News

For previous coverage of Julian Assange extradition trials by Mirjam Eikelboom see here. Follow @m_cetera on Twitter for coverage on July 12 and 13.

Chirpstory of @m_cetera's coverage below.

On July 10 and 11, WL Central's Alexa O'Brien moderated a conversation between Göran Rudling, former witness for the defense at the February extradition hearing for Julian Assange, and Peter Kemp, WL Central legal commentator and Australian solicitor.

Göran Rudling is a Swedish citizen and author of, "Sex, lies, no videotape and more lies. False accusations in the Assange case" in which he deconstructs the case against Julian Assange. Mr. Kemp has translated and made commentary on Mr. Rudling's article from its original Swedish.

Mr. Rudling has also recently written "Weird accusation or proof of lies? More about the Assange case", which covers some of the contents of our 2 hour discussion.

Total running time is about 2 hours. There is image degradation the first 30 seconds of Part 2 and 3. Sound quality is of lesser quality comparatively on Parts 2, 3, and 4 only.

This is a "WikiLeaks News Update," constantly updated throughout each day. The blog tracks stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks but also follows stories related to freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.

09:40 AM Julian Assange has arrived, wearing glasses.

09:00 AM A crowd of supporters gathers outside Royal Courts of Justice where Julian Assange's extradition appeal hearing is to take place in approximately 1h30 (images via @m_cetera).

07:30 AM Collateral Experiments, art installation in "response to Wikileaks’ Collateral Murder".

This is a "WikiLeaks News Update," constantly updated throughout each day. The blog tracks stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks but also follows stories related to freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.

10:40 PM The discs publicly handed to Julian Assange last January by Swiss banker Rudolf Elmer are now reported to be devoid of any secret banking information…
Elmer has been held for six months without charges.

10:25 PM Be present at Royal Courts of Justice (London) tomorrow, the first day of the extradition appeal hearing, for a demonstration in support of Julian Assange, click here for more information.

10:20 PM Our very own Julian Assange Trial Coverage, with a Press Archive that I'm trying to keep updated. And the best resource website on the case : swedenversusassange.com

09:50 PM U.S. soldier and Collateral Murder eyewitness Ethan McCord tells The Nation:

…Steve Fishman's article Bradley Manning's Army of One in New York Magazine erases Manning’s political agency. By focusing so heavily on Manning's personal life, Fishman removes politics from a story that has everything to do with politics.

09:45 PM An insightful interview with David House by Democracy Now !

ATHENS, July 11th - According to an official press release published yesterday by the City Hall of Athens and divulged by local TV channels, sanitary corps will perform a cleaning operation in Syntagma Square. This is the major square of the Greek capital and the location of the indignant camp since the 25th of May. This camp is the symbol of the Greek population's disagreement with current economical and social politics of Governments and banks and in a way to experience a new model of social living and organization .

But -once again - #solidarity is the word of current pro-democratic uprisings around the world. The cleaning agents of the local government of Athens refused to take part in the 'cleaning action' planned by the Mayor. Without the consensus of the local Popular Assembly, the agents who were supposed to clean the square - at 4 am last night - decided to disobey their orders in support of the people of Syntagma.

2010-11-18 Letter from Swedish Counsel Björn Hurtig to English co-Counsel for Julian Assange
2010-11-18 The Persecution of Julian Assange, Continued
2010-11-18 The Persecution of Julian Assange: Reactions
2010-11-18 Press release by counsel for Julian Assange
2010-11-18 Statement by Julian Assange's counsel Mark Stephens
2010-11-18 WikiLeaks staff editorial: Why our editor-in-chief is busy and needs to be defended
2010-11-19 Julian Assange to appeal Swedish arrest ruling
2010-11-20 The Persecution of Julian Assange: Reactions, Part 2
2010-11-20 Updates in Swedish case
2010-11-21 RSN Petition in Support of Julian Assange
2010-11-22 Further updates in Swedish case
2010-11-24 Updates in Sweden Appeal Case
2010-11-30 Updates in Sweden case
2010-11-30 Updates in Sweden case: Supreme Court appeal, Interpol notice
2010-12-01 Steven Aftergood: Assange prosecution would be "extremely dangerous"
2010-12-02 Sweden case: The lawyers speak up
2010-12-02 Sweden case: The lawyers speak up II
2010-12-02 Sweden case update: Supreme Court will not consider appeal
2010-12-02 WikiLeaks and the US Espionage Act: legal opinions
2010-12-05 Sweden case update
2010-12-06 Sweden case update II
2010-12-07 Julian Assange arrested on Swedish warrant
2010-12-09 Journalists in defence of WikiLeaks, part 10
2010-12-09 Sweden case updates
2010-12-10 WikiLeaks and the Espionage Act, part 2

This is a "WikiLeaks News Update," constantly updated throughout each day. The blog tracks stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks but also follows stories related to freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.

07:50 PM Useful links to better understand the upcoming extradition hearing :
swedenversusassange.com (-Extradition to the United States)

Previous coverage of the Assange case (scroll down).

Wikileaks action page, with Wikileaks events calendar up to date.

05:45 PM Pastors for Peace serve American medical students threats for Thanksgiving dinner :

In a cable published yesterday, founder of Cuban regime supporters Pastors for Peace is said to have threatened to pull the scholarships of U.S. medical students in Havana if they contacted the U.S. diplomatic mission on the island.

The student said that he suspects that the change in tone is the result of a letter that he recently wrote to the five Cuban spies currently incarcerated in the United States. The student says that after being repeatedly asked to write an encouraging letter to the five he decided to write a letter in which he attacked the Cuban government for holding political prisoners and asked the five to join him in demanding not only their own freedom, but also the freedom of all political prisoners in Cuba.

This is a "WikiLeaks News Update," constantly updated throughout each day. The blog tracks stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks but also follows stories related to freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.

05:30 PM Julian Assange’s extradition hearing is only two days away. Fair trial for Julian Assange in case he gets extradited?

05:00 PM During today's ‘Free Assange ! End the Wars !’ public meeting in London, Peter Tatchell encouraged everyone to send letters of support to Bradley Manning:

If you haven't written to Bradley Manning, please do so - and ask your friends to.

Also, as a reminder, there are only 9 days left to contribute towards a Bradley Manning billboard in Kansas. Click here if you wish to help.

All human progress has been based on brave people putting themselves at great personal risk, I believe Bradley Manning and Julian Assange are such people. - Peter Tatchell

04:50 PM Wikileaks partner in Pakistan, Dawn, reveals the Musharraf regime's efforts to stop Iran’s nuclear weapon program.

Based on the frequency of reporting to American officials on the issue, toeing the US line seems to have been one motivation for this deep involvement. But in an April 2006 meeting with US Senator Chuck Hagel, Mr Kasuri provided a list of other reasons why Pakistan was so keen to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

In our last media communique we conveyed that our registrar www.dot.tk had removed both of our new disclosure platforms from the internet. We wanted to give the press an update on where things stand at this time.

In a bizarre choice, our registrar has actually returned to us the TLD for the Hacker Leaks disclosure site and it is once again reachable at the Top Level Domain www.HackerLeaks.tk - but they have refused to return the Local Leaks TLD and have offered no explanation. We once again encourage everyone who believes in free speech, free information - and the rights of media publishers, to contact the company and tell them how you feel about them shutting down Local Leaks. Our attorneys from Leiderman & Devine ( www.LeidermanDevine.com ) are working on legal action against this registrar, and the PLF sincerely apologizes to the public for this inconvenience right on the heels of our big launch.

This is a "WikiLeaks News Update," constantly updated throughout each day. The blog tracks stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks but also follows stories related to freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.

09:25 PM In a recent interview Kim Ives of Haiti Liberté analyzes Haiti's current political situation, heavily manipulated by the U.S.

05:50 PM Journalist Barbara Gunnell, who was recently in Australia for a series of Wikileaks-related talks, offers an account of the support for Wikileaks and Julian Assange in the country.

05:45 PM Ambiguity surrounding the lift on Wikileaks financial blockade yesterday resulted in a fair amount of misleading headlines and confusing stories. The Atlantic Wire sets he record straight with Why Visa and MasterCard Briefly Funnelled Money to Wikileaks Yesterday.

04 :55 PM Are Rumors Accused WikiLeaks Source Bradley Manning Is Transgender Behind Harsh Treatment?, an interesting perspective.

04 :45 PM Visa has managed to block Credit Card donations to Wikileaks once again. DataCell and Wikileaks are still preparing to sue Visa and Mastercard next week over the illegal blockade.

Timothy Lawson & Riccardo Armillei

Three Tamil asylum seekers from Sri Lanka detained in Maribyrnong detention centre have agreed to share their experiences inside Maribyrnong. They are terrified that talking to journalists may cause their applications for refugee status to be impeded or denied. Due to this fear, these three men have agreed to share their experiences on the condition of anonymity.

The asylum seekers, “clients” as they are called by the Serco personnel, came to Australia to escape persecution, harassment, torture and violence. They had hoped for asylum and what have they found instead? A prison.

They refer to themselves as “clients” as well, which is clearly a euphemism for prisoners.

Many spend months and even years in these detention facilities, moving from centre to centre, often divided from their families in the process.

They wait for any information relating to their destiny. They are largely kept in the dark about information relating to the timeframe in which they can expect their claim to be processed.

As of July 7th, 2011, the outraged movement in Spain has already prevented almost 47 evictions, according to the Platform of People Affected by Mortgages (PAH in Spanish http://afectadosporlahipoteca.wordpress.com/), which aims to defend the "right to housing". From their website they are constantly making calls to ensure that families with financial problems avoid becoming homeless, denouncing that real estate speculation has led many families to inhumane situations. They also denounce the fact that, in Spain, around 180 evictions are executed each day, too many to be stopped.

This is a "WikiLeaks News Update," constantly updated throughout each day. The blog tracks stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks but also follows stories related to freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.

08:40 PM A useful list of contacts for journalists covering the Assange case: swedenversusassange.com

Commentators listed are described as "independent sources with differing views of the case."

06:15 PM Kristinn Hrafnsson has been announced as a keynote speaker at the Centre for Investigative Journalism Summer School 2011.
Julian Assange elaborates on the reasons he won't be able to attend the Summer School himself, as it was previously expected.

04:45 PM Wikileaks is once again taking credit card donations. DataCell is now processing Mastercard, Visa and American Express payments, but a law suit is still to be initiated in Denmark with the intention of receiving compensation for losses during the last 7 months of financial blockade. Read DataCell's full statement here.

Or use your credit card to donate.

04:25 PM At Visa's request, Wikileaks is delaying its complaint against Visa and Mastercard.

This is a "WikiLeaks News Update," constantly updated throughout each day. The blog tracks stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks but also follows stories related to freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.

10:10 PM Senator Youri Latortue threatens to file lawsuit against newspaper Haiti Liberté for its reports on a diplomatic cable, where he is described as a mafia boss, a drug dealer and a poster-boy for political corruption.

09:55 PM According to The Guardian, Julian Assange's autobiography deal has collapsed in its original form, after Julian told publishers that his book could 'give ammunition to US prosecutors'. Story is yet to be confirmed, in fact a Canongate spokeswoman stated the contract is 'very much alive'.

09:25 PM New York Magazine has published the unredacted chat logs that were used in their feature Bradley Manning’s Army of One .

08:55 PM Crisis in Pakistan’s energy sector had been anticipated in a series of diplomatic cables dating from 2008, where U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson notes ‘a lack of coordination and absence of any clear line of authority’ on the basis of unefficient policymaking in the sector :

The privatized prison industry is a growing international phenomenon. Prisoners are physically confined or interned by third party companies that typically enter into contractual agreements with local, state, or federal governments. Those government entities then pay a per diem or monthly rate for each prisoner confined in the facility.

Today, the privatization of prisons refers both to the takeover of existing public facilities by private operators and to the building and operation of new and additional prisons by for-profit prison companies. Private companies operate 264 correctional facilities in the Unites States and house almost 99,000 adult offenders.

Companies operating such facilities include the Corrections Corporation of America, the Geo Group, Inc, and Community Education Centers. The GEO Group was formerly known as Wackenhut Securities, and includes the Cornell Companies, which merged with GEO in 2010.

Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) has a capacity of more than 80,000 beds in 65 correctional facilities. The GEO Group operates 61 facilities with a capacity of 49,000 offender beds. Most privately run facilities are located in the southern and western portions of the United States and include both state and federal offenders.

Over the past days the Spanish National Police force has coordinated to evict many of the squares that continued to be occupied by the 15M movement. The squares in Palma de Mallorca, Manacor, Santa Cruz de Tenerfe, Badajoz, Castellon, Gandia and las Palmas have been emptied forcefully and cleaned up. The last one to fall was the camp in Valencia, which was evicted early in the morning, at around 5.30 am local time and without warning. Most of the camps were small and the people staying there were coordinating the information booth left in most squares, as well as other permanent activities. This made most evictions easy and pacific.

Flotilla 101 Crew on the occupation of Spanish Embassy in Athens from Wikileaks World on Vimeo.

The following press release is dated July 4, 2011 and received via email.

First we would like to thank the global media for being so attentive to the launch of our two new disclosure platforms. We would also like to thank the several dozen people who already trusted us with their sensitive leaks. It has been a remarkable week for those of us who staff these two important projects. None of us ever expected in our wildest dreams the enormity of the reaction to these two ideas.

However we have some sobering news to report. Today, Independence Day in the USA no less - our registrar has suspended our Top Level Domains and shut down both sites. Having failed to explain their reasoning we are left to assume that it was our content they didn't like, and so both HackerLeaks and LocalLeaks have been effectively silenced - censored - and shut down.

The company responsible is located at www.dot.tk and we encourage all free speech and free information advocates to contact this company and let them know exactly how you feel about censorship. We are seeking legal assistance to help us, and if you're a lawyer and can volunteer your time please contact us at PLF@cyber rights.net

This is a "WikiLeaks News Update," constantly updated throughout each day. The blog tracks stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks but also follows stories related to freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.

11:20 PM The U.S. sent Drug Enforcerment Administration agents expelled from Bolivia for espionage to Brazil, in 2009, without obtaining permission from the Itamaraty (Brazilian Ministry of External Relations).
There were also attempts to place DEA agents in Chile and Argentina, according to cables obtained by A Pública, Wikileaks’ partner in Brazil.

09:55 PM Wikileaks pays tribute to the late Len Sassaman:

"WikiLeaks friend, Len Sassman has been permanently encrypted and anonymized. Stay cool, Len, we continue with the fight."

04:30 PM According to this article, Wikileaks has given us a good reason not to wear any underwear. The recent revelation that the U.S. put pressure on Haiti not to raise minimum wage for textile workers so that Hanes (Hanesbrands inc.) could stay cheap is part of SF Weekly's five good reasons to go commando.

01:25 PM "A Royal Navy medic who refused to attend rifle training because of his "moral objection" to bearing arms and the war in Afghanistan was found guilty today of disobeying a lawful order" and sentenced to 7 months. via The Independent

This is a "WikiLeaks News Update," constantly updated throughout each day. The blog tracks stories that are obviously related to WikiLeaks but also follows stories related to freedom of information, transparency, cybersecurity, and freedom of expression. All the times are GMT.

08:50 PM First interview with Sabu of LulzSec:

When I found out about what happened to Julian Assange, his arrest in the UK and so on, I found it absolutely absurd. So I got involved with Anonymous at that point.

08:00 PM Zinnia Jones who contributed with chat logs to the NY Mag piece on Bradley Manning releases statement about it, says unredacted logs will be made available next week.

I provided them with our logs because I wanted them to see a different side of Bradley. I will be releasing the unredacted logs next week so that everyone can read them. After all of the stories portraying him as mentally unstable and revealing his problems at home and in the military, I felt it was important for people to know that there was a time when he seemed satisfied with his life.

07:45 PM assangedidnot.com A collection of evils Julian Assange is not to blame for – and respective culprits.