The hearing for the extradition of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange resumes in London on Monday, after a break was called due to the possibility of a coronavirus outbreak. Previously, one of the participating lawyers tested negative for COVID-19. At the same time, Assange supporters are gathering outside London's Old Bailey to protest against his possible extradition to the United States.
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Ex-diplomat and whistleblower Craig Murray gives his view of two notable developments during today's extradition hearing including what he terms "attempt to humiliate" defence expert Eric Lewis, by the prosecution.
— Mohamed Elmaazi (@MElmaazi) September 14, 2020
via @SputnikInt pic.twitter.com/YgINa9ck5s
"If convicted, he is likely to be sentenced to imprisonment that will go on for the rest of his life", US lawyer and criminology expert Eric Lewis said via video link from the United States on the first part of the hearing that resumed on Monday after the court adjourned on Thursday over COVID-19 concerns that were later cleared when the suspect case tested negative.
In spite of the technical difficulties that eventually led court to adjourn for the day, Lewis added that in the "best case scenario", Assange could face "somewhere between 20 years, if everything goes brilliantly, to 175 years which the government could easily ask for", for publishing classified information on the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and thousands of US diplomatic cables.
He added that the US Department of Justice will treat the 49-year-old whistleblower as a national security risk prisoner, and he will be detained under special administrative measures.
Lewis noted that under such a regime, prisoners are not even allowed to watch television programs other than those chosen by the prison authorities, pointing out that Assange's mental health makes him particularly vulnerable to this type of harsh conditions.
*Court will be adjourned till 10am tomorrow morning as a result of the tech issues!*
— Mohamed Elmaazi (@MElmaazi) September 14, 2020
Ed Fitzgerald QC can be heard requesting the judge's assistance in accessing their client. She has repeated that she can't really help in that regard other than making general comments in court.
Eric Lewis, expert witness based in the US, is desparately trying to get the court to hear him. Those of us in the online video observation room can hear him perfectly but the court can't hear him at all.
— Mohamed Elmaazi (@MElmaazi) September 14, 2020
John Rees also told @SputnikInt that the court heard arguments that even in the "best case" scenario, if Mr Assange is convicted he could face around two decades in prison. pic.twitter.com/B9juJ6sRcc
— Mohamed Elmaazi (@MElmaazi) September 14, 2020
Sputnik: What can you tell me about the part of the expert testimony which focused on what Julian Assange could expect to face in relation to the charges themselves?
John Rees: There was some speculation in court, driven largely by the prosecution, which was trying to intimate that, although the maximum amount of time that Julian would spend in jail if he were convicted on these charges is 175 years, that was really very unlikely and it was all much more likely to be in the 20-25-year range.
You know, apart from anything else, Julian Assange is 49 now; that would be for a considerable period of the rest of his life – if the best-case scenario were to be enacted
But I don’t think anybody who is following these proceedings or has followed the way in which this case has been pursued by the American administration, and has heard the language that Mike Pompeo, William Barr, and Trump himself have used, could sensibly put their hand on their heart and say: "oh, no; I'm sure these guys will give him the minimum possible term, not the maximum possible term of 175 years". I just don’t think that that's a remotely credible interpretation of the political context of this case
Joe Brack (@EfPress), who volunteers with the #JulianAssange Defence Cmmittee (@JA_Defence), explains why he is staked-out across from the Old Bailey amid Mr #Assange's extradition hearings.
— Mohamed Elmaazi (@MElmaazi) September 14, 2020
via @SputnikInt pic.twitter.com/Gad4824OwJ
Eric Lewis, Chairman of @ReprieveUS , the defence expert witness due to give testimony now, has not appeared via video link. The Court is trying to secure the connection with him.
— Mohamed Elmaazi (@MElmaazi) September 14, 2020
“We begin with that background then look at news articles which in my view have a great deal of credibility and corroboration [that make clear the DOJ view that there was an impediment to prosecuting that would be overwhelming that was referred to as being the NYT problem]”
— Mohamed Elmaazi (@MElmaazi) September 14, 2020
He finds the reports credible for " a number of reasons". For one, there were named DOJ officials in that article including Mathew Miller (Att Gen Holder's Number 2) and he doubts he would have made such statements without running it by the AG.
— Mohamed Elmaazi (@MElmaazi) September 14, 2020
Mr Leiws says that Mr Assange, if convicted, is "likely to sentence to imprisonment that will go on for the rest of his life."
— Mohamed Elmaazi (@MElmaazi) September 14, 2020
"Best case secenario somewhere between 20 years if everything goes brilliantly to – 175 years"
Supporters of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange father outside the Old Bailey as his extradition case resumes. #wikileaks #assange #gettyimages @GettyImagesNews pic.twitter.com/nhpA65IEjE
— Leon Neal (@tabascokid) September 14, 2020
