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martyb [soylentnews.org] writes:

Julian Assange Jailed for 50 Weeks for Breaching Bail in 2012 [theguardian.com]:

Julian Assange [theguardian.com] has been sentenced to just under a year in jail for breaching bail conditions after spending almost seven years inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

A judge largely rejected the mitigating factors [judiciary.uk] put forward by lawyers for the WikiLeaks founder, who had also written a letter in which he expressed regret for his actions but claimed he had been left with no choice.

In the letter, read out in court by his lawyer, Mark Summers, Assange said: “I apologise unreservedly to those who consider that I have disrespected them by the way I have pursued my case. This is not what I wanted or intended.

“I found myself struggling with terrifying circumstances for which neither I nor those from whom I sought advice could work out any remedy. I did what I thought at the time was the best and perhaps the only thing that could be done – which I hoped might lead to a legal resolution being reached between Ecuador [theguardian.com] and Sweden that would protect me from the worst of my fears.

“I regret the course that this took; the difficulties were instead compounded and impacted upon very many others. While the difficulties I now face may have become even greater, nevertheless it is right for me to say this now.”

Assange, who took refuge in the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden on rape accusations, was arrested on 11 April after Ecuador terminated his asylum.

Also at: BBC [bbc.com], Ars Technica [arstechnica.com], CNET [cnet.com], and The Register [theregister.co.uk].

Original Submission