Julian Assange Extradition Trial

[Vince Koloski]

For anyone interested in the trial the best summaries I have found are at the Craig Murray website. Murray is an ex UK ambassador and academic who has be queueing each day at 6:00 a.m. to get one of the 16 seats allowed for the public. The top essay is for day four, scrolling down leads you to day one for reading in order.

It is interesting to me that the mainstream media (and truth be told much of the alternative media) has not been devoting much coverage to the trial. On day one the UK prosecutor began his statement by claiming that in no way does this trial threaten the ability of the press to publish secret documents it acquires. However, in the afternoon session of the same day, after a question put to him by the judge, he completely reversed his position and made the statement that a decision in favor of extradition would mean that any person or organization that either published or even possessed information that could fall under the official secrets act would be subject to criminal prosecution and further, that freedom of the press type defenses would not apply. None of the major UK papers reported this or seemed to react at all even though it puts them all under threat of prosecution if they reveal uncomfortable government secrets. As far as I am aware none of the USA media outlets seemed aware of the statement as well nor of the implications for their organizations if Assange is extradited and tried in the USA. The USA government has already stated that their line of prosecution will be the same and in fact has a contingent of lawyers at the extradition trial advising the UK prosecutors. 

It seems the trial may be one of the most important freedom of the press legal actions of our time, yet it is proceeding almost sub-rosa.

https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/

Vince