WikiLeaks founder Assange's lawyers fight extradition
Associated Press, Updated: February 08, 2011 09:51 IST
London: The lawyer for Julian Assange argued on Monday that the embattled WikiLeaks founder will face a secret trial that violates international standards of fairness if sent to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations.
Lawyer Geoffrey Robertson told an extradition hearing that Assange would not get a fair trial because of his notoriety and because Swedish rape cases are customarily held without public or media present, to protect the alleged victims.
The defence team said he could eventually be extradited from Sweden to the United States, and even end up in Guantanamo Bay.
Assange's lawyers also say he cannot be extradited because he has not been charged with a crime in Sweden and is only wanted for questioning, and that the allegation is not rape as understood under European and English law.
They attacked Swedish officials for using a European arrest warrant against him.
But the prosecution told the court the warrant was properly issued, adding that rape was an extraditable offence, even under Sweden's broad definition of the crime.
Assange is accused of sexual misconduct by two women he met during a visit to Stockholm last year.
He denies wrongdoing.
After the first day of the hearing, Assange made a brief statement to reporters.
He said a black box had been applied to his life with the word "rape" written on it.
Over the next day, he said, "we will see that that box is in fact empty."
Appearing as a defence witness was a retired Swedish appeal court judge Brita Sundberg-Weitman.
After giving evidence, she told reporters that the prosecution case represented an abuse of procedure.
Assange has won the support of a number of celebrities, including British lawmaker Tony Benn, and activists Jemima Khan and Bianca Jagger.
Asked by reporters if she was confident Assange would win his case, Jagger replied: "I am confident that justice will be done."
WikiLeaks sparked an international uproar last year when it published a secret helicopter video showing a US attack that killed two Reuters journalists in Baghdad.
It went on to release hundreds of thousands of secret US military files on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it later began publishing classified US diplomatic cables whose revelations angered and embarrassed the US and its allies.
American officials are trying to build a criminal case against WikiLeaks.
Assange's lawyers claim the Swedish prosecution is linked to the leaks and politically motivated.
Sweden strongly denies coming under American pressure.
Hết trích .
(còn tiếp .. )
No comments:
Post a Comment