"The most salient things for me are the freedom of speech and the right to publish information that is critical to the public’s ability to understand and evaluate what the government is doing in their name." - CFAA lawyer @TorEkelandPLLC
On top of those free speech arguments, the newest details in the defense's argument serve as evidence of Assange's declining mental health.
Michael Kopelman, a psychiatrist who interviewed Assange several times last year, said: "I am as certain as a psychiatrist ever can be that, in the event of imminent extradition, Mr. Assange would indeed find a way to commit suicide."
Much of the defense's case—including many of the arguments it revealed in the initial February hearings—focuses on the political nature of the charges.
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Day 2 of 2 in Julian Assange's final UK bid to appeal his extradition begins shortly. We'll provide updates on this thread.
Yesterday's arguments from the defense:
-Politicized prosecution is barred by the Extradition Treaty
-Unprecedented prosecution of a publisher
-Exposing crimes is in the public interest
-Assange couldn’t get a fair trial in the US
A major thread running through yesterday's arguments from defense lawyer Mark Summers: the U.S. is silencing Assange for posing a real threat to its immunity for war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan assangedefense.org/hearing-covera…
Julian Assange's two-day hearing at the UK High Court begins today, as a two-judge panel will listen to arguments as to whether Assange should be allowed to appeal his extradition on the grounds that his prosecution is politicized and unprecedented and would prevent a fair trial.
Court is scheduled to open at 10:30am London time (5:30am U.S. east coast). Read here for more detail on what to expect at this week's hearing: assangedefense.org/hearing-covera…
AD Executive Director Nathan Fuller, who has been accredited to cover each previous portion of the hearing, was denied remote access. He will provide coverage here based on updates from our team on the ground:
Led by @UNACPeace, more than 26 antiwar groups and 2,500 individual peace and justice advocates have cosponsored a statement calling for the immediate release of publisher Julian Assange and commending him for his contributions toward global peace.
Today is the defense’s turn, after yesterday lawyers for the U.S. attempted to undermine a renowned psychiatrist, admitted its prison assurances are “conditional,” and tried to downplay how harsh Assange’s US conditions would be.
Court has begun. Julian Assange doesn’t feel well and won’t be appearing by video link today. #FreeAssange
James Lewis QC discussing housekeeping items with the 2-judge panel, dividing argument time between the defense today and tomorrow.
Lewis outlining the US govt's lines of argument, including "assurances" that Assange won't be held in the most extreme & isolating prison conditions in the U.S. See more on the US's arguments here assangedefense.org/hearing-covera…
Court is scheduled to start in just over 10 minutes for Julian Assange's preliminary appeal hearing. Here's what today's proceedings will cover: assangedefense.org/hearing-covera…
Court is in session in US v Assange. Ed Fitzgerald arguing for the defense, Clair Dobbin for the prosecution. Julian appears to be participating from Belmarsh via remote video.
The High Court judge is explaining that today's hearing will cover the scope of the appeal in this case and will not determine the appeal decision itself.