Thread by @Williamrt

Good morning. Its Day 9 of the Old Bailey of the extradition hearings against Julian Assange.Westminster Magistrate's court is borrowing space in the Central Criminal Court for this hearing because of Covid-19 restictions #Assange

I will post updates in this thread in between taking notes. #Assange @ComputerWeekly

@ComputerWeekly New Zealand investigative Journalist Nicky Hager is giving evidence. #Assnage

@ComputerWeekly Nicky Hager has been cross examined by James Lewis for the government and re-examined by Mark Summers for the defence. There is a five minute recess #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Summers said that Assange had been charged with receiving documents including the rules of engagement in the Iraq war #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Hager said that the rules of enagement was a highly relevant document to be published #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Hager said that the rules of engagement are legal directive from the commander of the troops to the staff when they can use force. It gave a yardstick to judgement when they were obeying rules of engagement, but allows rules of engagement to be evaluated. #Assange

@ComputerWeekly There was a realisation that civilian casualties were out of control during those wars. It was a highly relevant document to be published said Hager. #Assange

@ComputerWeekly The court breaks for 30 minutes. The next witness is Khalid el-Masri. The court is arranging an interpreter. #Assange

@ComputerWeekly John Goetz, senior investigations editor at NDR previously gave evidence about Khalid el-Masri on 16 September. I quoted some of it in this story: bit.ly/2ZKh9Dy #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Nicky Hager gave important evidence this morning. I will return to it later. #Assange

@ComputerWeekly The court reads out a witness statement from lawyer Jennifer Robinson recounting the visit Congressman Dana Rohrabacher to the US Embassy Rohrabacher offered a "win win solution" that would allow Assange to leave the embassy and get on with his life #Assange

@ComputerWeekly It was proposed that Assange would identify the source of 2016 leaks that impacted the US election in return for some sort of assurance of pardon. The meeting concluded on the basis that Rohrabacher would have a conversation with Trump about preventing extradtion #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Assange did not disclose the identity of the source #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Correction Ecuadorian Embassy

@ComputerWeekly Congressman Rohrabacher visited Assange the Ecuradorian Embassy with Charles Johnson on 15 August 2017 before the US had served an iindictment on Assange. #Assange

@ComputerWeekly The US has accepted the witness statement from lawyer Jen Robinson , who represents Assange and will not cross examine her. #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Assange was allegedly asked to disclose the source of the DNC and Podestra leaks by the Congressman #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Robinson said in her witness statement that she was told that Trump knew the meeting with Rohrabacher, a republican congressman was taking place. #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Court resumes #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Khalid el-Masri is having difficulty joining the court's cloud video platform. #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Lewis said that the prosecution will not cross examine Khalid el-Masri. #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Lewis: our position is if the defence is to rely on el-Masri's allegations against US, we are happy for the evidence to be read. #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Summers is discussing why the defence wants to el-Masri' to give evidence as his account has evidence challenged by the prosecution. Leiwis is challenging the whole of el-Masri's evidence. #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Lewis: I have no instruction to accept el_Masri's evidence that US put pressure on the German government #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Judge Baraitser will not make a finding one way or other but will hear evidence #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Baraiser. There is no dispute about the contents of the cables #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Lewis: We wont accept the finding of European Court. The US did not give evidence. We see no value in el-Masri being called #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Summers: WikiLeaks disclosures on their face reveal US was engaged in subverting criminal investiatigation -not that it did. #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Assange intervenes #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Lewis does not require el-Masri statement, but he has no instructions to accept the truth of the statement #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Lewis said that Assange is not charged with publishing those cables . Baraitser said that he is accused with recieving them. Lewis agrees. #Assange

@ComputerWeekly el-masri statement is being gisted

@ComputerWeekly Summers begins gisting el_Masri's statement but then asks for a 10 minute recess to take instructions #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Carey Shenkman has finished giving evidence #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Summers QC makes a plea that evidence is provided to the defence witnesses statements in time for them to read it#Assange

@ComputerWeekly Statement read from Dean Yates bureau chief for Reuters on killing of 2 Reuters journalists by US forces. #Assange

@ComputerWeekly Court adjourns until Monday #Assange

@ComputerWeekly The court heard that the truth of how the two Reuters reporters were killed did not emerge until WikiLeaks published the "Collateral Murder" video, simultaneously releasing the US military Rules of Engagement #Assange