The Assange Case: A Flicker of Hope in the UK High Court
CounterPunch
The Facts
The UK's High Court of Justice's King's Bench Division began a two-day hearing on Tuesday to consider an application by Julian Assange — the founder of WikiLeaks — for permission to appeal an extradition ruling to send him to the US.
Assange's case goes back to charges filed against him by the US in 2019, including 17 counts of espionage and one count of computer intrusion for obtaining and publishing material "related to national defense" on WikiLeaks in 2010 with the help of former US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Assange's journalism and its consequent fallout have shown the US establishment for what it truly is: embarrassed over its history of war crimes being exposed, most notably the murder and subsequent cover-up of a dozen civilians in Baghdad in 2007. The American regime has chosen to chase after Assange and turn his life into a living hell instead of taking responsibility for its actions.
Pro-establishment narrative
Julian Assange is no journalist. Not only did he publish millions of stolen classified documents, he indirectly helped repressive regimes in Iran and China, as well as terror organizations such as Al-Qaeda, by disseminating that material. Such actions put US soldiers and sources in extreme danger. The US Dept. of Justice is correct to go after him.