JULIAN ASSANGE AND WIKILEAKS GET DAY IN COURT IN THE U.K.

Assange must be extradited, Swedish lawyers argue


Picture from the internet.

AXJ NEWS
LONDON, UK
https://www.facebook.com/AXJLondon
02-02-2012


After two long days of intense hearings in the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, according to AXJ Members following the case, Assange will likely be extradited to Sweden. Oral arguments trying to convince the Lords that a prosecutor in Sweden ( equivalent to a District Attorney or Attorney General in the USA ) or Fiscal in Spain, did not have the authority to request an extradition ( because they are not "independent" ) did not seem to sway the Lords. It must be remembered that Assange has not had a trial yet, he has simply been hiding out in the UK.

Assange must be extradited, Swedish lawyers argue

Updated: Thu Feb. 02 2012 15:36:01

The Associated Press

LONDON — Sweden's public prosecutor was right to demand the return of Julian Assange, a lawyer told Britain's Supreme Court Thursday, saying that failing to hand over the WikiLeaks chief would break with precedent and wreck European extradition rules.

Clare Montgomery, the lawyer for Sweden's prosecution service, struck back at Assange's legal team's argument that only impartial authorities such as a judge can properly issue European arrest warrants.

"The English notion of an arrest warrant issued by a court is very much an exception," she said, warning later that if the U.K. Supreme Court insisted only honouring judge-issued warrants "it would make it impossible for possibly eight, possibly more European partners" to extradite suspected criminals.

She named several European countries -- including Denmark, Finland and Sweden -- which allowed prosecutors or justice ministries to pursue extraditions. Refusing them the right to do so, she said, would "break with long-standing state practice."

The point is a technical one, but it's critical to Assange's 14-month struggle to avoid extradition to Sweden where he's wanted on sex crime allegations stemming from encounters with two Swedish women during a trip there in 2010.

He denies the accusations and has refused to return to Sweden, saying he fears the case against him has been manipulated for political ends and that he wouldn't receive a fair trial.

Experts interviewed ahead of the case said that the weight of legal precedent gave Montgomery the upper hand.

British judges have tended to defer to foreign judicial systems when considering whether to endorse European arrest warrants, which fast-track the exchange of suspects between European countries. Extradition specialist Karen Todner said earlier this week that she would be "very surprised" if Assange's team triumphed.

The hearing ended Thursday with a rebuttal from Assange lawyer Dinah Rose, but a judgment isn't expected for another few weeks.

Assange's legal battle -- combined with an embargo imposed by U.S. financial companies -- has taken its toll on the secret-spilling website, which has suspended its publishing operations to focus on fundraising. Assange himself has spent much of the time under virtual house arrest at a wealthy supporter's English country mansion and is currently staying at an undisclosed location.

Assange was in court Thursday, smiling as he walked past protesters waving "Free Assange" placards.

http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20120202/wikileaks-assange-court-120202/20120202/?hub=EdmontonHome

High court says Assange case raises question of 'general public importance' that should be decided as quickly as possible

Julian Assange at the Royal Courts of Justice ~ Link to this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNs4_Bleiho

The high court has paved the way for the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, to pursue his case against extradition to Sweden in the supreme court.

Two judges ruled that his case raised a question "of general public importance" that should be decided by the highest court in the land "as quickly as possible".

Assange, who faces sex crime allegations, was in the London court for the ruling.

Although the judges refused Assange permission to appeal, they allowed him to apply directly to the supreme court for permission to appeal because they considered the case "of general public importance".

The door to a fresh hearing was opened by Sir John Thomas and Mr Justice Ouseley, the judges who recently dismissed Assange's application for judicial review.

In certifying a question, the judges were giving Assange access to the supreme court.

He now has to ask the supreme court justices to hear his case.

The 40-year-old Australian argues it would be "unfair and unlawful" to order his extradition.

The Swedish authorities want him to answer accusations of raping one woman and "sexually molesting and coercing" another in Stockholm in August last year.

Assange, whose WikiLeaks website published a mass of leaked diplomatic cables that embarrassed several governments and international businesses, denies the allegations, which he says are politically motivated.

Earlier this year, the high court upheld a ruling by district judge Howard Riddle at Belmarsh magistrates court, in south-east London, that the computer expert should be extradited to face investigation.

Previous comments:
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According to the Main Stream Media ( MSM ) the international civil and political rights organization known as Action For Justice ( AXJ ) is having secret conversations with Julian Assange of WIKILEAKS in London, UK.

An AXJ spokesperson for AXJ in the UK has denied all these claims and further claims that telephonic conversations between AXJ members in the UK and Assange have been recorded.

AXJ claims that it never communicates with members by telephone for security reasons and any visit to Julian Assange would be in person and totally unknown to the world.

Apparently claims have been made that AXJ AUSTRALIA and the AXJ CEO Mr. John Aster would meet to arrange an interview with the government of AUSTRALIA to offer Assange political assylum in that country. Other news sources from SPAIN say that AXJ SPAIN have also offered him political assylum.

According to AFP, Mr. Assange's only friends have left him:

Former WikiLeaks colleagues have turned on him, attacking the way he ran the site. He also fell out with newspapers, including the New York Times and Britain's Guardian, that WikiLeaks initially worked with to release documents.

According to others, Mr. Assange has destroyed the credibility of the popular website WIKIPEDIA ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikiwww.wiki.com ), yet the few supporters that remain have insisted he had all the right to Free Speech and to publish the information that he did.

According to an Action For Justice ( AXJ ) member in the UK :

This all reminds us of Roman Times when the Romans were proud to say [b]Civis Romanus Sum ( I am proud to be a citizen of Rome ) which implied, in a wide sense, all the rights and duties associated with the status of Roman citizenship.- WIKI, but unfortunately for Mr. Assange, he is not an American citizen and protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution.

* Action For Justice ( AXJ ® ) has been created for and by its founding members around the world simply to publish the Truth that Main Stream Media ( MSM ) will not publish about human developments and events. AXJ ® receives live news feeds and comments from its members world wide 24/7/365 and reproduces them on multiple servers in multiple countries in real time. Our goal is to have at least one AXJ ® Agent in every city in the world in the year 2012. If you or your organization would like to join AXJ ® please contact us as soon as possible.