The hearing now resumes; James Lewis representing the US argues that there is a material distinction between whether Article 10 is being raised as a bar to extradition, versus whether it applies to the charges Assange faces under the equivalence of the Official Secrets Act.— Mac William Bishop (@MacWBishop) February 24, 2020
We are now hearing from Edward Fitzgerald QC, the attorney representing Assange.— Mac William Bishop (@MacWBishop) February 24, 2020
Fitzgerald argues that this extradition is being sought under political motivation and therefore a breach Article 41 of the Anglo-US extradition treaty.— Mac William Bishop (@MacWBishop) February 24, 2020
Fitzgerald argues that there is also a high risk of suicide if Assange is extradited.— Mac William Bishop (@MacWBishop) February 24, 2020
Fitzgerald is outlining the specific materials Manning uploaded to WikiLeaks, including the dates of the uploads and of Manning’s arrest and court-martial.— Mac William Bishop (@MacWBishop) February 24, 2020
Fitzgerald argues that it was the election of Trump, and his hostility to the press (he quotes Trump’s “enemy of the people” comments), that was the only thing that actually changed in relation to Assange’s case.— Mac William Bishop (@MacWBishop) February 24, 2020
Assange and WIkiLeaks’ role in disseminating information deleterious to US foreign policy “naturally made him a target” of those espousing “the America First” ideologies of Donald Trump, Fitzgerald argues.— Mac William Bishop (@MacWBishop) February 24, 2020
“The decision to prosecute the publication of state secrets as espionage is unprecedented in the US,” Fitzgerald says.— Mac William Bishop (@MacWBishop) February 24, 2020