Thread by @jamesdoleman

Back at the Old Bailey for day 11 of evidence in the Julian Assange extradition case

(As I said yesterday this will be psychiatric evidence so for obvious reasons there will be things I choose not to report, so if I go quiet it's not that I'm not here)
#Assange

Judge Vanessa Baraitser enters and proceedings commence
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Today's first witness if Quinton Deeley, a Lecturer in Social Behaviour and Neurodevelopment at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience (IOPPN), King’s College London.
#Assange

Deeley has produced a written a report on Mr Assange which has been presented to the court.
He interviewed him for 6 hours in July by telephone

Deeley has also interviewed Assange's mother to get information about his younger life.

Assange has told Deeley he would see being exrtadited to a US prison as an “unberable ordeal."

Defence counsel asks the witness if, in his expert view, could #Assange be able to manage the conditions he would face in an American prison .
He answers, "No."

Deeley says that Assange has been "reluctant to reveal his mental state," because it could lead to him being put back in isolation.

Defence counsel ends his questions, James Lewis QC for the US government rises to cross-examine.

Lewis asks Deeley how often he has visited prison this year, he says once, the prosecutor responds "I wondered why you are so qualified to opine on conditions there."

Deeley agrees that when he was assessing him Assange refused to do one of the tests as he thought it was "demeaning." Agrees this was unusual.

Lewis is now going through the witnesses diagnosis of Mr Assange and challenging certain parts of it.

Deeley says his diagnosis is not just based on his telephone interview with Assange, but also through examining documents and speaking to friends and family.

The prosecutor wants to show a video of an interview with Mr Assange, court trying to organise it in such a way that the media and those watching on the video link can see it.

Video being shown in court now, is from the frontline club in London, is a panel question and answer session in front of an audience.

Assange is shown answering a question about if people who gave information to US forces in Afghanistan were put in danger by the release of WikiLeaks of the Afghan war logs.

He says, "92,000 documents, recording the killing of 20,000 people reality is publication often bring justice, and justice delayed is justice denied."
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"We cannot sit on this material for 3 years and have one person go through it, it would cost $750k to go through it, there are no easy choices."

“We have an institutional respect for sources. Does that go across sources of spy organisations? We are not obligated to protect other people’s sources, people who give information and frame others.”

Video clip ends.

Witness says that this clip of Assange in this situation, and the fact he could host a TV show, does not contradict his diagnosis as these are "structured environments."

Lewis asks: Are you trying to help the court or advocate a cause.
Deeley replies, "Trying to assist the court."

Lewis puts to the witness a statement from Assange's mother that he was a "selfless and selfless father," and suggests this in incompatible with a diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome
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Deeley replies that people with Aspergers can still be "dutiful and principled, and moved by the suffering of other people."
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Correction, "selfless and dutiful father,"

Court on a quick break.
back at 12.15
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Proceedings resume, the prosecution has ended its cross-examination of Deeley and the defence are re-examining him.
#Assange

Defence counsel and the witness are having a detailed discussion about Mr Assange's medical history, which, for reason's I explained earlier, I'm choosing not to post.

Quinton Deeley has finished his evidence and stood down.
Defence say that they have decided not to call the afternoon's scheduled witness, judge says she still intends to finish the case by the end of next week, and asks if if there another witness available?

Both counsel say they have to take instructions,
court adjourns until 2pm.