Thread by @Williamrt

#Assange extradition verdict is due shortly. I will be reporting on the case through a remote video link to the Old Bailey. #Assange #Assangetrial

We can now see the dock in court 2 of the Old Bailey as we wait for #Assange to arrive. The verdict is scheduled for an hour, but may be over more quickly. #Assange #Assangetrial

Assange has been charged in the US of 17 counts under the US Espionage Act and 1 count under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. #Assange #Assangetrail

There is no public interest defence to charges under the US Espionage Act. Prosecutors have also indicated that Assange will not benefit from first amendment rights as he is not a US citizen. #Assange #Assangetrial

The case has potentially huge implications for journalists and press freedom. It could criminalise many standard journalist practices, such as gathering information from sources and protecting their identities. #Assange #Assangetrial

Former editor of the Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, told the Today Programme this morning that Assange was being charged for seeking information from former US army intelligence officer, Chelsea Manning, and protecting her identity - things that any journalist would do. #Assange

Rusbridger said: "“I think it’s a very dangerous precedent. He is an Australian citizen being prosecuted in the UK for breaching US secrecy laws." #Assange #Assangetrial

Rusbridger: "What happens the next time Pakistan or Israel comes along and says well we’ve got official secrets laws, we don’t want people to know about our nuclear weapons, and therefore you’ve got to extradite a journalist to us." #Assange #Assangetrial

Assange has arrived in court #Assange #Assangetrial

The court has refused Assange's extradition to the US on the grounds that it would be oppressive to Assange's mental health, and that he would be at high risk of suicide #Assange #Assangetrial

Judge Vanessa Baraitser found that there was a real risk that Assange would be subject to "Special Administrative Measures" - equivalent to solitary confinement - if held in the US #Assange #Assangetrial

The US intelligence service view Assange as an on going theat. Mike Pompeo, director of the CIA denounced WikiLeaks as a “not-state hostile intelligence agency” the judge said. #Assange #Assangetrial

WikiLeaks continued to publish confidential documents belonging to the CIA while at the Ecuadorian Embassy, the judge said - a reference to the Vault 7 leaks which exposed the CIA's hacking capabilities #Assange #Assangetrial

Baraister said there was a real risk that Assange would be held at ADX Florence in Colorado - a supermax prison. #Assange #Assangetrial

If Assange was subject to full "Special Administrative Measures" he would be held in isolation, contact with his family would be curtailed, and he would exercise in isolation a small room. #Assange #Assangetrial

This was recognised by all the experts that gave evidence during the the trail as detrimental to Assange's health #Assange #Assangetrial

The judge said that Assange had already adopted a strategy of hiding his suicidal thoughts from prison pscyhologists at Belmarsh prison where he is on remand. #Assange #Assangetrial

Assange has the intelligence and the determination to circumvent the suicide watch measures used in US prisons #Assange #Assangetrial

Baraister said that facing conditions of near total isolation and without the protection of suicide watch, she was satisfied that procedures in the US would not prevent his suicide. #Assange #Assangetrial

The US government told the court that it will appeal against the judgement. It has 14 days to do so. #Assange #Assangetrial

The judge rejected arguments by Assange's defence team that he could not be extradited because of political offences #Assange #Assangetrial

The UK-US extradition treaty prohibits extradition for political reasons. But Parliament took the decision to remove political offences as a barrier to extradition from the 2003 Extradition Act #Assange #Assanetrial

The judge said that Assange's activities went beyond the activities of journalists. #Assange #Assangetrial

Assange offered to use "rainbow tables" to help former US army intelligence officer Chelsea Manning crack a password in her possession. #Assange #Assangetrial

That might have assisted her to download documents from the SIPRnet, a classified US army network, in a way that could not have allowed her to hide her identity #Assange #Assangetrial

After Assange told Manning on a Jabbr chat that "curious eyes never run dry" Manning downloaded hundreds more documents #Assange #Asssangetrial

The judge said that Manning was aware that Assange had encouraged others to hack into computers. He told her, for example that he had used credentials given by a source to access a website of a Nato country [Iceland] #Assange #Assangetrial

In August 2009, Assange spoke to an audience of hackers at a hacking conference and encouraged members of the US military to disclose secret documents, the judge said.

Assange told the audience of the Chaos Computer Club conference to join the CIA and encourage them to leak information. "That took him outside any role of investigative journalism," the judge said. #Assange #Assangetrial

The judge said that Assange was open to prosecution in the UK under the Official Secrets Act 1989, had his offences occurred in the UK. #Assange #Assangetrial

This is important legally as extradition to the US requires that Assange's actions would also be offences in the UK #Assange #Assangetrial

My comment: The decision may have wider implications for press freedom however and a potentially chilling impact for investigative journalists in the UK #Assange #Assangetrial

The judge said that Assange had chosen to disclose documents that contained the unredacted names of US informants. 100 people were at risk as a result. #Assange #Assangetrial

This is in contrast to the actions of the press, the judge said, quoting a Guardian article of 17 December 2011, which criticised WikiLeaks publication of unredacted documents #Assange #Assangetrial

There is insufficient evidence that there was a decison not to prosecute Assange under the Obama adminstration. #Assange #Assangetrial

The judge went on to say there was little or no evidence of hostility by Trump to Assange. During the election campaign [of 2016] Trump praised Assage #Assange #Assangetrial

The court decided not to consider allegations currently being investigated by a court in Spain that the US spied on Assange while he was in the Ecuadorian Embassy. #Assange #Assangetrial

The judge said that David Morales [the CEO of the company accused of conducting surveillance on behalf of the US] had no opportunity to put forward alternative evidence #Assange #Assangetrial

"It would be inappropriate for the court to form a view on the basis of partial evidence," Baraitster said. #Assange #Assangetrial

The jjudge said there may have been other reasons for the US to want to put Assange under surveillance, such as concerns that Assange may be a risk to US security #Assange #AssangeTrial

The court is waiting to hear a possible application for bail from Edward Fitzgerald QC, representing Assange #Assange #Assangetrial

Report to follow shortly on @ComputerWeekly #Assange #Assangetrial

Edward Fitzgerald, QC, representing Assange will make an application for bail on Wednesday morning. #Assange #AssangeTrial

Judge Baraitser has made an order for costs to #Assange #AssangeTrial

The protection proposes to make an application to stay the order for costs #Assange #Assangetrial

Costs will now be decided on Wednesday #Assange #AssangeTrial

NUJ welcomes verdict but concerned it leaves open future threats to jouranalists

nuj.org.uk/news/nuj-welco…

Full report: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to face charges in US, court rules bit.ly/3bk4YUP via @computerweekly
#Assange #Assangetrial