2021-01-07: News Headlines

Kevin Gosztola (2021-01-07). British Judge Keeps Assange in Prison, Despite Ruling Against Extradition. globalresearch.ca A British district judge denied bail for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after a hearing in which the prosecution argued he had helped NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden "flee justice" and would abscond if released from the Belmarsh high-security prison. | "As far …

_____ (2021-01-07). Police Arrest Several People Near Court After Assange's Bail Denied. popularresistance.org London – The police arrested several supporters of Assange who did not have press IDs and refused to disperse as the city is currently under a lockdown and public gatherings prohibited. Among the detained are several women and an elderly man. | Journalists with proper identifications were allowed to continue their work. Earlier in the day, Westminster Magistrates Court refused to release Assange on bail, leaving him incarcerated while a US appeal against the decision not to extradite him to the United States is considered. | Assange was arrested in London in April 2019 and sentenced to 50 weeks in prison for jump…

_____ (2021-01-07). UK Judge Justifies CIA Spying On Assange. popularresistance.org The British judge ruling in the US government's extradition case against journalist Julian Assange justified a CIA spying operation targeting both the WikiLeaks publisher and the Ecuadorian government by pointing to debunked accusations published by CNN. Yet in a self-referential loop, the American media outlet's dubious claims about Assange themselves originated with a security firm that was spying on Assange for the CIA — and which is now facing prosecution in Spain for illegal activity. | While the UK judge ultimately decided not to extradite Assange, citing his deteriorating mental health and the likeli…

WorkWeek (2021-01-07). WorkWeek On Labor & The Threat Of A Coup & Fascism, Racism At CCSF & Julian Assange. indybay.org WorkWeek looks at the threat of a coup and also the role of labor with the David Van Deusen. His Vermont Labor AFL-CIO had called for a general strike to prevent a coup. WorkWeek also looks at the systemic racism in San Francisco and an action at the British Consulate in San Francisco to demand the freedom of journalist Julian Assange.

Frederick B. Mills, Alina Duarte — Patricio Zamorano (2021-01-07). Mexico Offers Asylum to Assange: a Step Forward for Government Accountability and Press Freedom. counterpunch.org On Monday January 4 a British court denied a U.S. request to extradite world renowned journalist and Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, to face charges in the U.S. under the Espionage Act. Shortly after this breaking news, President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), urged the U.K. to consider the possibility of freeing Assange and

Jonathan Cook (2021-01-07). The US and UK may not will Assange's death, but everything they are doing makes it more likely. dissidentvoice.org There was a hope in some quarters after Judge Vanessa Baraitser ruled on Monday against an application to extradite Julian Assange to the US, where he faced being locked away for the rest of his life, that she might finally be changing tack. Washington has wanted Assange permanently silenced and made an example of — …

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2021-01-07). Proxy Jailor: Denying Assange Bail. globalresearch.ca History, while not always a telling guide, can be useful. But in moments of flushed confidence, it is not consulted and Cleo is forgotten. A crisp new dawn can negate a glance to the past. Having received the unexpected news …

Binoy Kampmark (2021-01-07). "It's Not as Bad as Iwo Jima, I Suppose": The Julian Assange Extradition Verdict. counterpunch.org The barrister-brewed humour of Edward Fitzgerald QC, one of the solid and stout figures defending a certain Julian Assange of WikiLeaks at the Old Bailey in London, was understandable. Time had worn and wearied the parties, none more so than his client. Fitzgerald had asked for water, but then mused that its absence could hardly

Craig Murray (2021-01-07). The Assange Verdict: What Happens Now. globalresearch.ca I fully expect that Julian will be released on bail this week, pending a possible US appeal against the blocking of his extradition. | There was discussion of when and how to make the bail application on Monday, after magistrate Vanessa …

May Ayres (2021-01-07). Assange Denied Bail. Campaigning For Freedom and Justice. globalresearch.ca It didn't take very long to confirm that we are truly in the final stage of a police state. | The euphoria on Monday when Assange's extradition was denied (a wonderful interlude of laughs, smiles and hugs) was short lived. I …

Rod Driver (2021-01-07). Brutal Human Rights Abuses — Torture, Sanctions and Our Failure to Discuss Economic Rights. zcomm.org People in advanced nations assume that their governments do not torture prisoners, but it is practized by the US, and was used by Britain in its colonies and in Northern Ireland…

_____ (2021-01-06). Julian Assange Is Denied Bail By London Court. popularresistance.org "I am satisfied 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 said. | "As far as Mr Assange is concerned this case has not yet been won… the outcome of this appeal is not yet known." | She was referring to the fact that Assange after failing in his battle against extradition to Sweden, breached bail and took refuge in the Embassy of Ecuador in London in June 2012. He was granted asylum by Ecuador on the grounds of political persecution, with the presumption that if he was extradited to…

Chris Hedges (2021-01-06). The Empire is Not Done with Julian Assange. zcomm.org As is clear from the memoir of one of his attorneys, Michael Ratner, the ends have always justified the means for those demanding his global persecution…

Ben Norton (2021-01-06). UK judge justifies CIA spying on Assange citing debunked CNN report based on… CIA spying. thegrayzone.com UK judge Vanessa Baraitser justified CIA spying on Julian Assange by citing a falsehood-filled CNN report. Her judgment highlighted corporate media's enthusiastic role in a state-sponsored assault on press freedom. The British judge ruling in the US government's extradition case against journalist Julian Assange justified a CIA spying operation targeting both the WikiLeaks publisher and the Ecuadorian government by pointing to debunked accusations published by CNN. Yet in a self-referential loop, the American media outlet's dubious claims about Assange themselves …

Pip Hinman (2021-01-06). Assange decision welcome but sullied by legal chicanery. greenleft.org.au The ruling that Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the United States is welcome, but it comes after the charade in which British authorities held an unconvicted person in a top security prison and made his defence as difficult as possible, argues Stuart Rees.

news.un (2021-01-06). UN human rights expert 'cautiously' welcomes UK court's refusal to extradite Julian Assange. news.un.org An independent UN human rights expert has welcomed a British court's refusal to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the United States on the basis that he would be exposed to oppressive conditions of imprisonment.

The Canary (2021-01-06). WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange must be released after 'inhumane' bail refusal. thecanary.co WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's hopes for freedom have been dashed after a judge refused him bail despite a decision to block his extradition to the United States. | District judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected an application for Assange's release with strict conditionals over concern he would abscond. | It follows a decision that he should not be extradited to the US on mental health grounds due to the risk of suicide. | Assange will have to remain in custody as the US government is appealing against Monday's extradition ruling. | Announcing her bail decision at Westminster Magistrates' Court, Baraitser said: "A…

WSWS (2021-01-06). Medical doctors respond to Assange extradition ruling: "He must be released without delay" wsws.org "We demand that all legal proceedings be dropped and that he be released from prison, and only then will his psychological torture finally end."

WSWS (2021-01-06). New Zealand protest demands freedom for Julian Assange. wsws.org The Socialist Equality Group (New Zealand) took part in a rally called by Free Assange NZ in Wellington, ahead of the judicial verdict in London that unexpectedly halted the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the US.

Alan Macleod (2021-01-06). Journalists, Activists Condemn UK Decision to Keep Assange Locked Up without Charge. mintpressnews.com "To us, that is nothing more than a pretext to keep him detained. This seems unnecessarily punitive and adding insult to injury after the 10 years of hell that he has endured" — Rebecca Vincent, Reporters Without Borders…

Eds. (2021-01-06). Chris Hedges: The Empire is not done with Julian Assange. mronline.org As is clear from the memoir of one of his attorneys, Michael Ratner, the ends have always justified the means for those demanding his global persecution.

Pavan Kulkarni (2021-01-06). Trade union coalition in Sudan launches campaign to dissolve government-backed militia. peoplesdispatch.org The Sudanese Professionals Association launched the campaign following the torture and killing of a young activist, Bahaeldin Nouri, who was abducted by the intelligence wing of the government-backed Rapid Support Forces on December 21…

_____ (2021-01-05). Assange Wins. The Cost: Press Freedom Is Crushed. popularresistance.org The unexpected decision by Judge Vanessa Baraitser to deny a US demand to extradite Julian Assange, foiling efforts to send him to a US super-max jail for the rest of his life, is a welcome legal victory, but one swamped by larger lessons that should disturb us deeply. | Those who campaigned so vigorously to keep Assange's case in the spotlight, even as the US and UK corporate media worked so strenuously to keep it in darkness, are the heroes of the day. They made the price too steep for Baraitser or the British establishment to agree to lock Assange away indefinitely in the US for exposing its war crimes and its…

Manlio Dinucci (2021-01-05). Dietro il verdetto di Londra su Julian Assange. globalresearch.ca Da un processo ingiusto — quello di Londra a Julian Assange, fondatore di WikiLeaks — è scaturita una sentenza che a prima vista appare giusta: la non-estradizione del giornalista negli Stati uniti, dove lo attende una condanna a 175 anni …

Charles Glass (2021-01-05). Ruling Assange Can't Be Extradited Is an Indictment of US Prisons. thenation.com Ruling Assange Can't Be Extradited Is an Indictment of US Prisons…

Jessica Corbett, staff writer (2021-01-05). Australian Labor Party Urges US to Drop Charges Against Assange. commondreams.org The opposition argues the case must "be brought to an end" as the prime minister says the WikiLeaks founder will be "free to return home" if extradition battle won.

WSWS (2021-01-05). "Every journalist should be concerned about what was said today in court. Because the political arguments provided by the United States were upheld by the British judicial system" wsws.org Assange's closest associates hailed the court's decision as a victory but warned that the fight to secure his freedom was far from over.

Pablo Navarrete (2021-01-05). #TheCanaryLive — Julian Assange extradition hearing decision: what next? thecanary.co On the day a UK court ruled that Julian Assange will

Dr. Binoy Kampmark (2021-01-05). The Julian Assange Extradition Verdict. globalresearch.ca The barrister-brewed

Gloria La Riva (2021-01-05). Julian Assange wins victory as extradition denied. liberationnews.org The U.S. government has pursued Assange since at least 2012, for his work exposing hundreds of thousands of U.S. military and intelligence documents and video that show outright war crimes, included targeted murders of civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Marlee Kokotovic (2021-01-05). UK judge denies US request to extradite Assange. nationofchange.org "I find that the mental condition of Mr. Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America."

RT (2021-01-05). Journalists Angered by Assange Ruling. dissidentvoice.org A London court has ruled against those seeking Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's extradition to the US. Assange is charged with 17 counts of espionage as well as hacking.

Amy Goodman (2021-01-05). 'Victory for Julian": UK blocks WikiLeaks founder Assange extradition to US on espionage charges. nationofchange.org While the decision is a "very significant victory" for Assange, the judge has largely sided with the U.S. prosecution.

Peoples Dispatch (2021-01-05). Julian Assange verdict: Good day for human rights, bad day for journalism. peoplesdispatch.org Renata Avila talks about the verdict in the Julian Assange extradition trial. She says that while it was historic in being the first positive verdict from UK courts in 10 years, the implications for journalism are dangerous due to the statements the judge made…

Rod Driver (2021-01-05). Brutal Human Rights Abuses: Torture, Sanctions and Failure to Address "Economic Rights" globalresearch.ca "Wrong things are done in the name of Islam, worse things are being done in the name of democracy and human rights" (Dr. Mohamed Mahathir, former Malaysian Prime Minister(1)) | Torture — Legal Black Holes | Some philosophers have suggested that …