]
(Score: 1, Troll) by Tokolosh on Saturday June 27 2020, @02:44PM (2 children)
Keep building the Deep State.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2020, @03:03PM (1 child)
Right... if it's all the "deep state's" fault, why hasn't Trump pardoned Assange? Why is he trying to "make an example of him"? This has nothing to do with partisan conspiracy theories, and everything to do with a bipartisan effort by the ruling class to exert full control over the national media so that they can control popular opinion.
(Score: 2) by Tokolosh on Sunday June 28 2020, @03:03PM
Because he is an idiot, unable to see logical contradictions. He is not alone.
"Once you've built the big machinery of political power, remember you won't always be the one to run it." -- P. J. O'Rourke
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2020, @05:02PM
dude, you fed a troll!
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Thexalon on Saturday June 27 2020, @05:32PM
And it should be pointed out that a dead Assange can't testify against anyone within Trump's organization who there's reason to believe he conspired with for the actions that got him into US prison in the first place.
So it's not just "Trump hates whistleblowers", it's also "Trump hates potential witnesses against himself". Also known as "Jeffrey Epstein".
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Saturday June 27 2020, @07:39AM (1 child)
Are they going to drop all charges? Or is the guy fucked either way?
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2020, @11:06AM
Fucked either way. Hillary wanted to drone him and the rest of them are still kissing her wrinkly old ass.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Saturday June 27 2020, @07:42AM (12 children)
Well at least there's a semblance of due process. That beats the US bombing civilians with drones in foreign countries any day.
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Saturday June 27 2020, @11:22AM (5 children)
wonder how many meetings there were, discussing the ramifications of making a house in London into a smoking ruin?
(They could have sold tickets to a WW2 reenactment site)
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2020, @11:36AM (3 children)
Problem is that he's in an embassy -- otherwise there would have been an unfortunate explosion due to a "gas leak".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2020, @08:54PM (2 children)
Assange is, and has been, in an English gaol for more than a year. [aljazeera.com]
Let me tell you how this is going to go.
1. Eventually, Assange will be extradited to the US;
2. After a lengthy stint in a Federal detention facility, he will go on trial;
3. Assange will most likely be acquitted. If not, he'll likely receive a 2-4 year sentence;
The above likely would have happened years ago if Assange hadn't hid out in the Ecuadorian Embassy for seven years, and Assange would long have been a free man.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2020, @10:40PM (1 child)
You're an optimist. I doubt Assange will get anything but a kangaroo court.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 28 2020, @02:05AM
I guess we'll just have to wait and see what actually happens.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Saturday June 27 2020, @05:16PM
making a house in London into a smoking ruin
Worked in Philly [wikipedia.org]... smoked a bunch of houses
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Saturday June 27 2020, @02:43PM (3 children)
Yes. The same semblance to due process that the 8 foot 400 pound man in a village of people who all weigh less than 150 pounds can claim when he beats hell out of his neighbors.
I can't have any respect for any of this. The US sings the praises of freedom of the press, and here all the hypocrites in America join in to crucify a reporter who didn't ask permission to publish his stuff.
It's like a feeding frenzy in a shark tank, or something equally primal.
(Score: 0, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2020, @03:02PM (2 children)
"Reporter". LOL. Thanks, a good laugh to start my day.
He'll dump the stuff when the Russians give it to him. He'll dump stuff when he coordinates it with Trump because he hated Hillary. But for the stuff he acquired because he convinced some dupe who is stupid enough to think he has integrity, he drip-drip-drips it out to keep himself in the news.
Just a simple narcissist getting his comeuppance by making deals with other narcissists who have now thrown him to the curb now that he is no longer useful to him.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Saturday June 27 2020, @03:16PM
Interesting point of view. Maybe you should listen again to Don Henley's 'Dirty Laundry'. Most of those news hounds are psychotic in some way or another, and the system only makes them worse.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 28 2020, @10:07PM
You're a moron.
"Journalist" doesn't mean "good journalist." Muckrakers and op-ed writers and little league reporters are all journalists. They all enjoy freedom of the press, whether they publish concise and pithy articles or bloated incomprehensible rambles. You and I don't get to decide whether someone "dumping" data is doing good or bad reporting.
(Score: 2) by Tokolosh on Saturday June 27 2020, @02:48PM
Due process:
1. Make everything a crime, anywhere, anytime.
2. Make thinking about a crime, a crime.
3. Pick a crime useful to your purpose.
4. Follow due process.
5. Profit.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 28 2020, @10:03PM
This "semblance of due process" is no semblance to such at all. Due process can only be in the jurisdiction in question, and Assange committed no USA-law-crime while in the USA.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday June 27 2020, @03:29PM
if you want the corrupt kettle to xplode you cannot release sensational pressure periodically.
you gotta keep it iiiiiiiinnnnn yaah!
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Sunday June 28 2020, @12:11AM
It's disgraceful that the US government continues to hound Snowden and Assange. They must be pardoned and left alone. They are heroes.
Sadly, even if they were pardoned and officially left alone, the persecution would likely never stop. The Deep State/1%/Lizard People remain, and will continue until they no longer remain.
Washington DC delenda est.