2020-09-09: News Headlines

_____ (2020-09-09). Julian Assange Hearing: Day Three. popularresistance.org Paul Rogers, Emeritus Professor of Peace Studies at Bradford University, took the stand by video link to testify about Julian Assange's political views and how they factor into the Trump administration's prosecution of Assange for publishing. | Rogers reviewed Assange's speeches, including an anti-war speech in 2011 in London and a speech to the UN following the release of Iraq and Afghan war logs, as well as Mairead Maguire's nomination of Assange for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019. LINKs. Rogers concluded that Assange's views don't fall into traditional liberal or conservative belief systems but are rather more…

_____ (2020-09-09). Roger Waters: If Julian Assange Is Guilty, So Am I. popularresistance.org Musician Roger Waters told NewsClick that , "In 2010 Julian Assange along with Chelsea Manning played a pivotal role in releasing classified documents on US military activity in Iraq and Iran. I displayed the video for three years. If Julian is guilty so am. I am ready to give my arrest and may be in the coming time they can arrest me too. "

John Pilger (2020-09-09). Video: Outside the London Show-trial of Julian Assange: John Pilger's Speech. globalresearch.ca Veteran investigative journalist and filmmaker John Pilger delivered the following speech outside London's Old Bailey Central Criminal Court on Monday, the first day of resumed show-trial proceedings for the extradition of Julian Assange to the US. Pilger, along with a …

Stephen Lendman (2020-09-09). Assange's Guilt by Accusation Extradition Show Trial Resumes. globalresearch.ca Powerful forces in the US and UK want Assange crucified for the unforgivable "crime" of truth-telling investigative journalism the way it should be on vital for everyone to know geopolitical issues. | That's what his slow-motion extradition to the US trial …

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-09). Assange's Second Day at the Old Bailey. dissidentvoice.org The highlights of the second day of Julian Assange's extradition proceedings at the Central Criminal Court in London yielded an interesting bounty. The first was the broader public purpose behind the WikiLeaks disclosures, their utility in legal proceedings, and their importance in disclosing instances of US extrajudicial killings, torture and rendition. The second involved a …

Staff (2020-09-09). 175 Years in a U.S. Prison? Extradition Trial of WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Begins in London. democracynow.org As the long-awaited extradition hearing for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gets underway in London, his legal adviser, Jennifer Robinson, says the case could set a chilling precedent for press freedoms around the world. "He faces 175 years in prison for doing his job as a journalist and a publisher. That's why this case is so dangerous," says Robinson. Assange faces numerous charges, including under the U.S. Espionage Act, related to the release of diplomatic cables published by WikiLeaks that revealed war crimes committed by U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. He faces a possible life sentence if he is extrad…

_____ (2020-09-09). Julian Assange, Prometheus Bound. strategic-culture.org He is being punished not for stealing fire — but for exposing power under the light of truth and provoking the god of Exceptionalism. | Pepe ESCOBAR | This is the tale of an Ancient Greek tragedy reenacted in AngloAmerica. | Amid thundering silence and nearly universal indifference, chained, immobile, invisible, a squalid Prometheus was transferred from the gallows for a show trial in a faux Gothic court built on the site of a medieval prison. | Kratos, impersonating Strength, and Bia, impersonating Violence, had duly chained Prometheus, not to a mountain in the Caucasus, but to solitary confinement in a h…

Staff (2020-09-09). WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange May Face Up to 175 Years in Prison. truthout.org Image Credit: Julia Quenzler | As the long-awaited extradition hearing for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gets underway in London, his legal adviser, Jennifer Robinson, says the case could set a chilling precedent for press freedoms around the world. "He faces 175 years in prison for doing his job as a journalist and a publisher. That's why this case is so dangerous," says Robinson. Assange faces numerous charges, including under the U.S. Espionage Act, related to the release of diplomatic cables pu…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-09). Assange on Trial: A Stunning Lack of Transparency and Fairness. counterpunch.org The fine circus that is British justice resumed at London's Central Criminal Court on September 7, with the continued extradition proceedings against Julian Assange. Judge Vanessa Baraitser was concerned that approximately 40 individuals had received remote video access they apparently should not have. "In error, the court sent out orders to others who had sought

Craig Murray (2020-09-09). Your Man in the Public Gallery: Assange Hearing Day 7. globalresearch.ca This morning we went straight in to the evidence of Clive Stafford Smith, a dual national British/American lawyer licensed to practice in the UK. He had founded Reprieve in 1999 originally to oppose the death penalty, but after 2001 …

Global Research News (2020-09-09). Selected Articles: Extradition Trial of Julian Assange. globalresearch.ca By Amid thundering silence and nearly universal indifference, chained, immobile, invisible, a squalid Prometheus was transferred from the gallows for a show trial in a faux Gothic court built on …

_____ (2020-09-09). Remembering Kevin Zeese, Tireless Fighter For Our Democracy. popularresistance.org Defending Rights & Dissent was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Kevin Zeese over the weekend. Over his life, he was on the frontlines of many causes—whistleblower protections, election integrity, single payer healthcare, net neutrality, reforming our criminal justice system, environmental justice, and peace. He was the press secretary for Ralph Nader's 2004 presidential campaign and in 2006 ran for Senate in Maryland with the backing of both the Green and Libertarian Parties.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-09). Protests follow yet another custodial death in Egypt. peoplesdispatch.org 26-year-old Islam Al-Ostraly was arrested after an an argument with a police officer last week. While the police claim that he fell ill in prison and died of a 'circulatory attack, signs of extreme torture were reportedly found on his body…

Staff (2020-09-09). DHS Whistleblower Says He Was Pushed to Alter Intel to Fit Trump's Antifa Views. truthout.org A whistleblower within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is alleging that at least two of the agency's politically-appointed officials instructed employees within the department to revise intelligence assessments to better fit statements and narratives made by President Donald Trump. | Specifically, higher-ups at the department

Nauman Sadiq (2020-09-08). Will Trump Pardon Snowden and Assange if Re-elected? globalresearch.ca Speculations about a presidential pardon for the whistleblower Edward Snowden, who leaked National Security Agency's classified information to the press in 2013, have grown since last month after Donald Trump commented on the case in

WSWS (2020-09-08). Watch John Pilger's speech outside the London show-trial of Julian Assange. wsws.org "The American indictment is clearly rigged, a demonstrable sham. So far, the hearings have been reminiscent of their Stalinist equivalents during the Cold War."

Newsclick (2020-09-08). If Julian Is Guilty So Am I: Roger Waters. peoplesdispatch.org Musician Roger Waters told NewsClick that , "In 2010 Julian Assange along with Chelsea Manning played a pivotal role in releasing classified documents on US military activity in Iraq and Iran. I displayed the video for three years. If Julian is guilty so am. I am ready to give my arrest and may be in the coming time they can arrest me too. "

WSWS (2020-09-08). The working class must demand an end to the show trial of Julian Assange. wsws.org Assange's kangaroo court extradition hearing has seen the UK, which boasts of being one of the world's oldest democracies, sink to the level of a tinpot dictatorship.

_____ (2020-09-08). Assange Hearing: Dramatic Opening Day. popularresistance.org The dramatic first day of the resumption of Julian Assange's extradition hearing has ended, with technical problems cutting short the testimony of the first defense witness, Broadcast Journalism Professor Mark Feldstein. | Feldstein's written testimony has been released to the public. On the virtual "stand"—online because of the pandemic—Feldstein was questioned by the defense. He testified that it was a daily occurrence for the press to publish classified information; that he did not expect publishers to be prosecuted for this because the First Amendment protects publishers, allowing them to expose t…

Craig Murray (2020-09-08). Your Man in the Public Gallery: the Assange Hearing Day 6. globalresearch.ca I went to the Old Bailey today expecting to be awed by the majesty of the law, and left revolted by the sordid administration of injustice. | There is a romance which attaches to the Old Bailey. The name of course …

Staff (2020-09-08). Headlines for September 8, 2020. democracynow.org Record-Breaking Wildfires and Heat Scorch California, Rochester Protests Continue as Mayor Promises Changes After Police Killing of Daniel Prude, Major Drug Companies Pledge to Not Rush COVID-19 Vaccine as U.S. Cases Top 6.3 Million, India Becomes Second Most Infected Country; Spain First European Country to Surpass 500,000 Cases, Belarusian Opposition Leader Resists Expulsion at Border with Ukraine After Reports of Abduction, Alexei Navalny Out of Induced Coma as He Continues Recovery from Poisoning, Extradition Hearing Resumes for Julian Assange in U.K., Hundreds of Rohingya Refugees Arrive on Dry Land After Mo…

yenisafak (2020-09-08). Assange warned he will be removed from London court if outbursts continue. yenisafak.com Julian Assange, the Wikileaks founder who is fighting to avoid extradition to the United States from Britain, was warned by a judge on Tuesday he will be removed from the courtroom and tried in his absence if he continues to interrupt proceedings.The U.S. authorities accuse Australian-born Assange, 49, of conspiring to hack government computers and of violating an espionage law in connection with the release of confidential cables by WikiLeaks in 2010-2011.Assange shouted "nonsense" as James Lewis, a lawyer acting for the U.S. government told a witness that the Wikileaks founder was facing extradition proceedings…

Global Research News (2020-09-08). Selected Articles: Nord Stream 2 vs. Poisoning of Alexei Navalny. globalresearch.ca By If you asked me to sum up today in a word, that word would undoubtedly be "railroaded". it was all about pushing …

WSWS (2020-09-08). Protesters condemn show trial of Julian Assange at the Old Bailey. wsws.org Longstanding supporters were joined by others who had travelled from across the UK and from Switzerland, France, Portugal, the United States and Australia.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-08). The trial of Assange, Day 2: Guantanamo and a warning. peoplesdispatch.org The extradition hearings of Julian Assange continued on Tuesday with British lawyer Clive Stafford Smith and journalism professor Mark Feldstein testifying. When Assange termed a prosecution argument nonsense, the judge gave him a warning…

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-08). Sinking Transparency at the Old Bailey: The Assange Extradition Hearing Resumes. dissidentvoice.org The fine circus that is British justice resumed at London's Central Criminal Court on September 7, with the continued extradition proceedings against Julian Assange. Judge Vanessa Baraitser was concerned that approximately 40 individuals had received remote video access they apparently should not have. "In error, the court sent out orders to others who had sought …

yenisafak (2020-09-08). Tension mounts at Israeli prison after detainee's death. yenisafak.com Tension escalated inside Israel's Ofer prison on Tuesday following the death of a Palestinian detainee a few months before his release.According to the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPC), prison guards stormed two sections inside the prison and transferred many detainees to solitary confinement.It said that detainees were tortured by prison guards and their belongings were damaged."The situation is difficult and complicated inside the prison," PPC head Qadora Fares told Anadolu Agency.Last week, Palestinian detainee Daoud al-Khatib, 45, died inside the prison's section 20, a few months before he completes his 18-…

Anya Parampil (2020-09-07). As Assange extradition hearing resumes, the future of a free press is on trial. thegrayzone.com Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with journalist Juan Passarelli, director of the film "The War on Journalism: the Case of Julian Assange," about the trial of Julian Assange and his experience working with Wikileaks. Passarelli explains how the UK court has not made the proceedings accessible to the media, and how Assange has been …

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-07). Trial for Assange's extradition resumes in London. peoplesdispatch.org The trial portion for Julian Assange's extradition hearings began today, September 7, at the Central Criminal Court or the Old Bailey in London. The trial will take place over the next three to four weeks and picks up from where it was left off in the previous round in February. The current phase of trial that was earlier scheduled in April, was delayed over the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortly before the trial began, the previous extradition request was withdrawn and Assange was arrested under a fresh indictment issued by the US in August. | The presiding judge Vanessa Baraitser confirmed that Assange now stands trial…

_____ (2020-09-07). Rest In Power, Kevin Zeese. popularresistance.org It is with a sad heart that I report the sudden and unexpected death of Kevin Zeese early Sunday morning. Kevin was working up until the end and died in his sleep of a possible heart attack. | Kevin was going to write a newsletter this weekend about the extradition trial of Julian Assange, which begins today. Kevin understood the great importance of the prosecution of Julian Assange as a battle that will define journalism in the 21st century and our right to know. | He was helping to organize an online event featuring Daniel Ellsberg, James Goodale and Chris Hedges, moderated by Sue Udry.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-07). The trials of Julian Assange. peoplesdispatch.org Julian Assange's extradition hearing has resumed on September 7 at the Central Criminal Court in London, even as protests in support of Assange took place in different cities. We take a look at a brief timeline of events that resulted in the situation Assange faces today.

Peoples Dispatch (2020-09-07). Julian Assange and the heavy price of exposing US imperialist crimes. peoplesdispatch.org As the extradition hearings of Julian Assange resume, we take a long at the continuous persecution he and Chelsea Manning have had to face for standing up to US imperialism and exposing its war crimes…

Prof. Vijay Prashad (2020-09-07). The U.S. Is Determined to Make Julian Assange Pay for Exposing the Cruelty of Its War on Iraq. globalresearch.ca On

Peter Oborne (2020-09-07). Julian Assange: Future Generations of Journalists Will Not Forgive Us if We Do Not Fight Extradition. globalresearch.ca Let's imagine a foreign dissident was being held in London's Belmarsh Prison charged with supposed espionage offences by the Chinese authorities. | And that his real offence was revealing crimes committed by the Chinese Communist Party — including publishing video footage …

_____ (2020-09-07). WikiLeaks, Still Revealing Truths About Power. popularresistance.org WikiLeaks is among the most important organizations of the twenty-first century. It has profoundly affected the world by disrupting countless geopolitical, economic, journalistic, and technological norms, reminding us that digital technology is an indispensable tool in the global fight for justice. | Yet WikiLeaks remains highly misunderstood, especially in the United States. One major cause of this misunderstanding is the decade-long disinformation campaign waged by those in the U.S. government and corporate media who view Julian Assange and WikiLeaks as political enemies.

John Pilger (2020-09-07). The "Stalinist" Trial of Julian Assange. globalresearch.ca Having reported the long, epic ordeal of Julian Assange, John Pilger gave this address outside the Central Criminal Court in London on September 7 as the WikiLeaks Editor's extradition hearing entered its final stage. | When I first met Julian …

The Canary (2020-09-07). Assange supporters gather outside Old Bailey ahead of extradition hearing. thecanary.co Dozens of Julian Assange supporters have gathered outside the Old Bailey, where the WikiLeaks founder is set to continue his fight against extradition to the US.The 49-year-old, who has been in high-security Belmarsh Prison for 16 months, is wanted over the publication of hundreds of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011.He is expected to appear in court in person on Monday for the first time in months, facing 18 charges — including plotting to hack computers and conspiring to obtain and disclose national defence information.Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's father, John Shipton, arrives at the…

_____ (2020-09-07). Heavyweights Weigh In On Assange "Show Trial" popularresistance.org An online Zoom call will take place for members of the press this Wednesday, September 9 at 1: 00 pm EST to address the United States attempt to extradite WikiLeaks' publisher, Julian Assange. The call will feature Dan Ellsberg, the whistleblower whose release of the Pentagon Papers helped to bring the Viet Nam War to an end, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges, and James Goodale, former Vice President of the New York Times. | "If Julian Assange–the first journalist to be indicted in the US for doing journalism–is extradited and prosecuted, the First Amendment will be in a terminal state as protection…

RT (2020-09-07). If Berlin can bring Russia's Navalny to Charite hospital, why can't it help Assange? German MP asks. rt.com A German MP is calling on her government to provide medical assistance to the "seriously ill" WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, saying that Berlin spared no effort when it came to Russian opposition figure, Alexey Navalny. | Berlin should not be supporting the US-orchestrated attack "on journalists, on press freedom and on democracy," said Heike Haensel, the deputy head of the Left Party's parliamentary group in the German Bundestag, as she addressed a crowd of Assange supporters outside of the Central Criminal Court of England and Wales. | Dozens of people, including fashion designer Vivienne Westwood as well…

teleSUR (2020-09-07). UK Judge Refuses to Dismiss New US Charges Against Assange. telesurenglish.net The British Judge Vanessa Baraitser Monday allowed new U.S. charges to be included in the case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who was already facing 18 criminal accusations. | RELATED: | In June, the U.S. Justice Department filed the new charges that linked the Australian journalist to an alleged conspiracy with former intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to access a Pentagon computer. | The alleged espionage's purpose was to st…

teleSUR (2020-09-07). UK: Trial Against Julian Assange Resumes In London. telesurenglish.net The extradition trial of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will resume in London on Monday after the hearing was postponed for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | RELATED: | U.S. authorities hope Assange to be extradited to its territory to stand trial on 18 espionage and computer misuse charges, over the activities of his WikiLeaks website. | If the court finds him guilty of the charges, the 49-year-old Australian could face a se…

_____ (2020-09-07). War On Journalism Resumes On Monday. popularresistance.org WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's extradition hearing is set to start on Monday, Sept. 7 at the Old Bailey, the Central Criminal Court of London, and could last three or four weeks. | Assange has been indicted on 17 charges of espionage and one charge of conspiring with a source to violate the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act for his reporting on the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the torture at Guantanamo Bay. | These charges against Assange are a part of a war on journalism. This is the first time that the Espionage Act of 1917 has been used to prosecute a journalist, in this case an Australian citizen publ…

Matt Kennard (2020-09-07). As British Judge Made Rulings Against Julian Assange, Her Husband Was Involved with Right-wing Lobby Group Briefing Against WikiLeaks Founder. globalresearch.ca The husband of the chief magistrate overseeing Julian Assange's extradition case was closely associated with a lobby group publicly criticising the WikiLeaks founder around the time his wife was ruling against Assange, it can be revealed. | *** | Westminster chief magistrate…

WSWS (2020-09-07). As British show-trial resumes: The working class must defend Julian Assange! wsws.org The persecution of Assange is an attempt to intimidate mass opposition to imperialist war, social inequality and a turn to authoritarianism, amid a breakdown of global capitalism and an eruption of the class struggle.

Lisa Newcomb, staff writer (2020-09-07). 'This is Not Normal': Human Rights, Press Freedom Advocates Denied Remote Access to Assange Hearing. commondreams.org The WikiLeaks founder, who exposed U.S. war crimes, faces up to 175 years in prison if the U.K. agrees to extradite Assange. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/getty-assange_protestors.jpg

_____ (2020-09-07). Julian Assange — The week that journalism and the rule of law in Britain drowns. truepublica.org.uk By Jonathan Cook — For years, journalists cheered Assange's abuse. Now they've paved his path to a US gulag. Court hearings in Britain over the US administration's extradition case against Julian Assange begin in earnest next week. The decade-long saga that brought us to this point should appal anyone who cares about our increasingly fragile …

William Hogan (2020-09-07). The Ongoing Torture and Medical Neglect of Julian Assange. globalresearch.ca Initially published by The Lancet on June 25, 2020. | **** | On Feb 17, 2020, Doctors for Assange demanded an end to the torture and medical neglect of Julian Assange.1 Yet no responsible authority has acted. Nils Melzer, the …

Global Research News (2020-09-07). Selected Articles: COVID-19 Tests and Assange's Extradition Hearing. globalresearch.ca We hope that by publishing diverse view points, submitted by journalists and experts dotted all over the world, the website can serve as a reminder that no matter what narrative we are presented with, things are rarely as cut and …

Binoy Kampmark (2020-09-07). Fruits of Illegality: The NSA, Bulk Collection and Warrantless Surveillance. counterpunch.org He has become part of the furniture when it comes to discussions about privacy rights and personal liberties, arguably an odd sort of thing for a man who also dealt in the shadows of intelligence secrets. But Edward Snowden has been doing his bit to reveal and chip away at the foundations of the national

WSWS (2020-09-07). The Silence of Others: The victims of Spanish fascism then and now. wsws.org Timely and moving, the Spanish documentary details the efforts of activists and torture survivors to prosecute Francoite officials for crimes against humanity.