Assange To Be Indicted Under US Espionage Act

[tsai3904]

ABC News | December 10, 2010

http://abcnews.go.com/US/assange-lawyers-prepare-us-espionage-indictment/story?id=12362315

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, the man behind the publication of more than a 250,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables, could soon be facing spying charges in the U.S. related to the Espionage Act, Assange's lawyer said today.

"Our position of course is that we don't believe it applies to Mr. Assange and that in any event he's entitled to First Amendment protection as publisher of Wikileaks and any prosecution under the Espionage Act would in my view be unconstitutional and puts at risk all media organizations in the U.S.," Assange's attorney Jennifer Robinson told ABC News.

Robinson said a U.S. indictment of Assange was imminent.

Assange is already in custody in London on sexual assault charges including rape originating out of Sweden. He is being held in solitary confinement with restricted access to a phone and his lawyers, Robinson said.

"This means he is under significant surveillance but also means he has more restrictive conditions than other prisoners," she said. "Considering the circumstances he was incredibly positive and upbeat."

Justice Department officials declined to comment on the possible coming charges, but earlier this week, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder said the release of the documents had put the United States at risk and said he authorized a criminal investigation into Assange.

"The lives of people who work for the American people has been put at risk; the American people themselves have been put at risk by these actions that are, I believe, arrogant, misguided and ultimately not helpful in any way. We are doing everything that we can," Holder said Tuesday. "We have a very serious, active, ongoing investigation that is criminal in nature. I authorized just last week a number of things to be done so that we can hopefully get to the bottom of this and hold people accountable, as they -- as they should be."

In response to widespread criticism of the sex crime charges, a lawyer for the two Swedish women accusing Assange said the charges are in no way politically motivated and the woman are angry at that suggestion.

"They were attacked by Mr. Assange and then they are treated like perpetrators themselves," attorney Claes Borgstrom told ABC News. "He has molested them and then sacrificed them for his own interests."

One woman accused Assange of sexually coercing her twice in August, including one time when he allegedly "forcibly parted her legs, preventing her from moving... then had intercourse without a condom," according to prosecutors. The second woman claimed that Assange had unprotected sex with her while she slept.

Borgstrom told ABC News one of the women went to the hospital following one of the alleged attacks.

The timing of the arrest earlier this week led a Wikileaks spokesperson, Assange's lawyer Mark Stephens and hundreds of Assange's supporters to claim they were part of a political effort to marginalize the Wikileaks founder in the face of the massive document drop.

But Borgstrom said his clients were hardly against Wikileaks. Rather, the two were employed by Wikileaks and were in fact "admirers" of Assange's work.

"They want that there will be a trial so Julian Assange must answer to what he has done and so the world sees it's true and it really happened," Borgstrom said.

The accusations against Assange were previously dropped by one Swedish prosecutor before being picked up by another. When the accusations were read in a British court Tuesday, the judge said the case is "about serious sexual offenses on three separate occasions, involving two separate victims...extremely serious allegations."

Assange has denied the sex crimes charges and after his arrest, Stephens told ABC News Assange is ready "to vindicate himself and clear his good name."

 

[Feeding the Abscess]

Welcome to the U.S.S.A.

 

[Matt Collins]

According to The Judge, the person who leaked the documents to the media is the one who should be indicted. The media outlet is protected by the 1st Amendment.

 

[Jordan]

..

 

[Lucille]

Sickening.

ZH: Very soon, we expect that every journalism degree will come with a free indictment of treason and a sentence of public stoning.

 

[specsaregood]

He is being held in solitary confinement with restricted access to a phone and his lawyers, Robinson said.

This is guy is soooo gonna commit "suicide".

 

[smartguy911]

At least this will give him some time to clear his mind and think in peace. I have no clue how they can indict him under the Espionage act. Makes no sense at all. He didn't steal those documents. He simply published them.

 

[sailingaway]

Sickening.

ZH: Very soon, we expect that every journalism degree will come with a free indictment of treason and a sentence of public stoning.

I incline to think this. There is just SO MUCH data I don't feel like I conclusively have all the facts. From what I DO know, this is scary on a civil liberties front, however.

 

[smartguy911]

This is guy is soooo gonna commit "suicide".

I think Assagne likes being alone. He is used to it.

 

[specsaregood]

I think Assagne likes being alone. He is used to it.

I don't think you quite understood my comment. If I was him, the last thing I would want right now would be "alone" in detention. I'm sure they will have a problem with their video surveillance equipment in that cell as well.

 

[Dr.3D]

Shouldn't they also indict the CIA and the FBI under those same charges? I'm sure they have leaked some kind of information that would put another country in jeopardy.

 

[Feeding the Abscess]

I incline to think this. There is just SO MUCH data I don't feel like I conclusively have all the facts. From what I DO know, this is scary on a civil liberties front, however.

It's irrelevant what your fears are, with regards to the information contained in the cables. The 1st Amendment and the Supreme Court's defense of it trump the government - period. If Ellsburg can outright steal classified documents and skate, there is absolutely zero ground for a publisher to be under attack.

 

[cswake]

I wonder what type of reaction this will generate from the world...

 

[sailingaway]

It's irrelevant what your fears are, with regards to the information contained in the cables. The 1st Amendment and the Supreme Court's defense of it trump the government - period. If Ellsburg can outright steal classified documents and skate, there is absolutely zero ground for a publisher to be under attack.

I'm not sure, and legal issues aren't the only ones I'm thinking of. If someone, press or not, knowingly told someone out to murder someone where they were hiding, for example, it might be free speech, but I don't think it could be condoned, morally.

From what I know, I think our government is way out of line. I certainly don't like people jumping into this mindset without knowing more, themselves. But what if they came out with a fact, like that Assange had approached and bribed the leaker to release the info? That would be different. I'm against this, and VERY against this mindset of taking away civil liberties in a passion, and without thinking things through. I just say that because I think first amendment rights NEED to be protected, not because I have particular certainty about Assange's specific case.

 

[charrob]

I don't think you quite understood my comment. If I was him, the last thing I would want right now would be "alone" in detention. I'm sure they will have a problem with their video surveillance equipment in that cell as well.

The prison Assange is in is in southwest Britain and was built in the 1600's : it's brutal, and they hold the most violent criminals there. (While I was driving yesterday morning I was listening to the Dianne Reim show and some lawyers she had on and they were discussing it. They said it's a place you or I couldn't even be in for 2 hours, let alone a week.)

 

[angelatc]

Sickening.

ZH: Very soon, we expect that every journalism degree will come with a free indictment of treason and a sentence of public stoning.

Better yet, every "journalist" will have to be credentialed by the government. Annually.

 

[Dr.3D]

Better yet, every "journalist" will have to be credentialed by the government. Annually.

That would definitely guarantee all journalists would be unbiased.

 

[angelatc]

This is guy is soooo gonna commit "suicide".

I don't think so. That would make him a martyr. Better to paint him as an unlikeable guy who rapes women and is connected to George Soros. Look for pedophile allegations to emerge shortly.

 

[Brooklyn Red Leg]

Welcome to Hell, folks. Its gonna get mighty bad around here if Assange is actually brought to the US and charged under The Espionage Act.

 

[specsaregood]

I don't think so. That would make him a martyr. Better to paint him as an unlikeable guy who rapes women and is connected to George Soros. Look for pedophile allegations to emerge shortly.

History is replete with martyrs, it never stopped any of them from dying. I'm sure somebody somewhere is weighing whether making him a "martyr" is worth it because at the same time they would be making him an "example". just saying...