Assange should be furloughed from Belmarsh prison, says human rights org. Here's a thought: He could stay with friends! The son of British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood wants accused US government hacker Julian Assange "furloughed" from Belmarsh prison in southeast London, UK. The apparently serious suggestion was made by human rights charity Humanade, of which Joseph Corré is a trustee. Corré, Westwood's son by the late Sex Pistols …
a few more facts
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=17012
The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention Deems the deprivation of liberty of Mr. Julian Assange as arbitrary
On 4 December 2015, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) adopted Opinion No. 54/2015, in which it considered that Mr. Julian Assange was arbitrarily detained by the Governments of Sweden and the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and more recently , Belmarsh 2019
https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Terrorism/FinalSRTStatementGA14Oct 2019.pdf (pdf, 6 pages)
Mr. Assange showed a pattern of symptoms typical for long-term exposure to psychological torture, I regret to report that none of the concerned States have agreed to investigate or redress their alleged involvement in his abuse as required of them under human rights law.
from Nils Melzer, United Nations special rapporteur on Torture, professor of international law at the University of Glasgow; holds the Human Rights Chair at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights in Switzerland
The big problem is that Nils has got almost ALL of his information on the case from Assange and his lawyers, and thats got certain... "issues" with factuality. Like it forgets that in the first extradition hearing (Feb 2011) they tried to claim Ny never tried to interview Assange, and that Assange was free to leave the country.
Problem was, Ny submitted evidence showing that she'd arranged interviews, and that her last communication with Assange's lawyer was the day before the alleged interview, where she also informed the lawyer he'd probably be taken into custody.
How to reconcile this? Well, the court asked the lawyer to check his phone, and wouldn't you know it, everything Ny claimed turned out to be true, and everything the layer said turned out to be false. Then when asked when Assange left Sweden, turned out to be... a few hours after Hurtig was told Assange would be arrested the next day. Gee, what a coincidence! And for the UK, the country everyone that's trying to avoid the US goes to. Oh, and then because of that, his own experts turned on him and that rather than Ny doing a bad job and screwing him over, they said she was overly lenient with him, and they'd have put him in custody at the start, like is standard.
Nils is destroying his own reputation by going from a one-sided account that has - at best - a passing acquaintance with the facts.
"Mr. Assange showed a pattern of symptoms typical for long-term exposure to psychological torture, "
Not forgetting, of course, that the "signs of long term torture" could only be either a result of his choice to "self-isolate" in the Ecuadorian embassy or, alternatively, the Ecuadorians did it to him. The Brits and the Swedes had no access to him for most of the 2010's so were unable to torture him.
"If Assange contracts COVID-19 and dies, the UK government will be accused of deliberately and methodically killing Julian Assange."
WTAF? Why is this twat always portrayed as the victim and all the facts around as to why he is actually in prison just conveniently ignored every single time? He has proven to be completely untrustworthy and a flight risk so he should stay right where he is for as long as necessary until the legal process is complete.
The only thing furloughed here is the common sense and logic from the brains of Assange's supporters. I'm pretty sure under the current UK Covid-19 emergency legislation these supporters could be sectioned due to their tenuous grip on reality.
He is such a major flight risk that he cannot be released on furlough or similar.
But if he's that worried about contracting covid-19, there's another way to keep him safe... solitary confinement. If he has zero contact with any other living creature, the risk of contracting it are significantly reduced to the point of elimination.
I don't think the UK Government had any decisions on that particular behaviour. The case was about an extradition request which JA skipped bail and holed himself up in an embassy to escape justice.
The legal process was not about whether he was guilty of an offence, only whether the grounds for extradition were reasonable. He hadn't committed an offence in the UK at that point however as soon as he skipped bail, he had. That is an offence and rightly should be punished regardless. The place to fight the rights of an extradition are in the courts and not by committing another crime and saying that it doesn't matter because the first crime was not true.
"The UK government will stop at nothing to hunt down foreigners who have sex with foreigners abroad without a condom.Look at the masses of Met police swarming Ibiza every summer"
I think you will find that someone resident in the UK and wanted on rape charges by the Spanish would be treated exactly the same. Certainly while we were EU members and still now, while in the "transition period" such that the same rules apply.
They've been doing early release from prison for people eligible for parole, and some people were released early on the promise to return later when ordered! That would require a fair amount of trust, something that a guy who hid out in an embassy and cost British taxpayers millions of pounds to prevent him from escaping does not deserve.
Assange has proven to be a flight risk, so he should stay where he is.
If he stays in jail he might get Covid and if he does he might die. If he is released from jail he might get Covid and if he does he might die, but either way, he WILL definitely run. We already know that as he's quite extensive form on that.
The entire situation is one of his own making. He didn't have to do whatever he did to end up with rape accusations. He didn't have to flee the investigation and subject himself to a 7 year lockdown. He didn't have to do whatever he did to warrant an extradition request. He's a self made man in every respect - so frankly if he doesn't like what he has become, and if he doesn't like his current situation, he needs to own it and reflect that at each and every stage this was played for and got.
No tears.
Flight risk is not literally a flight as in aircraft flight risk - it means going somewhere else when you've been told to stay in a certain place. The Cambridge dictionary defines it as:
"someone who has been accused of a crime and is considered likely to try to escape out of the country or area before their trial begins."
Julian was told to stay at his bail address in the English countryside, but took off to the embassy in London.
C.
it was a quarter-million last time, didn't stop him, because it's not HIS money. Supporters are people for him to use as long as he can, then discard when no longer of benefit to him (usually calling them a traitor, or a turncoat, or something similar)
Supporters (including his Wikileaks assistants) got between 20% and 60% reduction on the sum promised, but they did pay a bit: Ref
This time anyone putting up money must know what they're getting into, so the courts would be better placed to grab the lot.
"This time anyone putting up money must know what they're getting into"
Given that he was already doing a runner last time they should have had a reasonable idea. It's difficult to see why they didn't get charged the full amount. There's no point setting bail if it's not to be forfeit in full.
Well, the reduced amount was decided by the judge, so I can't really comment on that; if ever I find myself on the hook, I'd like the courts to take into account changing circumstances.
As much as I like the purity of a system that straps you down and holds you to account irrespective, we've already got enough of those in our lives.
Can't let the robots take over completely.
By a couple of days ago --- whilst prison-states like Iran and Turkey have released one third of their inmates, about 100,000 each so far, and France is releasing 1000s --- the grand hoopla from the British on their mercy has so far released 33 people in England and Wales; and America and it's states has been equally parsimonious.
The chance of such a dangerous and wicked international criminal as Julian being freed is as likely as was Charles Manson who did great crimes of an equivalent magnitude. Or one of those demonic French serial killers who had an appointment with Madame Guillotine.
.
Anglos are vindictive and hate anyone not being punished. Even for dropping a crisp packet.
.
.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/apr/27/only-33-prisoners-in-england-and-wales-released-under-anti-coronavirus-measures
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/26/world/americas/coronavirus-brazil-prisons.html
We've actually released a lot more than a trickle of prisoners in California due to a proposition passed in 2018 that downgraded a lot of minor crimes, the process being necessary due to gross overcrowding in our prison system. More recently we've been trying to get people released who are on remand; these aren't dangerous felons but just poor people who can't afford cash bail or to pay a bail bonding company. This has met stiff resistance from -- you guessed it -- the bonding companies but the virus emergency provided DAs with the ability to kick out people by reducing their bail to 0$.
As for Assange, we live in 'democracies', dammit. We don't hold people indefinitely in solitary confinement in maximum security prisons, that's what totalitarian states like Iran does. Everyone knows that we're respecting Assange's rights, we are giving him due process and so on and even the Tooth Fairy agrees that we couldn't be more open and transparent.
As for Assange, we live in 'democracies', dammit. We don't hold people indefinitely in solitary confinement in maximum security prisons, that's what totalitarian states like Iran does. Everyone knows that we're respecting Assange's rights, we are giving him due process and so on and even the Tooth Fairy agrees that we couldn't be more open and transparent. .... martinusher
Hmmm? That sort of Donald Trumpian disinfectant grade sarcasm is problematic, martinusher, for some folk may actually believe it to be true and honest whenever surely so clearly not? And it has been particular effective in easily completely ruining the reputation of the justice system and judges in the UK., which is real bad and quite sad, don't you think?
whilst prison-states like Iran and Turkey have released one third of their inmates
Yeah when you're locking people up for literally no reason you can do this - Assange isn't locked up for no reason. If he hadn't fought the extradition which always was and always will go through because he has no viable legal argument then he'd be in the US and you never know he might have been bailed - I doubt it but it's possible. Sure as hell aint happening here.
Exactly. It's worth remembering that both of those states are in the habit of locking up "dissidents" and anyone else who might be linked to them such as friends or family. Especially after the failed coup in Turkey when many, many 1000's were arrested and locked away for the slightest possible hint that they knew someone involved.
Exactly. I'm no fan of incarceration, a system which in the US, and I would guess in the UK as well, is wildly abused, excessive, and unjust. But what makes Assange, an overrated relentless self-promoter who clearly puts self-interest first, and is patently guilty of the crime he's actually being punished for, deserving of this special treatment?
.... is a Hellishly Novel Crowning Confection in a Corrupt and Inept and Diseased SysAdmin
Crikey, Gareth, that was a very disappointing and enlightening screed which would do a rookie Integrity Initiative, the 77th Brigade, Bellingcat, and an Atlantic Council puff-piece, to name but four, proud.
'Tis though not something I would normally have expected to see and read about on El Reg with such a poisoned view so clearly expressed.
After all, it is not as if Assange is responsible for killing random men, women and children from an Apache helicopter gunship, is it, or scarpering offside to a friendly foreign homeland to escape justice for the admitted vehicular manslaughter of a complete innocent on a country road outside a UK US Airbase, although how very strange and perverse it is that the UK finds all of that so very acceptable and almost as if normal rather than indicative of a failed fascist stylised state.
It sure is a mad, mad, mad, mad world and getting even crazier day by day and 0day by 0day. Nice to see you are on board for the helter skelter rides.
However, nevertheless, lo and behold, you do appear to have a few fans amongst El Reg commentards, Gareth, if you can judge them by their replies on this thread. That's always usually considered encouraging.
... then follow the developments on Craig Murray's blog, before they lock him up as well (for the Crime of being an Independent Journalist).
The alleged crime of committing contempt of court, you mean? Further details, albeit brief, available from The Times.
The greatest threat to Assange seems to be Assange. If he hadn't skipped from Sweden he could have served whatever time he was due there and then moved on to wherever would be prepared to take him.
Instead, although there wasn't even a US extradition warrant against him, under the pretext of avoiding extradition to the US he fled to the UK where it would have been much easier for him to have been extradited to the US if they'd asked - which they hadn't. So he then took the extraordinary step of skipping bail, to the detriment of those who'd supported him with bail and hiding in an embassy from which there was no chance of escape without being rearrested. He stated there until (a) there was a US extradition warrant and (b) the Swedish process (which still had first dibbs on him) was pretty well exhausted.
The greatest threat to Assange seems to be Assange.
It always has been.
When Assange leaves prison, the only debate is where the plane goes - Australia, or America. I can't see any way that he won't get extradited after all the sticking his fingers up at the country. Frankly, as long as the plane takes off, I really don't mind where it goes.
This country must not become a safe haven for alleged rapists trying to flee the law. That the left get their pants in such a twist of Trump while at the same time completely ignoring Assanges behavior will become a textbook example for studies of cognitive dissonance in the year to come.
There are plenty of prisoners who should be given priority when it comes to early release on license, in order to mitigate the effects of a Covid-19 outbreak in prisons. There is a sizeable elderly population in prison, and there are many prisoners with bad health, who would be more at risk from Covid-19. I do not see Julian Assange fitting into these categories. Also, his previous behaviour indicates that he is likely to try to escape justice if released from prison, which would be a no-no for any consideration of early release, I believe.
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
