{"id":131424,"date":"2019-04-15T12:01:08","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T11:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=131424"},"modified":"2019-04-13T15:50:17","modified_gmt":"2019-04-13T14:50:17","slug":"julian-assange-arrested-in-london-after-ecuador-withdraws-asylum-u-s-requests-extradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2019\/04\/julian-assange-arrested-in-london-after-ecuador-withdraws-asylum-u-s-requests-extradition\/","title":{"rendered":"Julian Assange Arrested in London After Ecuador Withdraws Asylum; U.S. Requests Extradition"},"content":{"rendered":"

11 Apr 2019 – <\/em>Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, was arrested on Thursday inside Ecuador\u2019s Embassy in London, where he had lived since 2012 under diplomatic protection. London\u2019s Metropolitan Police Service said in a statement<\/a> its officers were \u201cinvited into the embassy by the Ambassador, following the Ecuadorian government\u2019s withdrawal of asylum.\u201d<\/p>\n

Video of Assange being dragged from the embassy was captured on a livestream set up by Ruptly, a Russian government news agency:<\/strong><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8oqJiNzJQ_E<\/p>\n

Assange\u2019s lawyer, Jen Robinson, tweeted that he had been arrested not just for breach of bail conditions in the United Kingdom, but also in relation to an American extradition request. Apparently citing Assange himself as a source, the lawyer said the warrant was for allegedly conspiring with Chelsea Manning to leak documents in 2010.<\/p>\n

From #Assange<\/a>: The US warrant was issued in December 2017 and is for conspiracy with Chelsea Manning @xychelsea<\/a> in early 2010.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jen Robinson (@suigenerisjen) April 11, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

A subsequent police statement confirmed<\/a> that Assange was \u201cfurther arrested on behalf of the United States authorities, at 10:53 hrs after his arrival at a central London police station. This is an extradition warrant under Section 73 of the Extradition Act.\u201d<\/p>\n

Assange, 47, was then taken from a central London police station to Westminster Magistrates\u2019 Court. The force explained that it acted initially on a warrant issued by that court after Assange took refuge in the embassy in 2012<\/a>, violating bail conditions by not attending a hearing on his attempt to resist extradition to Sweden, where he was wanted for questioning<\/a> on sexual misconduct allegations leveled against him by two women.<\/p>\n

In May 2017, Swedish prosecutors announced<\/a>\u00a0that they were closing their investigation into the sexual assault allegations in light of Assange\u2019s asylum and the time that had elapsed.<\/p>\n

Daniel Sandford, a BBC journalist inside the courtroom for Assange\u2019s appearance reported via Twitter<\/a> that the WikiLeaks founder pleaded \u201cnot guilty\u201d to violating the terms of his bail in 2012, but refused to give evidence.<\/p>\n

The judge later found Assange guilty of failing to surrender and scheduled a court appearance for May 2 on the U.S. extradition request.<\/p>\n

He says Julian Assange\u2019s behaviour is \u201cthe behaviour of a narcissist who cannot get beyond his own selfish interest\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Daniel Sandford (@BBCDanielS) April 11, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Julian Assange will next appear on the 2nd of May by video link at this court on the extradition matter. He will next appear on the bail offence at Southwark Crown Court on a date to be announced. Hearing over.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Daniel Sandford (@BBCDanielS) April 11, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

U.S. prosecutors later unsealed their indictment against Assange<\/a>, saying that he was wanted \u201cin connection with a federal charge of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion for agreeing to break a password to a classified U.S. government computer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, charged in computer hacking conspiracy. Click here for copy of the indictment: https:\/\/t.co\/9JItxR6VRX<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 U.S. Attorney EDVA (@EDVAnews) April 11, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThe indictment alleges that in March 2010, Assange engaged in a conspiracy with Chelsea Manning, a former intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army, to assist Manning in cracking a password stored on U.S. Department of Defense computers,\u201d prosecutors said.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the conspiracy, Manning and Assange engaged in real-time discussions regarding Manning\u2019s transmission of classified records to Assange,\u201d the prosecutors claimed. \u201cThe discussions also reflect Assange actively encouraging Manning to provide more information. During an exchange, Manning told Assange that \u2018after this upload, that\u2019s all I really have got left.\u2019 To which Assange replied, \u2018curious eyes never run dry in my experience.’\u201d<\/p>\n

The indictment claims that Manning provided Assange with part of the password only after she \u201chad already provided WikiLeaks with hundreds of thousands of classified records,\u201d related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A subsequent section of the indictment appears to indicate that Assange did not succeed in cracking the password.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Ecuador\u2019s president, Len\u00edn Moreno, released a video statement explaining his decision to withdraw the diplomatic asylum granted to Assange by his predecessor, accusing Assange of \u201cdiscourteous and aggressive behavior,\u201d and \u201chostile and threatening declarations against Ecuador and especially the transgression of international treaties.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a sovereign decision Ecuador withdrew the asylum status to Julian Assange after his repeated violations to international conventions and daily-life protocols. #EcuadorSoberano<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/pZsDsYNI0B<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Len\u00edn Moreno (@Lenin) April 11, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cHe particularly violated the norm of not intervening in the internal affairs of other states,\u201d Moreno added.<\/p>\n

Moreno also said that British authorities had offered him a guarantee that Assange would not be extradited to a country where he could be tortured or face the death penalty. That seemed like a clear reference to the United States, where, the United States attorney\u2019s office for the Eastern District of Virginia accidentally revealed in November that it had filed a secret indictment<\/a> charging Assange with crimes related to WikiLeaks disclosures.<\/p>\n

You guys should read EDVA court filings more, cheaper than a Journal subscription pic.twitter.com\/YULeeQphmd<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Seamus Hughes (@SeamusHughes) November 16, 2018<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Chelsea Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst who was convicted of leaking military and diplomatic files to WikiLeaks before having her sentence commuted by former President Barack Obama, is currently in jail for refusing to testify about her decision in 2010.<\/p>\n

WikiLeaks has claimed in recent weeks that Ecuador had turned against Assange because of what Moreno took to be Assange\u2019s part in the alleged hacking of his own phone.<\/p>\n

Corruption investigation opened against Ecuador’s president Moreno, after purported leaked contents of his iPhone (Whatsapp, Telegram) & Gmail were published. New York Times reported that Moreno tried to sell Assange to US for debt relief. https:\/\/t.co\/0KFcBrnUfr<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) March 25, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Last week, after private photographs of Moreno and his family were posted online, the president told the Ecuadorean Radio Broadcasters\u2019 Association that Assange did not have the right to \u201chack private accounts or phones\u201d while enjoying diplomatic asylum.<\/p>\n

Although Moreno did not directly connect Assange to that leak, Reuters reported<\/a> that his government said it believed the photos were shared by WikiLeaks.<\/p>\n

Julian Assange \u2013 the best picture so far \u2013 by Reuters @PBANicholls<\/a> Thumbs up in handcuffs: Julian Assange leaves police station for court pic.twitter.com\/x2hcRimYz6<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Guy Faulconbridge (@GuyReuters) April 11, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Sweden\u2019s Chief Prosecutor Ingrid Isgren said in a statement<\/a> the arrest \u201cis news to us too, so we have not been able to take a position on the information that is now available. We also do not know why he is under arrest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Assange\u2019s arrest was condemned by many supporters, including Edward Snowden, who reminded journalists that the United Nations had \u201cformally ruled his detention to be arbitrary, a violation of human rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

Important background for journalists covering the arrest of Julian #Assange<\/a> by Ecuador: the United Nations formally ruled his detention to be arbitrary, a violation of human rights. They have repeatedly issued statements calling for him to walk free\u2013including very recently. pic.twitter.com\/fr12rYdWUF<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Edward Snowden (@Snowden) April 11, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

My colleague Glenn Greenwald seconded the concerns expressed by The Guardian\u2019s Ewen MacAskill, who was also part of the team that published the first Snowden disclosures, that Assange is apparently wanted in the U.S. for leaking documents that were also published by The Guardian, the New York Times, Der Spiegel, and El Pais.<\/p>\n

This from @Guardian<\/a> reporter @ewenmacaskill<\/a> is critical. Note Obama DOJ looked but found no evidence that Assange worked with Manning, but even if he had, journalists often work with sources. Still a huge threat to press freedom, as @dankennedy_nu<\/a> argued https:\/\/t.co\/QeIbnUQwdk<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/m2fDZASppa<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) April 11, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Alan Rusbridger, the former Guardian editor-in-chief, voiced similar concerns.<\/p>\n

Have often not seen eye to eye with Assange. Aspects of his behaviour over the years trouble me \u2013 eg never liked indiscriminate dumping of unredacted material. But have always said would stand by him in defence of what Guardian and @nytimes<\/a> published in 2010\/11<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 alan rusbridger (@arusbridger) April 11, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As my colleague Peter Maass argued, even many of those who dislike Assange\u2019s subsequent intervention in U.S. politics<\/a> on behalf of Donald Trump have agree that the very first item from Manning\u2019s leak published by WikiLeaks, video<\/a> showing the killing of civilians and journalists by U.S. forces in Iraq, had an undeniably important impact.<\/p>\n

Our understanding of what’s happened in Iraq has been shaped by the rare leaks of visual evidence of war crimes by U.S. forces. You can dislike Assange for justifiable reasons, but the video Chelsea Manning leaked to him, and that Wikileaks published, is stunningly important. pic.twitter.com\/aabR2hI8Nj<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Peter Maass (@maassp) April 11, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That video, recorded from the cockpit of an Apache military helicopter in Iraq in 2007, showed American soldiers killing at least eighteen people, including two Reuters journalists. The leader of Britain\u2019s opposition Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn, shared an except from it on Twitter to argue against Assange\u2019s extradition.<\/p>\n

The extradition of Julian Assange to the US for exposing evidence of atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan should be opposed by the British government.pic.twitter.com\/CxTUrOfkHt<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) April 11, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ecuador\u2019s former president, Rafael Correa, who granted Assange asylum, denounced the decision.<\/p>\n

The greatest traitor in Ecuadorian and Latin American history, Lenin Moreno, allowed the British police to enter our embassy in London to arrest Assange.
\nMoreno is a corrupt man, but what he has done is a crime that humanity will never forget. https:\/\/t.co\/XhT51MA6c6<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 Rafael Correa (@MashiRafael) April 11, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cJulian Assange is no hero. He has hidden from the truth for years and years,\u201d the U.K. foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, told the BBC. \u201cIt\u2019s not so much Julian Assange being held hostage in the Ecuadorean Embassy, it\u2019s actually Julian Assange holding the Ecuadorean Embassy hostage, in a situation that was absolutely intolerable for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Julian Assange is no hero. He has hidden from the truth for years and years”<\/em><\/p>\n

UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says a “courageous decision” by Ecuador’s new leader Lenin Moreno led to the arrest of #Wikileaks<\/a> co-founder in Londonhttps:\/\/t.co\/maAHGMUkjf<\/a> #Assange<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/i8jzpSp4nq<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) April 11, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThis will now be decided properly, independently by the British legal system, respected throughout the world for its independence and integrity,\u201d Hunt added.<\/p>\n

In a statement to the media after the hearing, Kristinn Hrafnsson, the current editor of WikiLeaks said, of the U.S. prosecutors charge that Assange was guilty of conspiracy: \u201cit\u2019s a conspiracy to commit journalism.\u201d<\/p>\n

His lawyer, Jen Robinson, said that she and Assange had been correct to warn that the U.S. would try to prosecute him for publishing the Manning leaks in 2010.<\/p>\n

“This sets a dangerous precedent\u2026 any journalist can be extradited for prosecution in the US for having published truthful information about the US”<\/em><\/p>\n

Julian Assange’s lawyer Jennifer Robinson confirms Wikileaks co-founder will fight extraditionhttps:\/\/t.co\/4ioyi5LlrF<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/y1pHKyjF1D<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) April 11, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Robinson told the media outside the court she had a message from Assange: \u201cI told you so.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bizarre twist of Assange being indicted by the Trump Administration\u2019s Justice Department, after Donald Trump spent the last weeks of the 2016 campaign telling crowds \u201cI love WikiLeaks,\u201d and his son was in secret communication with the organization, was not lost on reporters in Washington.<\/p>\n

Trump declared his love for WikiLeaks many times on the campaign trail\u2026and the admiration was apparently mutual. https:\/\/t.co\/UMjghHQKaW<\/a> #inners<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/sYvBDs6Rcn<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 All In w\/Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) November 14, 2017<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Asked on Thursday by Karen Travers of ABC News, \u201cDo you still love WikiLeaks?\u201d Trump cast himself as a detached bystander, saying, \u201cI know nothing about Wikileaks, it\u2019s not my thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

“I know nothing about Wikileaks, it’s not my thing,” President Trump tells ABC News’ @karentravers<\/a> when asked if he still loves Wikileaks amid Julian Assange’s arrest.<\/em><\/p>\n

“I know nothing really about him, it’s not my deal in life,” Trump says of Assange https:\/\/t.co\/tO2gt5IH8r<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/uufzAtUWEv<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) April 11, 2019<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI know nothing really about him, it\u2019s not my deal in life,\u201d Trump added. \u201cI don\u2019t really have any opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Related:<\/em><\/p>\n