Thread by @jamesdoleman

Back at the Old Bailey where the extradition trial of Julian #Assange is just about to resume.

Judge updates the court on the suspected exposure of a member of one of the legal teams to Covid 19 they have tested negative do we proceed.
#Assange

We are now awaiting today's first witness, Eric Lewis, who is testifying via video link.
#Assange

*So we proceed*

We are still awaiting Mr Lewis logging in.

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He has now popped up on the screen.
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Edward Fitzgerald QC for Mr #Assange rises to question Mr Lewis.
The witness tells the court he is a lawyer, with a masters in criminology from Cambridge and has been practicing for 25 years

Lewis tells the court that the conduct that led to the US charges against #Assange occurred in 2010, yet he was not prosecuted until 2017.

Lewis says that in the USA "no publisher has ever been successfully prosecuted for publishing national security information, never."
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The witness tells the court that, in his view, a decision was taken in 2013 to not prosecute #Assange during the Obama administration.

Lewis tells the court that it was not until Trump set out an intention to "go for the leakers," in 2017, T

in April 2017 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wikileaks was "a hostile foreign intelligence service," and that #Assange was "a “narcissist” and “a fraud — a coward hiding behind a screen.”
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Lewis says the investigation of Julian #Assange is "one of the largest FBI cases in US history."

Lewis says that if convicted on these charges #Assange would face a possible 175 years in prison.

The witness says, that the prosecution of #Assange is “An abuse of the criminal law enforcement power”.

The witness says given the 18 charges of espionage #Assange is facing, the "best-case scenario," would still be 20 years in jail, notes Chelsea Manning was given 30 years

Lewis says that if Assange was jailed he would be placed in "Administrative detention," (solitary confinement) and be subject to "special administrative measures" as a national security risk

Says that under special administrative measures a prisoner is shackled, and not allowed to mix with anyone else, even exercise happens late at night so the prisoner remains isolated.
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The defence ends, now James Lewis QC for US Government will be cross-examining the witness Eric Lewis (sorry for any confusion this may cause)
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The witness confirms he is not representing Mr Assange as a lawyer, agrees he has been paid £100 an hour for his work on the case (the legal aid rate)
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Prosecution counsel, as he has with every other witness, is now challenging Lewis credentials as an "independent expert witness."
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Lewis agrees, he has publically supported Mr #Assange before he became involved in the case as an "expert witness."

Denies this creates a conflict of interest, says "I was asked to do a task so I carried out a task," he says.
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Asked if he is an expert on prisons? Lewis says "I spend more time in them than I care to remember visiting clients," also notes he has a degree in Criminology from Cambridge.
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Prosecution counsel asks the witness to give shorter answers, defence objects, the judge says she will keep an eye on the situation.
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Prosecution asks the witness if his meetings with clients under "special administrative measures," were monitored by the government.
"Yes," he replies.
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Prosecution counsel now going over various US national security cases where the defendant's received far less jail time that the statutory maximum.
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The prosecution now making a complaint about them being time-limited in their cross-examination, Lewis says this has never happened to him before in any court.
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Judge says there are 39 witnesses so she has to manage how much time each one takes,
"That's the end of the matter Mr Lewis," she says, and court takes a break

Witness says that #Assange's mental health makes him "particularly vulnerable," to the effects of Special administrative detention, he also noted that under that regime prisoners are not even allowed to watch news programmes.

The witness tells the courts that prisoners on special administrative measures are only allowed to watch a limited list of television programmes, chosen by the prison authorities.

Witness says that he knows of no case in history that had managed to reverse a decision to put a prisoner on special administrative measures.
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Prosecution ask Lewis what affect US prison procedure could have on the issues the defence will use in any #Assange US trial.
"I don't know, I'm not his lawyer," he replies.