Full Video and Full Transcript of Julian Assange August 19th 2012 Speech Outside the Ecuadorian Embassy

Πηγή: OpEdNews
By Julian Assange
August 19 2012

"I am here because I cannot be closer to you.

Thank you for being here.

Thanks you for your resolve and your generosity of spirit.

On Wednesday night, after a threat was sent to this embassy and the police descended on the building, you came out in the middle of the night to watch over it, and you brought the world's eyes with you.

Inside the embassy after dark I could hear teams of police swarming up into the building through the internal fire escape. But I knew that there would be witnesses.

And that is because of you.

If the UK did not throw away the Vienna conventions the other that is because the world was watching.

And the world was watching because you were watching.

So the next time somebody tells you that it is pointless to defend those rights we hold dear, remind them of your vigil in the dark before the Embassy Of Ecuador... Remind them how, in the morning, the sun came up on a different world and a courageous and a courageous Latin American nation took a stand for justice.

And so to those brave people I thank President Correa for the courage he has shown in considering and in granting me political asylum.

And so I thank the government and the Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino who have upheld the Ecuadorian constitution and its notion of universal citizenship in their consideration of my case.

And to the Ecuadorian people for supporting and defending this constitution. And I have a debt of gratitude to the staff of this embassy whose families live in London and who have shown me hospitality and kindness despite the threats that they all received.

This Friday there will be an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of Latin America in Washington DC to address this very situation. And so I am grateful to the people and governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Venezuela and to all of the other Latin American countries who have come to defend the right to asylum.

To the people of the United States, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Australia who have supported me in strength even when their governments have not, and to those wiser heads in government who are still fighting for justice, your day will come.

To the staff, supporters and sources of Wikileaks whose courage and commitment and loyalty has seen no equal.

To my family and to my children who have been denied their father forgive me we will be reunited soon.

As Wikileaks stands under threat so does the freedom of expression and the health of our societies. We must use this moment to articulate te choice that is before the government of the United States of America.

Will it return to and reaffirm the values it was founded on? Or will it lurch off the precipice dragging us all into a dangerous and oppressive world in which journalists fall silent under the fear of prosecution and citizens must whisper in the dark?

I say that it must turn back.

I ask President Obama to do the right thing.

The United States must renounce its witch-hunt against Wikileaks.


The United States must dissolve its FBI investigation.

The United States must vow that it will not seek to prosecute our staff or our supporters.

The United States must pledge before the world that it will not pursue journalists for shining a light on the secret crimes of the powerful.

There must be no more foolish talk about prosecuting any media organization be it Wikileaks or the New York Times.

The US administration's war on whistleblowers must end.

Thomas Drake and William Binney and John Kiriakou and other heroic US whistleblowers must - they must - be pardoned and compensated for the hardships they have endured as servants of the public record.

And the Army Private who remains in a military prison in Fort Levenworth Kansas, who was found by the UN to have endured most torturous detention in Quantico Virginia and who has yet after two years in the prison to see a trial, he must be released.

Bradley Manning must be released.

If Bradley Manning really did as he is accused he is a hero an example to us all and one of the world's foremost political prisoners.

Bradley Manning must be released.

On Wednesday Bradley Manning spent his 815th day of detention without trial. The legal maximum is 120 days.

On Thursday my friend Nabeel Rajab, president of the Bharanian human rights center, was sentenced to three years for a tweet. On Friday a Russian band were sentenced to two years in jail for a political performance.

There is unity in the oppression. There must be absolute unity and determination in the response.

Thank you."

U.K. threatening to ‘assault our embassy’ to seize Julian Assange: Ecuador’s foreign minister

Ecuador's Foreign Affairs Minister Ricardo Patino attends a news conference at his office in Quito Wednesday. Ecuador said the British government had threatened to raid its embassy in London if WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is not handed over.

Πηγή: National Post
By Gonzalo Solano (AP)
August 15 2012

QUITO, Ecuador — A stern warning from Britain on the eve of Ecuador’s much-anticipated decision on Julian Assange’s asylum request led its foreign minister to accuse Britain on Wednesday of threatening to storm his nation’s London embassy to arrest the WikiLeaks founder.

Foreign Minister Ricard Patino said Britain had earlier in the day issued “a written threat that it could assault our embassy” if Assange is not handed over.

Patino also said he would announce on Thursday morning whether Ecuador would grant the request of the secret-spilling former Australian hacker, who took refuge in Ecuador’s embassy on June 19 to avoid extradition to Sweden. Assange faces questioning there for alleged sexual misconduct.

As news broke of the warning, a number of police officers were seen reinforcing Scotland Yard’s presence outside the embassy in a tony London neighbourhood near the Harrods department store.

Britain’s Foreign Office issued a statement later Wednesday citing a 1987 British law it says permits the revocation of diplomatic status of a building if the foreign power occupying it “ceases to use land for the purposes of its mission or exclusively for the purposes of a consular post.”

Under international law, diplomatic posts are considered the territory of the foreign nation.

Police stand guard outside the Ecuadorian Embassy Wednesday. Julian Assange has been living there since June 19, after requesting political asylum whilst facing extradition to Sweden.

Police stand guard outside the Ecuadorian Embassy Wednesday. Julian Assange has been living there since June 19, after requesting political asylum whilst facing extradition to Sweden.

Asked by the Associated Press about Patino’s characterization, a Foreign Office official said via email that the letter “was not a threat” and was intended to clarify “all aspects of British law that Ecuador should be aware of.” The official would not be identified by name, citing policy.

Patino said the missive including the veiled threat was delivered to his country’s Foreign Ministry in writing and verbally to its ambassador in London on Wednesday. The cited was Britain’s 1987 Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act.

Patino said Ecuador “rejects in the most energetic terms the explicit threat of the official British communication.”

Assange arrives at the High Court in London December 5, 2011.

The Foreign Office statement did not elaborate on Britain’s intentions if Assange were to be granted political asylum.

“We have an obligation to extradite Mr. Assange and it is only right that we give Ecuador (the) full picture,” the statement said, before adding: “We are still committed to reaching a mutually acceptable solution.”
We have an obligation to extradite Mr. Assange and it is only right that we give Ecuador (the) full picture

Assange, whose publishing via the Internet of thousands of sensitive U.S. diplomatic cables and military dispatches has angered U.S. officials, says the charges against him are trumped up.

His supporters say they believe the U.S. has secretly indicted him and would extradite him from Sweden.

Correa has said Assange could face the death penalty in the United States and for that reason he considers the asylum request a question of political persecution.

Analysts in Ecuador expressed doubts that Britain would raid the embassy.

Professor Julio Echeverria of Quito’s FLACSO university said Britain “has a long establish tradition in Europe of respecting diplomatic missions,” which under international law are considered sovereign territory.

A former Ecuadorean ambassador to London, Mauricio Gandara, told The Associated Press “I refuse to believe in this threat because if asylum is granted the British government will not grant safe passage and Mr. Assange could be in the embassy for a long time.”

President Rafael Correa has expressed sympathy for Assange and said Monday that he hoped to announce a decision this week following high-level consultations with Britain and Sweden.

WikiLeaks releases 2.4 million Syria emails

Πηγή: wcnb
By CNN
July 5 2012


LONDON - WikiLeaks said Thursday it has begun publishing some 2.4 million emails from Syrian politicians, government ministries and companies dating back to 2006.

The emails, which are in a range of languages including Arabic and Russian, come from the ministries of presidential affairs, finance, information and foreign affairs, among others.

According to WikiLeaks, the emails "shine a light on the inner workings of the Syrian government and economy, but they also reveal how the West and Western companies say one thing and do another."

WikiLeaks, which facilitates the anonymous leaking of secret information, has published about 250,000 confidential U.S. diplomatic cables, causing embarrassment to the government and others. It has also published hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. documents relating to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Its founder, Julian Assange, was arrested in Britain in 2010 over allegations of rape and sex crime charges in Sweden.

Two women have accused Assange of sexually assaulting them in August 2010 when he was visiting Sweden in connection with a WikiLeaks release of internal U.S. military documents.

He has been arrested in absentia, Swedish prosecutors have said. Swedish authorities want to question him about the allegations, which he denies.

Assange has been fighting extradition ever since, saying the allegations are retribution for his organization's disclosure of American secrets. His bail conditions included staying every night at the home of a supporter outside of London.

Assange applied for asylum to Ecuador on June 19 and has been inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since. It is unclear when Ecuador will make a decision on the asylum request.

He sought refuge at the embassy five days after the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom dismissed a bid to reopen his appeal of the decision to send him to Sweden -- his last option in British courts.

A representative for the WikiLeaks founder said Assange will not honor a notice served to him by British police requiring him to turn himself to authorities.

"This should not be considered any sign of disrespect," said Susan Benn of the Julian Assange defense fund, who read the statement.

Benn said the United States had empaneled a grand jury in its goal to press charges against Assange. Turning himself in would have started a process that would end with Assange being extradited to the United States, she said.

"It is clear that there is a plan to bring Julian Assange to the United States," she said.

Citing what she called cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment of the alleged source of leaked documents, Pfc. Bradley Manning, Benn said that sending Assange to the United States "would be a violation of his rights."

Police say Assange is in violation of his bail by staying at the embassy, and that ignoring the notice to turn himself in is a further violation.

US court rejects Assange petition to access army's legal proceedings

Manning friend David House told MSNBC that due to the over 8 months of isolation with movement and sleep restrictions placed on him appeared "catatonic" and that he had "severe problems communicating".


Πηγή: newKerala
By ANI
Jan 12 2012

Washington: The U.S. military's highest appeals court has rejected a petition by WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange to give their lawyers guaranteed access to the Army's legal proceedings against the Army intelligence analyst accused of leaking thousands of military reports and diplomatic cables, Private First Class Bradley Manning.

According to Politico, WikiLeaks and Assange argued they deserved a permanent seat at the recent investigative hearing in Manning's case because of an ongoing criminal investigation targeting Assange and his global transparency website.

They also made the unusual request to have a lawyer with security clearance sit on classified sessions the public is excluded from.

However, in an order Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces denied the petition without comment. The only further review would be at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The WikiLeaks/Assange plea was previously rejected by the officer overseeing Manning's hearing and by an intermediate appeals court, the Army Court of Criminal Appeals.

Military prosecutors said there was no basis for according special status just because Assange might be charged in the future.

In addition, they noted that in practice the lawyers for Assange and his outfit had been able to gain access to general public seating in the courtroom at Fort Meade, Maryland.

Manning's weeklong preliminary hearing, known as an Article 32 session, wrapped up last month, so it could be that the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces considered the issue moot.

"We are disappointed by the ruling, but like much of the Manning proceedings themselves, this decision is inscrutable," said Baher Azmy of the Center for Constitutional Rights, which brough the petition for Assange and WikiLeaks.

British High Court rejects Assange extradition appeal

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (C) arrives at London's High Court on November 2, 2011. The British court ruled that he should be sent to Sweden for questioning over alleged sexual misconduct.

Πηγή: Washington Post
By Karla Adam

Nov 2 2011

LONDON — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange lost his battle against extradition Wednesday when Britain’s High Court ruled that he should be sent to Sweden to face questioning over allegations of sexual misconduct.

The judgment was handed down by High Court judges John Thomas and Duncan Ouseley with Assange in attendance, wearing a dark suit and a Remembrance Day poppy.

In their ruling, the judges said that the European Arrest Warrant that triggered Assange’s arrest and subsequent proceedings by the Swedish authorities were “proportionate.”

Lawyers for the 40-year-old Australian are expected to seek permission to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land. The legal team must lodge an application within the next two weeks, and make a case that a “point of law of general importance” is at stake.

Swedish authorities have not charged Assange, but they want to question him over allegations of sexual molestation, unlawful coercion and rape made by two Swedish women following a trip to Stockholm in August 2010. Assange vehemently denies the charges.

A British judge ordered Assange’s extradition in February, but his legal team appealed, arguing that the arrest warrant was flawed and the sex was consensual and would not be considered a crime in England.

After Wednesday’s ruling, Assange delivered a short statement to the jostling throng of reporters outside of the Royal Courts of Justice. It was a marked contrast to the lengthy, defiant speeches he made after previous hearings,

“I have not been charged with any crime, in any country. Despite this, the European Arrest Warrant is so restrictive that it prevents U.K. courts from considering the facts of a case, as judges have made clear here today,” Assange said. “We will be considering our next steps in the days ahead.”

He also urged people to visit swedenversusassange.com, a Web site commissioned by Assange’s defense fund,“if you want to know what’s really going on in this case.”

Joshua Rozenberg, a legal expert, said that a decision on whether the Supreme Court would hear Assange’s appeal could stretch out for “certainly weeks.”

If the Supreme Court hears Assange’s appeal, a decision in the case could take up to a year. If it does not, British law enforcement officers will arrange for Assange to be extradited to Sweden within 10 days.

In Sweden, the maximum sentence is six years for rape, two years for sexual molestation, and one year for unlawful coercion.

In his recently published “unauthorized autobiography,” Assange conceded he was cold to the two Swedish women he calls “A” and “W”, but denied criminality.

“I wasn’t a reliable boyfriend, or even a very courteous sleeping partner, and this began to figure,” he wrote. “Unless, of course, the agenda had been rigged from the start.”

Assange has said that the charges against him are politically motivated — an attempt at revenge after the WikiLeaks publications of a trove of classified military and diplomatic documents that have embarrassed the U.S. government.

The anti-secrecy Web site recently announced it would be scaling back operations so that it could focus on raising money, following an 11-month financial embargo by Visa, MasterCard and other financial firms that accept financial transactions.

Last month, Assange said WikiLeaks faced an “existential” crisis and could close as early as January if it was unable to boost its financial reserves.

Despite mounting legal costs, Assange has stressed that none of the money donated to WikiLeaks has been used to pay for his legal fees in the extradition battle.


Assange remains on bail as his lawyers decide whether to attempt an appeal. Since his arrest in December 2010, Assange has been living under partial house arrest at a supporter’s mansion home northeast of London. He is required to wear an electronic tag and check in nightly with the police.