WikiLeaks has been financially blockaded without process for 553 days. Julian Assange has been detained without charge for 550 days. Bradley Manning has been imprisoned without trial for 747 days.
A secret Grand Jury has been active in the U.S. without transparency for 633 days.
WikiLeaks News:
Foreign Policy published an article about "good" leaks and "bad" leaks; how WikiLeaks has been prosecuted, while the people who leaked the Kill List, Stuxnet, and the bin Laden raid have not. Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain (R) attacked the Obama administration for aggressively pursuing Bradley Manning and former CIA whistleblowers while sanctioning the leaks by officials.
40 prisoners who have been cleared for release are still imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay. WikiLeaks' Gitmo Files contributed largely to Andy Worthington's research which revealed this.
Sibel Edmonds of the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition was on RTdiscussing the war on whistleblowers and how the attacks on WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, and Bradley Manning are being used to set an example and deter future whistleblowers. Watch the interview below.
An article in Digital Journal analysed WikiLeaks cables on Monsanto, which comes as France attempts to ban GMO corn.
Swedish state radio has created a WikiLeaks-style platform for uploading files called "Radioleaks", but it lacks basic protections of anonymity.
A 20-minute Tor-enabled World Online Whistleblowing Survey has been released by a research team led by Griffith University and The University of Melbourne. It is the first international survey testing public views about whistleblowing to be run online in multiple languages.
Twitter user @Jaraparilla recounted his meeting with his local MP Steve Ciobo during a rally for Bradley Manning, asking him questions about the alleged whistleblower as well as WikiLeaks and Julian Assange.
An op-ed in On Line Opiniondiscusses the significance of WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, what their work has done for key freedoms, and what surrounding events have taught us about the nature of justice.
Julian Assange News:
Julian Assange's Swedish lawyer Per E Samuelson gave an interview in which he discussed why Mr Assange's concerns regarding extradition to Sweden are justified. An English translation is available via Rixstep.
Julian Assange was on RadioNational Late Night Livediscussing his extradition case and the Australian Government's abandonment of him. Transcript of the interview is also available.
Full video has been released of the May 24 Q&A panel on "Shadows of Liberty", where Julian Assange addressed the crowd wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. Watch the video below.
Emails from Anna Harmer, official of Australian Attorney-General Nicola Roxon, related to Julian Assange's extradition have been disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act. (PDF)
Oscar Swartz wrote a blog post commenting on a recent article by Aftonbladet on his new book, "A Brief History of Swedish Sex". He says he was inspired to write it when he saw all the conspiracy theories surrounding Julian Assange and WikiLeaks.
An analysis from UK Human Rights Blog looks at how the UK is not bound by "The Pupino Rule" and how this affects Julian Assange's case.
Bradley Manning News:
The third set of pre-trial hearings in Bradley Manning's case spanned June 6 to 8. Here are the major developments of the proceedings:
The judge ordered the U.S. Government to hand over documents to Bradley's lawyers related to the disclosure of classified information by WikiLeaks.
The judge denied a motion by the defence to dismiss 10 of the 22 charges related to unauthorized transmission and exceeding authorized access. But the judge did say the prosecution would need to provide more evidence to prove the charges of exceeding authorized access.
Three witnesses from the U.S. State Department testified regarding damage assessments related to WikiLeaks disclosures. Groups such as the "WikiLeaks Working Group" and "WikiLeaks Persons at Risk" group were created before the cables were released. The damage assessment report has not been updated since August 2011, even though all the State Department cables were released unredacted the following month.
The defence and prosecution argued LIOs, or "lesser included offenses", which is what Bradley would be charged with if more severe charges cannot be proven.
The judge denied a motion by the defence to record or transcribe the secret conference "802 sessions" that are held nearly every day of the hearings.
Due to issues with discovery, the amount of future pre-trial hearings has doubled from three to six, and Bradley's trial is postponed from September 2012 until either November 2012 or January 2013.
A previously unscheduled 39A hearing will be held on June 25.
Firedoglake's Kevin Gosztola covered the first two days of Bradley Manning's motion hearings via live-blog (Day 1, Day 2). He wrote in-depth articles on the defence's fight for relevant evidence, the testimonies from State Department employees, and the secrecy games by the prosecution. He also appeared on Democracy Now! (shown below), The Alyona Show, and RT America to discuss the proceedings.
Nathan Fuller of the Bradley Manning Support Network published detailed notes from Day 1 of Bradley's latest motion hearings.
Denver Nicks, author of the book on Bradley Manning "Private", analysed the treatment of Bradley, asking whether the U.S. Government is bungling the prosecution proceedings. He also appeared on Democracy Now! to discuss his book and Bradley's childhood.
An article at Techdirtanalysed whether Bradley Manning would be facing the same charges had he allegedly leaked to The New York Times rather than WikiLeaks.
David House was on The Dylan Ratigan Showdiscussing Bradley Manning's motion hearings and the stonewalling and destruction of evidence by the military. Watch the interview below.
Kevin Zeese of the Bradley Manning Support Network was on The Alyona Showdiscussing Bradley Manning's motion hearings and how it seems like a kangaroo court, but the judge is starting to wake up.
Reports from vigils for Bradley Manning in Chester and Ft. Meade have been published.
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Upcoming Dates & Events:
June 10: SEP meetings to defend Julian Assange in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth.
June 13: Julian Assange defence submission to Supreme Court due.
June 25: Bradley Manning 39A hearing.
July 16-20: Bradley Manning motion hearings.
August 27-31: Bradley Manning motion hearings.
September 19-20: Bradley Manning motion hearings.
November 2012 ~ January 2013: Bradley Manning's court martial.
