Journalist John Steppling believes that the hearing has really been an appalling exercise in state power, the way they have stage-managed the presentation.
Sputnik: As the trial against Julian Assange enters its 5th day, what are your views about how it’s been conducted so far?
John Steppling: I mean, first of all, the case shouldn't be tried in a court that is inside the prison. Craig Murray wrote about this on the first day and they placed Assange behind a glass partition, removed from the proceedings really, which is usually reserved for terrorists and war criminals and the like. So they are sending a message with the whole stagecraft involved and it's preposterous! You have this frail, now rather ill man, who is being tried for nothing violent- for releasing documents. It's just preposterous. I mean, he was in the Ecuadorian embassy for how many years? You know it's just insane, and he's targeted for probably Supermax in the United States, probably in Florence, Colorado; that seems to be the Supermax of choice for high profile defendants.
Sputnik: We heard Julian Assange's legal team rejected a suggestion by lawyers representing the US that his actions were not "political offences", arguing that the WikiLeaks founder had published classified documents to highlight human rights abuses. What do these comments represent?
John Steppling: I mean, it would be a comedy if weren't, in fact, a tragedy and if there weren't a man suffering now years of state abuse really. It's pretty comical, and one does wonder at a certain point why the political apparatus in the US, is so determined to get their hands on Assange and make a sort of symbolic case and warning with this conviction? Because if this resembles a show trial, wait till he gets to the United States. I mean it's the most politicized trial in decades! I don't want to prophesy a bad conclusion to this, but I would be shocked if he was not saved for the US.
Sputnik: With a verdict not expected until early March; what can we expect in the coming weeks and at the end of the trial?
John Steppling: It will be interesting to see what kind of coverage the coming weeks gets because as I say, it's been very controlled. The media held this in a very controlled environment inside a prison - I think there are only 19 spectators allowed each day. It's almost a secret trial, and you have to rely on a journalist like Craig Murray, who has been invaluable and just done a stellar job in keeping track and documenting what's going on and it's something far less than transparent. So what the coverage is, what the defence team manages to put out there at a certain point - especially near the end of the trial - is going to be very important. When the verdict comes down, it's going to be very interesting to see just how much the press, the alternative press, those who care, can get the word out and communicate the travesty that this thing is.
