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US attempts to extradite WikiLeaks' Assange foiled
US Army can find no evidence Assange conspired with Bradley Manning to steal classified information
Attempts by the United States government to extradite Julian Assange appear dead in the water after the US Army said its efforts to link the WikiLeaks editor-in-chief to Bradley Manning, the man who is alleged to have leaked the US embassy cables and a video of a US helicopter crew gunning down Iraqi civilians, have come to nothing.
Attempts by the US Justice Department to build a case for the extradition of Assange are said to depend on whether it can be proven that he conspired with Manning, a US Army intelligence analyst, to steal classified information.
However, military officials have told NBC News that, while they maintain Manning downloaded classified documents to his own computer, there is no evidence that he contacted Assange directly.
This version tallies with the WikiLeaks editor's own claims that he had never heard Manning's name until reports surfaced in the media last year. Assange says that the WikiLeaks website is designed to ensure whistleblowers maintain their anonymity.
Manning was only arrested after he allegedly confessed his activities to a noted hacker, Adrian Lamo, who then betrayed him to the authorities.
He currently languishes in a military prison in solitary confinement, shackled at the hands and legs during all visits and allowed ONLY one hour of exercise per day - conditions described by Amnesty as "inhumane".
Assange cannot breathe a sigh of relief just yet, however. The US Justice Department said that a charge of conspiracy under the 1917 Espionage Act was only one avenue it was pursuing to effect his extradition.
Assange, meanwhile, remains in the UK, where he is on bail pending an extradition hearing relating to allegations of sexual misconduct in Sweden. The case commences on February 7 or 8. ·
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Foiled, you say?
Hardly.
If there's one single fact that has come out of this whole thing, that is absolutely irrefutable and should engender rage in all citizens of the world, it's that governments, including the US government, lie to their people.
What makes this new 'revelation' of government inability to find Assange/Manning ties more credible than anything else?
The timing of this statement is very convenient. Clearly, as cited in the released skeleton argument documents, 'potential extradition to the US' is one of the main arguments Assange's lawyers are using in his defense against the Swedish extradition request. Can this argument still be used in light of these new revelations or will it make it that much harder for them to prove this threat?
Some vague statement from some anonymous insider does not constitute fact - nor is this position irreversible once Assange is 'safetly' within the borders of Sweden - a country with very questionable US extradition laws.
So old soldier, you think that with enough bullying the US can get Assange and then do a Bradley on him? A proper trial would be more fun than OJ. Those options would be an even worse blunders than starting another war but that is on the cards as well.
The US government and Justice Department will use all the dirty tricks in the book, to get Assange back to America.They have got to learn they cant bully other countries into there demands.