2020-02-19: News Headlines

RT (2020-02-20). 'Journalism is not a crime': Australian MP says charges against Assange must be dropped after visiting him in UK prison. rt.com Continued persecution of the WikiLeaks co-founder is a "crazy situation," Australian lawmaker George Christiansen told RT, adding that Julian Assange did not commit any crime aside from running afoul of US elites. | Christiansen, a member of the Liberal National Party of Queensland, questioned the integrity of the legal process against Assange, who is now facing the possibility of extradition to the US over "unlawfully obtaining and disclosing classified documents related to the national defense." | The journalist was hauled out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London after his asylum was revoked in April 2019, an…

RT (2020-02-19). A year in jail & quarter million fine since, lawyers seek freedom for Chelsea Manning refusing to testify against WikiLeaks. rt.com Chelsea Manning's attorney has filed a new motion requesting her release from jail, where she has been for nearly a year for continuously refusing to testify before a grand jury against WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. | Manning's incarceration has "exceeded its lawful scope" by moving from being a coercive tactic to a criminal punishment, her lawyer Moira Meltzer-Cohen said in a Manning was jailed in March of 2019 for refusing to testify before a gran…

WSWS (2020-02-19). Australian MPs visit Julian Assange at Belmarsh Prison. wsws.org Andrew Wilkie and George Christensen said they agreed with UN official Nils Melzer's assessment that Assange is the victim of psychological torture.

John Pilger (2020-02-19). Julian Assange Must be Freed, Not Betrayed. globalresearch.ca On Saturday, there will be a march from Australia House in London to Parliament Square, the centre of British democracy. People will carry pictures of the Australian publisher and journalist Julian Assange who, on 24 February, faces a court that …

Staff (2020-02-19). Assange Was Offered U.S. Pardon if He Cleared Russia, His Lawyer Says. truthdig.com Wikileaks founder will claim former Rep. Rohrabacher did so at behest of Trump in 2017 visit; president denies report through spokeswoman.

WSWS (2020-02-19). Assange defence team: "The empire calls it espionage. We call it journalism" wsws.org A packed press conference was addressed by WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson, lawyer Jennifer Robinson and Australian MPs Andrew Wilkie and George Christensen.

Prof. Marjorie Cohn (2020-02-19). Extradition of Assange Would Set a Dangerous Precedent. globalresearch.ca The Trump administration is seeking extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States for trial on charges carrying 175 years in prison. On February 24, a court in the U.K. will hold a hearing to determine whether to …

WSWS (2020-02-19). German politicians and cultural professionals demand release of Julian Assange. wsws.org Some 130 prominent initial signatories, including nine former federal ministers, are demanding the "immediate release of Julian Assange, on medical grounds as well on the basis of the rule of law."

Rebecca Gordon (2020-02-19). How Much Cruelty Can Trump Get Away With? Ask Obama. thenation.com How Much Cruelty Can Trump Get Away With? Ask Obama.

Global Research News (2020-02-19). Selected Articles: The Truth About Assange. globalresearch.ca By The Trump administration is seeking extradition of WikiLeaks founderJulian Assange to the United States for trial on charges carrying 175 years in prison. …

Nozomi Hayase (2020-02-19). Assange's Extradition Case: Critical Moment for the Anti-war Movement. counterpunch.org Earlier this week, Leader of the UK opposition Jeremy Corbyn challenged Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the House of Commons on the US extradition request for WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange. Corbyn stated that Assange had been charged by the US "for exposing war crimes, the murder of civilians and large-scale corruption". Backing the Council of

pip.hinman (2020-02-19). New blow to media freedom, whistleblowers. greenleft.org.au

WSWS (2020-02-18). The Lancet publishes letter from doctors: "End torture and medical neglect of Julian Assange" wsws.org The world's pre-eminent medical journal carries a letter from 117 doctors in 18 countries calling for urgent action to save the life of the WikiLeaks publisher.

Dr. C. Stephen Frost (2020-02-18). End Torture and Medical Neglect of Julian Assange. globalresearch.ca On Nov 22, 2019, we, a group of more than 60 medical doctors, wrote to the UK Home Secretary to express our serious concerns about the physical and mental health of Julian Assange.1 In our letter,1 we documented a history …

WSWS (2020-02-18). Australian court backs police raids on journalists. wsws.org The ruling highlights the driving forces behind the persecution of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

John Pilger (2020-02-18). John Pilger: It is time for Julian Assange to be saved, not betrayed. thegrayzone.com The truth is that Australia could have rescued Julian Assange and can still rescue him. Leaders of his homeland who have…

teleSUR (2020-02-18). Jailed Wikileaks Founder Assange's Health Improving: Spokesman. telesurenglish.net Jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is no longer being kept in solitary confinement and his health is improving, his spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson told reporters Tuesday. | RELATED: | Assange, 48, is in Belmarsh high-security prison in London, fighting an extradition request from the United States where he faces 18 counts including conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law. He could spend…

WSWS (2020-02-18). Courage Foundation holds public meeting in New York City in defense of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. wsws.org The extradition hearing for Assange is scheduled to begin in London on February 24.

John Pilger (2020-02-18). Julian Assange must be freed, not betrayed | John Pilger. thecanary.co On Saturday, there will be a march from Australia House in London to Parliament Square, the centre of British democracy. People will carry pictures of the Australian publisher and journalist Julian Assange who, on 24 February, faces a court that will decide whether or not he is to be extradited to the United States and a living death. | Some Australian history: | I know Australia House well. As an Australian myself, I used to go there in my early days in London to read the newspapers from home. Opened by King George V over a century ago, its vastness of marble and stone, chandeliers and solemn portraits,…

Alexander Rubinstein (2020-02-18). While demanding Assange, US refuses to extradite CIA agent who killed British teen. thegrayzone.com High-ranking CIA agent Anne Sacoolas is charged with killing a teenage British citizen. While the US demands Julian Assange's extradition,…

John Pilger (2020-02-18). 'Julian Assange must be freed, not betrayed', says John Pilger. thecanary.co On Saturday, there will be a march from Australia House in London to Parliament Square, the centre of British democracy. People will carry pictures of the Australian publisher and journalist Julian Assange who, on 24 February, faces a court that will decide whether or not he is to be extradited to the United States and a living death. | Some Australian history: | I know Australia House well. As an Australian myself, I used to go there in my early days in London to read the newspapers from home. Opened by King George V over a century ago, its vastness of marble and stone, chandeliers and solemn portraits,…

teleSUR, jg (2020-02-18). Chile: 3,765 Injured,10,000 Detained Protesters Since October. telesurenglish.net Four months of protests in Chile against the neoliberal policies of Sebastian Piñera's government has resulted in more than 3,700 people injured, 951 filed complaints of torture and 195 for sexual violence, according to updated figures released Tuesday by the National Institute of Human Rights (INDH). | RELATED: | According to the agency, from Oct. 17 to Feb. 18, some 3,765 people were injured, of whom 445 suffered eye inj…

Staff (2020-02-18). Impunity for Torturers Made Trump's Invulnerability Possible. truthout.org On February 5th, the Senate voted to acquit President Donald J. Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. In other words, Trump's

Fight Back (2020-02-18). Courtroom erupts in response to racist decision in Gerald Reed case. fightbacknews.org Chicago, IL – The courtroom was packed February 14. This was my fourth Gerald Reed court hearing. Usually, there is a crowd of folks who show up to support Gerald and his mother, Armanda Shackleford, who has been fighting for her son since he was arrested, tortured and framed in 1990. Shackleford sits in the front row, wearing her Free Gerald Reed t-shirt. Together we sit for an hour, two hours, three, and hear powerful men debate the innocence of a man whose sentence was vacated a year ago. | But today was different. Two alderpersons were there, Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez and Jeanette Taylor, to show their suppor…

pip.hinman (2020-02-18). Protest Julian Assange's extradition. greenleft.org.au The United States government wants to extradite the journalist and whis…

Susan Price (2020-02-18). John Pilger: Julian Assange must be freed, not betrayed. greenleft.org.au People will carry pictures of the Australi…

Whitney Webb (2020-02-12). Gruesome Details Emerge of Israel's Torture of Palestinian Prisoners. mintpressnews.com One prisoner was hospitalized for kidney failure and 11 broken ribs. Another had his genitals bitten by a security dog while a third man was left wheelchair-bound and unrecognizable.

Aaron Maté (2020-02-11). Exclusive: New leaks shatter OPCW's attacks on Douma whistleblowers. thegrayzone.com Facing accusations that it issued a doctored report alleging a chemical attack in Syria, the OPCW has released an inquiry…