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28-02-2020, 01:14 AM
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Julian Assange

Do you think that Julian Assange should be extradited to the US?

Personally, I don't. The US armed forces were exposed in released footage of killing innocent civilians and glorifying in the act. The US are using the excuse that military and covert personnel were compromised and killed as a consequence of the so-called `Wikileaks` information leaked on the internet even though there has been no evidence of this.

Is the freedom of the press and journalism being threatened by this extradition?

As an aside, the US-UK extradition treaty is greatly biased in the US's favour. They are demanding the extradition of Julian Assange while at the same time ignoring the request to extradite the woman responsible for the death of Harry Dunn whom she killed while driving on the wrong side of the road then buggered off back to the US to escape justice. Her claim of diplomatic immunity because her husband is a `spy` has been ridiculed.


https://www.rt.com/op-ed/481750-assa...-speech-media/
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28-02-2020, 02:08 AM
2

Re: Julian Assange

I'm glad somebody else has kicked this off. I have been following JA's case for years and I feel very strongly about it. I was reluctant to post something here mainly because if I had the response that I would expect from some here - That is.."Hang the bastard!..burn him at the stake!...throw the bloody upstart colonial in a pit for life with hard labour!..then get really cross." etc etc - I would lose my block and probably get kicked off the site. I did once already with somebody here recently and I'm surprised I'm still here actually. However...I agree with you JUdd. Whatever you think of Assange as an individual the things that are being done to him..and the things that are not being done..like letting him have FULL access to his lawyers, are beyond BS. I could go on. Let's just say I agree with everything you say. MY position is this. I have lived in the USA. I loved being there. The people were, by and large, delightful. They were erudite, articulate, well mannered and intelligent people. They are one of the most remarkable people's on Earth. But their president is a jerk and many of them are ashamed of him. UNfortunately he still has - for the moment - a lot of power and he and his mates are driving this. I have watched the amazing Geoffrey Robertson and Jennifer Robinson work their butts off for years for Assange. People of that stature won't defend somebody who they don't believe in. I think what that US helicopter did was at best as grossly incompetent as anybody could get let alone "special forces" and at worst outright, gleeful and cold blooded murder. "Hey boys!..light 'em up".."YEah smoke 'em!"..was the audio. Effing disgusting. It should have been exposed and anybody who did is not a criminal. I think more than free speech and unfettered journalism is at stake. It is the absolute rock that democracy is built on that gets chipped away by crap like this.
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28-02-2020, 03:04 AM
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Re: Julian Assange

I agree with most of what you both say too.

This government has done all it can to prosecute whistle blowers and journalists yet it leaks classified information itself when it suits them.



They have done nothing to help Assange and a government that allows the Federal Police to raid the ABC on a fishing expedition is beyond the pale.
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28-02-2020, 09:42 AM
4

Re: Julian Assange

Assange should be lauded as a hero, not a criminal!!
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28-02-2020, 09:56 AM
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Re: Julian Assange

No way should Assange be deported to America.

If Barack Hussein had simply ignored the exposure of the wrongdoing of the US government and its agencies or shrugged and replied "shit happens - next?" Instead of getting in a strop the whole thing would have blown over in a matter of days.

When all is said and done all Assange did was to expose that America was exactly what the whole world KNEW America was like all along.
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28-02-2020, 10:29 AM
6

Re: Julian Assange

This is a tough one...

On the one hand whistleblowing actual wrongdoing I would find morally acceptable and, in general, a good thing and needs to be encouraged, but on the other hand the indiscriminate releasing of millions of documents, not all related to actual wrongdoing, I think is wrong and morally reprehensible.

All governments have secrets through necessity, and it is not reasonable for just anyone to take this type of action without knowing the wider implications, particularly when many lives may be imperilled through those actions.

Let's just remember that there are two sides to every story, and only to know the one side and make a judgement on that alone is not only naive, but potentially can be very dangerous.

On balance then I would argue that Assange should stand trial for the release of those documents, but had he been more selective regarding specific, proveable wrongdoing then I may have argued the opposite.
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28-02-2020, 10:42 AM
7

Re: Julian Assange

Originally Posted by Barry ->
This is a tough one...

On the one hand whistleblowing actual wrongdoing I would find morally acceptable and, in general, a good thing and needs to be encouraged, but on the other hand the indiscriminate releasing of millions of documents, not all related to actual wrongdoing, I think is wrong and morally reprehensible.

All governments have secrets through necessity, and it is not reasonable for just anyone to take this type of action without knowing the wider implications, particularly when many lives may be imperilled through those actions.

Let's just remember that there are two sides to every story, and only to know the one side and make a judgement on that alone is not only naive, but potentially can be very dangerous.

On balance then I would argue that Assange should stand trial for the release of those documents, but had he been more selective regarding specific, proveable wrongdoing then I may have argued the opposite.
It wasn't just a "shotgun" exposure. It was a collection of documents along with supporting information that exposed what most people already knew or suspected that America was getting up to while all along pretending that butter wouldn't melt in their crotch.

The irony is that very few people were in the least bit surprised.

As for lives being endangered - I am yet to see or hear any credible evidence that was the case.

The REAL offence that Assange committed was to embarrass the people and country that richly deserved to be embarrassed.
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28-02-2020, 12:46 PM
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Re: Julian Assange

Originally Posted by The Artful Todger ->
It wasn't just a "shotgun" exposure. It was a collection of documents along with supporting information that exposed what most people already knew or suspected that America was getting up to while all along pretending that butter wouldn't melt in their crotch.

The irony is that very few people were in the least bit surprised.

As for lives being endangered - I am yet to see or hear any credible evidence that was the case.

The REAL offence that Assange committed was to embarrass the people and country that richly deserved to be embarrassed.
Yes, l agree with that Todgy!
Donkeyman!
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28-02-2020, 12:53 PM
9

Re: Julian Assange

As I said earlier all countries have their secrets and no doubt Britain has quite a few of it's own that it wouldn't make pleasant reading, so to take the moral high ground is difficult when we all may be complicit in our own country's cupboard full of skeletons..
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28-02-2020, 02:13 PM
10

Re: Julian Assange

Wikileaks is exactly what it says it is. It leaks secrets. Although I think what he exposed was a good thing, he knew exactly what he was getting into so swings and roundabouts really.
 

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