WikiLeaks' Assange denied bail by London court over risk he might abscond again

By Michael Holden, Andrew MacAskill

 

 

LONDON (Reuters) -WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was denied bail on Wednesday by a British judge who said there was a risk he might flee justice while the United States tries again to secure his extradition.

 

Assange, who has spent more than eight years either holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London or in jail, had asked to be freed on bail after the court ruled on Monday that he should not be extradited because he would be at risk of suicide.

 

“I am satisfied that there are substantial grounds for believing that if Mr Assange is released today he would fail to surrender to court to face the appeal proceedings,” Judge Vanessa Baraitser told London’s Westminster Magistrates Court.

 

“As far as Mr Assange is concerned this case has not yet been won ... the outcome of this appeal is not yet known.”

 

The U.S. Department of Justice says it will continue to seek Assange’s extradition to face 18 criminal charges of breaking an espionage law and conspiring to hack government computers.

 

Assange’s partner, Stella Moris, said the judge’s decision to deny him bail was a huge disappointment and urged the United States to pardon him. WikiLeaks said it would appeal against the denial of bail.

 

Admirers hail Australian-born Assange, 49, as a hero for exposing what they describe as abuses of power by the United States. But detractors cast him as a dangerous figure who has undermined the security of the West, and dispute that he is a journalist.

 

WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables that laid bare often critical U.S. appraisals of world leaders, from Russian President Vladimir Putin to members of the Saudi royal family.

 

Assange made international headlines in early 2010 when WikiLeaks published a classified U.S. military video showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters that killed a dozen people in Baghdad, including two Reuters news staff.

 

Clair Dobbin, a lawyer representing the United States at the hearing, said Assange had gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid extradition and that he could try to leave the United Kingdom to flee justice.

 

“This court should be in no doubt as to Mr Assange’s resources, abilities and sheer wherewithal to arrange flight to another country,” Dobbin said. “This court should be under no illusion either as to the readiness of other states to offer Mr Assange protection.”

 

She said that the extradition request had been denied “on a single ground, that of his mental health. It is a decision that hangs on a single thread.”

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-01-06

 

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Rightfully so, flight is a risk here.

Not 'might' abscond. He would definitely abscond.

No case to answer, he should be freed. And they arrested a 92 year old man for daring to protest.

Abscond from what? He's not being extradited, end of story.

 

I wonder if the US will push for his arrest every time he travels

 

There is some precedent in cases like this where extradition to the US is denied, normally the detainee is released and that's the end of the matter.

If he gets extradited to the US before Jan. 20th DT will pardon him, IMO.  He could prove useful for future endeavors.  He could stay at Roger Stone's house and have sex with Stone's wife, so long as Roger can watch. ????

 

 

He's in jail for telling the truth. Free Assange !

What a sick world we live in...

48 minutes ago, bendejo said:

If he gets extradited to the US before Jan. 20th DT will pardon him, IMO.  He could prove useful for future endeavors.  He could stay at Roger Stone's house and have sex with Stone's wife, so long as Roger can watch. ????

 

 

It will take months to go to a higher court, hopefully Biden will drop it.

26 minutes ago, tribalfusion001 said:

It will take months to go to a higher court, hopefully Biden will drop it.

 

A President can't do anything due to the separation of the powers, he can pardon, that's it.

I vote swap him for that evil woman that killed the English kid and ran off claiming false diplomatic immunity rather than face justice !

Justice and the local law and not the same thing ... Can the UK sink any lower?

3 hours ago, spiekerjozef said:

He's in jail for telling the truth. Free Assange !

What a sick world we live in...

Nothing to do with any 'Truth' here, he and with the help of another traitor analyst Manning stole 500,000 confidential files files detailing aspects of military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, no truth no nothing, just a thieving act for money and notoriety...

 

4 hours ago, ukrules said:

Abscond from what? He's not being extradited, end of story.

 

He is a flight risk...Mexico has offered him a political asylum, a repeation of the 7 years Ecuadorian saga...

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

He is a flight risk...Mexico has offered him a political asylum, a repeation of the 7 years Ecuadorian saga...

His risk is leaving the UK and having this process start all over again so I think he would be highly motivated to stay in the UK at least for the foreseeable future.

 

Even returning to Australia is more of a risk if they don't give up....and it looks like they're not going to give up, not for now anyway.

 

The others who had their extradition denied are all in the UK but they are UK citizens. The risk would be if the UK decides to deport him - he would be back under arrest the moment he touched down in any non UK country.

 

5 hours ago, spiekerjozef said:

He's in jail for telling the truth. Free Assange !

What a sick world we live in...

He's in jail for ignoring a court order.  That's called breaking the law and being a criminal.

2 hours ago, Henk Langeweg said:

Justice and the local law and not the same thing ... Can the UK sink any lower?

I would think justice would be standing up as an accused in a court of law and arguing your case.  That's what most do.  Only cowards hide in a foreign embassy with their cat.

An outrage. He skipped bail for the Swedish trumped up charges not for the US allegations.

9 hours ago, ukrules said:

Abscond from what? He's not being extradited, end of story.

 

I wonder if the US will push for his arrest every time he travels

 

There is some precedent in cases like this where extradition to the US is denied, normally the detainee is released and that's the end of the matter.

There is an appeals process as noted in the article. He will be detained during that process as he has proved he is a flight risk.

4 hours ago, ezzra said:

Nothing to do with any 'Truth' here, he and with the help of another traitor analyst Manning stole 500,000 confidential files files detailing aspects of military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, no truth no nothing, just a thieving act for money and notoriety...

 

Rubbish. How is he a traitor? He isnt american.

 

You also forgot to use the word alleged, tut tut. He hasnt been convicted of what you say.

3 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

I would think justice would be standing up as an accused in a court of law and arguing your case.  That's what most do.  Only cowards hide in a foreign embassy with their cat.

Again, he was only wanted in sweden for questioning, no trial, when he was given asylum.

 

Justice would also be him arguing his case against extradition. Justice works both ways, he isnt a fugitive or on the run. He is certainly arguing his case in court, as you asked.

42 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

An outrage. He skipped bail for the Swedish trumped up charges not for the US allegations.

Its worse, he was only wanted for questioning.

3 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

He's in jail for ignoring a court order.  That's called breaking the law and being a criminal.

Time will tell....

Edward Snowden is proven and acknowledged a true hero now.

15 minutes ago, spiekerjozef said:

Time will tell....

Edward Snowden is proven and acknowledged a true hero now.

Snowden is a hero only to a few.  Most of us respect the law.  He didn't.  And now, hiding like a coward.

bail denied, good, now all that is needed is for the  judge's decision to be reversed by the Appeal Court and that low life can go to the US and get what he richly deserves. Wasn't his Swedish charge, since dropped,  that he had sex without consent ?  Wait until he gets to a US maximum security jail, then he will know what lack of consent really means. 

As always, an interesting variety of comments about Julian Assange here. My view of the man has changed hugely over the last few years. From someone I casually identified as an animal abusing, narcissistic, paedophile Russian rapist responsible for the deaths of hundreds of military personnel and informants to that of one of the greatest journalists and humanitarians of our age. How could I be so wrong? Easy, I absorbed without question all of the above as the legacy media portrayed him to be. What changed my opinion? The answer is I did my own research.  There are plenty of source documents (try the court records of the Manning trial and Assange hearing for starters) and credible reports on the internet that can help you sort fact from fiction. Yes, my internet browsing default is set to 'don't believe anything' so it does take time. I urge you all to spend that time as this issue of press freedom is vital to our future, here in Thailand, as it is all over the world.   

8 minutes ago, tokachinter said:

As always, an interesting variety of comments about Julian Assange here. My view of the man has changed hugely over the last few years. From someone I casually identified as an animal abusing, narcissistic, paedophile Russian rapist responsible for the deaths of hundreds of military personnel and informants to that of one of the greatest journalists and humanitarians of our age. How could I be so wrong? Easy, I absorbed without question all of the above as the legacy media portrayed him to be. What changed my opinion? The answer is I did my own research.  There are plenty of source documents (try the court records of the Manning trial and Assange hearing for starters) and credible reports on the internet that can help you sort fact from fiction. Yes, my internet browsing default is set to 'don't believe anything' so it does take time. I urge you all to spend that time as this issue of press freedom is vital to our future, here in Thailand, as it is all over the world.   

If you are not putting up links here to support your opinion, they must be dodgy.  The truth is, he's been indicted by the US for a variety of crimes.  They don't do this for fun, or without reason.  So, it must be serious.

 

He would be out of jail by now if he just dealt with it instead of hiding with his cat.  We have to follow the rule of law.  To do otherwise would be anarchy.

 

Let the court decide his fate, not internet keyboard warriors. LOL

41 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

bail denied, good, now all that is needed is for the  judge's decision to be reversed by the Appeal Court and that low life can go to the US and get what he richly deserves. Wasn't his Swedish charge, since dropped,  that he had sex without consent ?  Wait until he gets to a US maximum security jail, then he will know what lack of consent really means. 

 

What he deserves is a fair trial. What he richly deserves is the same.

 

No the swedish charge was not about consent. The sex was consensual, its because he took his condom off, which in sweden is rape.

 

Further, he was not charged, he was wanted for questioning.

 

So your rant is without merit,

5 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

If you are not putting up links here to support your opinion, they must be dodgy.  The truth is, he's been indicted by the US for a variety of crimes.  They don't do this for fun, or without reason.  So, it must be serious.

 

He would be out of jail by now if he just dealt with it instead of hiding with his cat.  We have to follow the rule of law.  To do otherwise would be anarchy.

 

Let the court decide his fate, not internet keyboard warriors. LOL

Which is what the court is doing.

55 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

Snowden is a hero only to a few.  Most of us respect the law.  He didn't.  And now, hiding like a coward.

How is he hiding, he is in jail going through a lawful process, you have been told this many times yet continue to say he is hiding, which is a lie.

58 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

Snowden is a hero only to a few.  Most of us respect the law.  He didn't.  And now, hiding like a coward.

Please tell us how assange is not respecting the law. Where is he hiding?

 

He is in jail, the courts are going through the process. It is you that does not respect the law by wanting to deny him his legal rights.