• Disrupting Power Since 2015
  • Donate
  • Login
Sunday, May 18, 2025
  • Login
  • Register
Canary
MEDIA THAT DISRUPTS
  • News
    • UK
    • Global
    • Analysis
    • Trending
  • Editorial
  • Features
    • Features
    • Environment
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Money
    • Science
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Sport & Gaming
  • Media
    • Video
    • Cartoons
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
MANAGE SUBSCRIPTION
SUPPORT
  • News
    • UK
    • Global
    • Analysis
    • Trending
  • Editorial
  • Features
    • Features
    • Environment
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Money
    • Science
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Sport & Gaming
  • Media
    • Video
    • Cartoons
  • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
Canary
No Result
View All Result

Prosecution of Assange may be severely compromised under English law, agrees barrister

Tom Coburg by Tom Coburg
13 May 2019
in Analysis, Global, UK
Reading Time: 4 mins read
165 7
A A
2
Home Global Analysis
319
SHARES
2.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A barrister and adviser to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange argues that any intended prosecution of him by the US or Sweden may have been severely compromised. And as such, that would invalidate any extradition request from either of those countries.

Consequences of US political interference

Commentary on Assange and WikiLeaks by US politicians has been rife. For example, CIA chief Mike Pompeo described WikiLeaks as a “hostile intelligence service”. There have also been numerous threats (including death threats) against Assange from the US, including by senior politicians:

  • Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin demanded that Assange be “hunted down like the Al-Qaeda leadership”.
  • In 2010, former US vice-president Joe Biden referred to Assange as a “high-tech terrorist”.
  • Former political operative and media pundit Bob Beckel suggested in 2011 that the US should assassinate Assange, saying: “A dead man can’t leak stuff. This guy’s a traitor… treasonous. And he has broken every law of the United States… And I’m not for the death penalty, so… there’s only one way to do it: illegally shoot the son of a bitch”.

Australian lawyer and Assange adviser Greg Barns told The Canary:

These threats are clearly material to a permanent stay application.

Barns explained how, if it can be shown that prejudicial comment reached saturation point, there’s an argument for saying it would be impossible for Assange to get a fair trial.

In other words, these threats by leading figures would likely prejudice any case brought against Assange.

Privileged communications compromised

The concept of legal professional privilege refers to client-lawyer confidentiality and remains a cornerstone of the English legal system. If that confidentiality is breached, any legal case under consideration could be regarded as invalid.

Ecuador, however, has reportedly agreed to hand over all documents and other material belonging to Assange to the US. This move has received significant criticism:

https://twitter.com/avilarenata/status/1127842728811868160

WikiLeaks previously suggested that these developments began with a fake news story in the Guardian:

BREAKING: On Jan 7 DoJ issued letters rogatory to interrogate six former diplomats & staff at Ecuador's London embassy following Guardian's fabricated story of Assange-Manafort meetings. Ecuador scheduled all to be interrogated tomorrow in Quito

Context: https://t.co/jFzuiRUaYo

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 17, 2019

The Canary previously reported on this fake news story, revealing that former Ecuadorian consul Fidel Narváez was adamant that Manafort had never visited the London embassy. We followed that article with evidence of who was behind the fake news.

Now, internationally renowned judge Baltasar Garzón has condemned this collusion between Ecuador and the US:

Ecuador has been sequestering Assange’s belongings since his arrest. Now we know why: To hand them over to the US in violation of international law. Ecuador’s vile behaviour is not new as they have been sending information on Assange to the US for months.https://t.co/L9e69EEgHR pic.twitter.com/Z6b3CYQcvp

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) May 12, 2019

Overreach of CPS

And it doesn’t end there.

The Criminal Prosecution Service (CPS) may have also overstepped its role in its liaison over several years with its Swedish equivalent in regard to alleged sexual offences committed by Assange. (Swedish authorities have just reopened one investigation at the request of the alleged survivor’s lawyer.)

In August 2012, in response to an article saying Sweden could withdraw the warrant against Assange, a CPS staffer (name redacted) warned Sweden’s director of public prosecutions Marianne Ny:

Don’t you dare get cold feet!!!

Assange’s lawyer Jen Robinson commented:

We had been offering the Swedish prosecutors Assange’s testimony since October 2010. We didn’t know at the time that the CPS was advising them not to take up the offer.

The sheer amount of email exchanges between the two prosecution services is possibly unprecedented:

  • Exhibit one
  • Exhibit two

But these are by no means all the correspondence, for it is believed many emails were destroyed by the CPS. According to Robinson:

The CPS has disclosed some material which is very limited. We know there is more.

This overreach could be considered political. The Canary believes that no allegations of sexual assault or rape should ever become politicised by either side.

Compromised

The above offers three examples of why the authorities in the US, Britain and Sweden may have compromised the cases they could present against Assange. And the charges referred to in the US indictment against Assange can be challenged too, in terms of their viability.

But whatever proceeds next, the law must always demonstrate it is above political interference. To do otherwise threatens the integrity of that law and does a great disservice to all parties.

Featured image via Lonpicman-Wikimedia Commons

Share128Tweet80
Previous Post

Running for election taught me that if you want to change the country, stop sitting on the sidelines and get involved

Next Post

Deep down, we all know Andrew Marr and Andrew Neil can only boost the far right. Here’s why.

Next Post
Ben Shapiro and Nigel Farage

Deep down, we all know Andrew Marr and Andrew Neil can only boost the far right. Here’s why.

A picture of members of the Workers' Party of Ireland at a housing demonstration in Dublin

Irish rental housing is more inaccessible than ever before. Protesters prepare to hit the streets.

Madonna and Israel Eurovision logo

Madonna's own song just got turned into a call to boycott Eurovision 2019 in Israel

A photo of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

With one Twitter thread, Ocasio-Cortez destroys the myth that poor people are poor because they're 'irresponsible'

Homeless person and a prison cell

Sitting on a pavement just landed a homeless person 20 weeks in jail

Please login to join discussion
If you can’t beat them, join them. Right? If Keir Starmer hasn’t joined them, he certainly has just made the daunting prospect of a Farage-led government just that bit more likely.
Opinion

#SwindonsSundaySermon: if you can’t beat ’em – make sure you’re even worse

by Rachael Swindon
18 May 2025
This year, the Sunday Times rich list came out on the same day as financial regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) revealed that 21% of UK people have less than £1,000 in their bank.
Analysis

Two sets of figures just dropped. Together they show an alarming reality about the UK

by James Wright
18 May 2025
Disabled people set to take to parliament en masse to oppose DWP cuts
Analysis

Disabled people set to take to parliament en masse to oppose DWP cuts

by The Canary
16 May 2025
Southern Water are threatening a journalist with defamation for asking difficult questions
Analysis

Southern Water are threatening a journalist with defamation for doing their job

by HG
16 May 2025
FIFA face human rights questions over upcoming world cups in Saudi Arabia and the US
Analysis

FIFA face human rights questions over upcoming world cups in Saudi Arabia and the US

by Maryam Jameela
16 May 2025
  • Contact
  • About & FAQ
  • Get our Daily News Email
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

The Canary
PO Box 71199
LONDON
SE20 9EX

Canary Media Ltd – registered in England. Company registration number 09788095.

For guest posting, contact [email protected]

For other enquiries, contact: [email protected]

The Canary is owned and run by independent journalists and volunteers, NOT offshore billionaires.

You can write for us, or support us by making a regular or one-off donation.

© Canary Media Ltd 2024, all rights reserved | Website by Monster | Hosted by Krystal | Privacy Settings

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • UK
    • Global
    • Analysis
    • Trending
  • Editorial
  • Features
    • Features
    • Environment
    • Lifestyle
    • Health
    • Money
    • Science
    • Business
    • Tech
    • Travel
    • Sport & Gaming
  • Media
    • Video
    • Cartoons
  • Opinion

© 2023 Canary - Worker's co-op.

Before you go, have you seen...?

If you can’t beat them, join them. Right? If Keir Starmer hasn’t joined them, he certainly has just made the daunting prospect of a Farage-led government just that bit more likely.
Opinion
Rachael Swindon

#SwindonsSundaySermon: if you can’t beat ’em – make sure you’re even worse

This year, the Sunday Times rich list came out on the same day as financial regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) revealed that 21% of UK people have less than £1,000 in their bank.
Analysis
James Wright

Two sets of figures just dropped. Together they show an alarming reality about the UK

Disabled people set to take to parliament en masse to oppose DWP cuts
Analysis
The Canary

Disabled people set to take to parliament en masse to oppose DWP cuts

Southern Water are threatening a journalist with defamation for asking difficult questions
Analysis
HG

Southern Water are threatening a journalist with defamation for doing their job

ADVERTISEMENT
Business
Nathan Spears

Smart Delivery Positions Mr Nang as a Leader in Australia’s Cream Charger Market

Lifestyle
Nathan Spears

Social Media Activism: How Grassroots Movements Are Gaining Power Online

Travel
Nathan Spears

Best Destinations In Spain For A Couples Holiday