Guess that means he’ll be murdered in broad daylight now.
Posted by: malenkov | Jun 25 2024 0:03 utc | 200
Nah, the message has been sent. He was never the intended audience either, which gives you some insight into the depths of depravity among the western ruling elites. The target audience was any other journalist or potential whistle blower out there who might be thinking about really embarrassing Empire in the future. Purpose served. And that they didn’t just let him go but insisted on a plea deal adds weight to my interpretation, IMO. He’s of no use to them now, but everyone else got the memo.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jun 25 2024 0:38 utc | 204

So, supposeing Joe Biden gets his wish and war breaks out with PR China, what next? I know there’s a plan to bomb Taiwan’s chip factories. No one in Taiwan wan’t this, but why should Biden and the Pentago listen to them? After that, does JB hope to send a bunch of US soldiers to the island to fight PLA invaders, floating across the strait on inner tubes or something. (They don’t have amphibious landing ship.) Does JB imagine a Korea stalemate, cutting the island in half? US Troop ships would be easy to sink.
Frpm a certaom point of view, Risk players may have noticed that it might be easier to send US troops to Shandong Province from S. Korea. Of course, the consequences would be huge and unpredictable, but “against stupidity the gods themselves strive in vain”!

Posted by: lester | Jun 25 2024 0:42 utc | 206

“A Crooke & More Monday,” https://karlof1.substack.com/p/a-crooke-and-more-monday
Posted by: karlof1 | Jun 24 2024 22:51 utc | 194
Thank you, karlof1 for the ‘& More’ this Monday – the Orlov link is as far as I need to go.
I can definitely see Putin as the wonderful Porfiry Petrovich in the new Russian novel – he has all of the qualities — or perhaps also Lavrov since the ‘novel’ has a hybrid form. We can supply both their family names since Dostoievski leaves that blank in his original novel.
And I take heart the West has to be a hybrid Pierre-Natasha/Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov – a loaded conglomerate name already! How prophetic can you be? (They don’t make novelists like that today, more’s the pity) At least he/she/they end up on the brink of….
…. well, I don’t want to be a spoiler!

Posted by: juliania | Jun 25 2024 0:58 utc | 208

ZH reporting Julian Assange has cut a deal and will be going home to Australia, surprise!

Posted by: SwissArmyMan | Jun 25 2024 1:24 utc | 210

the US Empire and the Biden gangsters finally folded on this one
https://x.com/wikileaks/status/1805403748430217521
WikiLeaks @wikileaks
“Throughout the years of Julian’s imprisonment and persecution, an incredible movement has been formed. People from all walks of life from around the world who support not just Julian… but what Julian stands for: truth and justice.” – @Stella_Assange
https://x.com/wikileaks/status/1805390138945528183
JULIAN ASSANGE IS FREE
Julian Assange is free. He left Belmarsh maximum security prison on the morning of 24 June, after having spent 1901 days there. He was granted bail by the High Court in London and was released at Stansted airport during the afternoon, where he boarded a plane and departed the UK.
This is the result of a global campaign that spanned grass-roots organisers, press freedom campaigners, legislators and leaders from across the political spectrum, all the way to the United Nations. This created the space for a long period of negotiations with the US Department of Justice, leading to a deal that has not yet been formally finalised. We will provide more information as soon as possible.
After more than five years in a 2×3 metre cell, isolated 23 hours a day, he will soon reunite with his wife Stella Assange, and their children, who have only known their father from behind bars…..

Posted by: michaelj72 | Jun 25 2024 1:48 utc | 212

Relieved: That Julian is released from prison.
Doubt: That he’ll ever be “free”
Humiliated: By my government for allowing a citizen to be incarcerated in such a circumstance
Peace: To Julian and his family
Eternal hellfire: To *all* those responsible for what has been inflicted on Julian and his family
Gratitude: To those who risked their own safety and freedom for Julian’s just cause.

Posted by: Melaleuca | Jun 25 2024 2:00 utc | 214

Hey you all lost a bunch of quotation marks, figuratively piles; it’s “free” not free.
I see no reason to celebrate the underwhelming and insincere “benevolence” of the fascist psychopaths. They broke him and I don’t blame Assange for it; he’s a torture victim.

Posted by: Sunny Runny Burger | Jun 25 2024 2:11 utc | 216

well it’s good that Assange has been released, but all evidence indicates that he’ll be “Epsteined” sometime in the next 12 months. Also by pleading guilty to these false charges, the US, UK and Australian will always have their hooks into him (barring him from traveling, seizing his passport, arresting him again if he passes through their airspace, requiring him to give the police an “interview” the same day he has a major event), once he gets in Australia I wouldn’t be surprised to see him facing more charges in the near future
Posted by: Kadath | Jun 25 2024 1:56 utc | 212
_____
Or he might suffer a “tragic accident”. Or he might magically disappear, like his Wikileaks colleague Arjen Kamphuis.
My heart sank when I heard he was headed to Australia and not, say, Russia.

Posted by: malenkov | Jun 25 2024 2:19 utc | 218

Julian Assange should immediately claim asylum from the Russian government for himself and his family, given the ongoing possibility of both more spurious legal shenanigans and security state assassination.

Posted by: Roger | Jun 25 2024 2:29 utc | 220

These Perfected Grounds of Appeal, served in accordance with Crim PR r.50.20(5), are
structured as follows
…………. and to kidnap and rendition Mr Assange himself, or else murder him.
https://cryptome.org/2023/07/Assange-High-Court-Appeal.pdf
for your records

Posted by: Lavrov’s Dog | Jun 25 2024 2:48 utc | 222

Posted by: Kadath | Jun 25 2024 1:56 utc | 212
If Assange refrains from any future activities regarding the exposition of the crimes of the imperial regime, then there is no need to finish him off. The message will be clear to any future whistlebowers. This is the totally not fascist regime in the western world, allegedly threatened by the “far-right”, even as its own institutions bury truthtellers and its operatives attempt to assassinate or defame opponents like Fico (a leftist) and Orban (a conservative).

Posted by: Constantine | Jun 25 2024 3:20 utc | 224

Posted by: malenkov | Jun 25 2024 2:19 utc | 217
You do realize he’s exposed Russian state and oligarch crimes, yes?

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jun 25 2024 4:00 utc | 226

Does anyone even check previous thread pages or scan comments before “breaking” news that’s already been not only posted but also already discussed? I feel like MoA comment hygiene has declined dramatically in the past 5 years. So much redundancy.

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jun 25 2024 4:03 utc | 228

Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jun 25 2024 4:01 utc | 226
Defamatory attacks against Orban, assassination attempt against Fico. Both with solid mandates, regardless of their position in the political spectrum (although Orban has also began to reject the neoliberal conventional wisdom he followed in his youth).

Posted by: Constantine | Jun 25 2024 4:22 utc | 230

“Free at last, free at last…”

Posted by: Apollyon | Jun 25 2024 6:54 utc | 232

I cannot wait for the loudly expressed sighs of relief to end and the sledging of Mr Assange to begin.
The usual suspects will stay quiet for the mandatory period, then the complaints about wikileaks not reporting on some subject will start eg something like “How come wikileaks hasn’t had stories on blah blah blah” will start. Nevermind that as a publisher wikileaks is entirely dependent on the stories brought to them by whistleblowers – nobody will mention that – they never do.
I’m posting this because whilst I am so relieved at his freedom despite reservation I know that pretty soon his heroism will be resented then that resentment will be overtaken by worthless allegations by resentful & paranoid couldabeens as it was prior to his arrest. The sorta shit which makes a decent person feel ill.
Good job Mr Assange – whatever you do from here on out is strictly your concern & no one elses.

Posted by: Debsisdead | Jun 25 2024 7:10 utc | 234

Works fine on my wind-up oak and brass computer.
Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jun 25 2024 7:27 utc | 234
Luxury! 🙂

Posted by: Lavrov’s Dog | Jun 25 2024 7:58 utc | 236

Passerby @ 232

And that Julian Assange, in return for release from prison, has lost his right to free speech. Unless he emigrates to a country not under US custody.

I don’t know what “rights” he lost, he’s not an American, but even then there would be no non-disclosure act or forever gag order, this is a criminal case not a civil case, and if he was American he’d be protect by the constitution. The entire sedition charge would fall apart instantly once challenged in a high US court, which is why the USA never wanted to extradite him but let him stew in eternal limbo in the UK.
It’s all about undisclosed threats underlying what is basically an illegal agreement releasing him from illegal charges. Wherever Assange goes they’ll just fabricate whatever they want again, he can tweet that he hates ponies and rainbows and loves bullfrogs and rain and they can say he broke his agreement, it’s not about “rights” it’s about whether he is broken or not, what he choses to do from now on. I think he will do very little, he did his best for the world, spent 12ys on the cross, he has every right to pull back and pass the baton to the next generation.
As for going to Russia, if he shuts up and stays in the west he’ll be safe and free to go outside, if he goes to Russia he’ll only be marginally safer and more isolated, the empire has a long reach, why do you think Snowden stays home all the time in Russia.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jun 25 2024 8:29 utc | 238

According to the graun Mr Assange isn’t free yet as the plane is taking him to one of the empire’s courthouses in the western pacific colony of Saipan. He is expected to plead guilty to the charge than the judge is ‘expected’ to free him.
Now if this were a vanilla usual Saipan judge he’d prolly have this beat-up charge dismissed but the week delay between signing the deal and boarding a plane to Saipan likely means amerika flew in some hanging judge from northern virginia court (you know from where langley is) so I’m more concerned they could reneg on the deal & then say “Oops sorry but it was up to the judge” whilst Mr Assange rots in a remote prison far from media for the next half dozen decades.
Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that but who knows – like WTF is amerika still doin in a place that they should have left in 1945 after the end of ww2. afaik it hasn’t been used for thermo nuclear device testing.
Needless to say the graun shows no empathy for the man whose leaks to them created a good enough circulation to keep that fishwrap from going down the gurgler. Standard western media deceit, duplicity & ingratitude eh.

Posted by: Debsisdead | Jun 25 2024 8:38 utc | 240

Needless to say the englander telegraph is even less empathetic than the graun.
They tell us Assange paying $500,000 for a flight to Australia
“Julian Assange is paying half a million US dollars for the flight which is taking him to Australia, his wife Stella told the PA news agency.”
That is enuff to make anyone including Mr Assange spew. Cos it is amerika who should be payin’ out billions to him. Interesting that the neolib Oz government is taking credit for the deal but not doin anything useful, such as paying for it.

Posted by: Debsisdead | Jun 25 2024 8:51 utc | 242

sry have no idea what caused double post

Posted by: Debsisdead | Jun 25 2024 8:52 utc | 244

@ DunGroanin | Jun 25 2024 8:36 utc | 238
Kudos for your interesting point about the political shift following the release of major political prisoners.

Posted by: Memory Man | Jun 25 2024 9:19 utc | 246

On the Assange release: The US proves itself openly for the whole world to see that it’s a real mafia state with mafia rules (like “rules based world order”, lol). They forced him to plead guilty and miraculously sentenced him to exactly those 62 months prison that he has endured. What a sick joke.
But for his friends and obviously for himself the most important thing is to get out of that hell. So they had to swallow the humiliation and the precedence it will carry.
It’s a terrible, terrible world order.

Posted by: Avtonom | Jun 25 2024 9:33 utc | 248

Posted by: Cynic | Jun 25 2024 2:43 utc | 220
If he does he will be the greatest PM since Pitt the elder. ‘Sensible policies for a better Brittan’ indeed. Might need to look around for applicants however. I heard most of the really good deaths squads in the CIA rolodex got blown to bits in the Donbas.

Posted by: badjoke | Jun 25 2024 10:11 utc | 250

His plane hasn’t landed ‘yet’…

Posted by: Mc | Jun 25 2024 10:23 utc | 252

You do realize he’s exposed Russian state and oligarch crimes, yes?
Posted by: Tom_Q_Collins | Jun 25 2024 4:00 utc | 225
_____
The Muscovite Edward Snowden pulls few punches when it comes to talking about Russia.

Posted by: malenkov | Jun 25 2024 11:04 utc | 254

@ sean the leprechaun | Jun 25 2024 11:17 utc | 254
The $500K figure suggests that he chartered a plane for himself.
And I do hope it’s not a Boeing.

Posted by: malenkov | Jun 25 2024 11:23 utc | 256

Cynic @ 221

Oh dear … seems the sort of colonial US-imperialist psychopath who might wear a T-shirt boasting that he murdered people on behalf of Blair, Cameron and the City of London.

How does a democracy become a military dictatorship? One vote at a time.
West sure seems more and more like Japan in the 1920s.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jun 25 2024 11:45 utc | 258

Tom_Q_Collins @ 225 & malenkov @ 254
Times change, seeing were we are at in Russia 2021-2024, oligarch purges and mysterious deaths, and widely cast corruption crack downs, Putin might just offer Assange a medal.

Posted by: LightYearsFromHome | Jun 25 2024 11:52 utc | 260

So Assange folded (can’t blame him really).
It’s a plea deal (if they don’t go back on their word) guilty and with a sword over his head.
And for those who talk about 5 years “time served” there’s the small detail of the additional 7 at the embassy.
In many European countries you could literally get away with murder for less than 12 years.

Posted by: Newbie | Jun 25 2024 13:49 utc | 262

Posted by: denk | Jun 24 2024 16:52 utc | 173
—————–
Hmm
EU in Tibet.
Pelosi in India…

Pelosi Meets with 14th Dalai Lama in India, Reaffirms Congressional Support for Tibet
June 19, 2024
Press Release
Following their meeting, the delegation was honored at a felicitation ceremony hosted by the Central Tibetan Administration. In her remarks at the ceremony, Pelosi strongly reaffirmed Congressional support for the people of Tibet and spoke out against the Chinese government’s oppressive human rights record.

Do these sanctimonious pricks. / cunts care, never mind know that there’r TWO TIBETS.
Tibet proper in China has been a Chinese province since the Yuan dynasty.
Where the Tibetans enjoy today one of the world’s most benign minorities policies.
Exemption from tax
Exemption from one child rule
Heavily subsidised education
heavily subsidised economy
Tibet in India.
For centuries, The entire ‘Indian NE’ had been Mongoloid/Tibeten/Han/Myanmar kingdoms, including Tawang, the birth place of HMTDL.
Then tHE Limeys came and gobbled them up
Came 1947, the NE tribes thought freedom was at hand, only to find themselves jumping outta the frying pan into an inferno.
When the NE tribes demanded their own independence from newly free India., Delhi sent in divisions of jawans to crush the independent movements .
Long story short, the NE tribes, especially the Nagas put up fierce, heroic resistance to the invaders.
But heavily out manned and out gunned, the brave warriors were eventually broken , in body and spirits, after six decades of bloody genocidal wars waged by the brutal Assam Rifles.
This must be the supreme irony.
8NA sanctimonious pricks/cunts, who’r themselves mother of all genocides.,
stood at the Tibet in India, still dripping blood from decades of genocidal wars . wagging their finger at Tibet proper in China, bleating on ‘human rights abuses’
Exhibit A
The Manipur

It is not Fallujah, Palestine or even Kashmir but only a small province in the north-east of India. But there is no doubt that what the people of Manipur are staging right now is a full-scale intifada against the atrocities of an occupying army.
The immediate target of their ire is one of the world’s most draconian ‘anti-terror’ laws anywhere- the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, imposed on several parts of the Indian north-east since 1958. The larger protest is against what is correctly perceived as decades of racist oppression by successive Indian governments that ‘inherited’ the north-eastern territories from British colonial rule in 1947.
‘Manipur ? Who ? What ? Where ?’ I can already hear people ask. Not surprising at all for those are questions that many Indian citizens themselves would be hard put to answer. Unlike Kashmir or the fate of the ‘untouchable’ Dalits- whose causes have made it to global platforms in recent years- the dirty little secrets of the Indian State’s predations in its north-eastern provinces are unknown to even rest of India.
Not that rest of ‘Aryan’ India really cares. To them, the populations of the Indian northeast, of largely Tibeto-Burman ethnic origins, are an ‘invisible’ lot- whose territory and resources ‘belong’ to India but whose people don’t. Probably a rung below the ‘visible’ Dalits who ‘belong’ to India but possess no territory.

https://www.countercurrents.org/hr-sagar240804.htm

Posted by: denk | Jun 25 2024 14:02 utc | 264

A lot of rah-rah in this article but also a lot of interesting information about the state of automated long-duration flight path optimisation as demonstrated by the “Vanilla” long range drone.
https://techxplore.com/news/2024-01-software-unmanned-aerial-vehicles-arctic.html

Software helps unmanned aerial vehicles break records during Arctic test flight
Following years of dedicated work with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), NPS and Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) partners have successfully concluded the ultimate test of a nine-year continuum of research and development in one of the world’s most challenging environments: the Arctic Circle.
The collaborative team integrated NPS’ own cutting-edge flight-path planning software known as POTION (Path Optimization) with the Vanilla UAV, developed and operated by Platform Aerospace. This initiative pushed the boundaries of their research, subjecting the Vanilla-POTION combination to rigorous testing in the daunting North Slope of Alaska, making the best of a narrow weather window.
Remarkably, the outcomes of the Arctic flight in September surpassed all expectations, as well as numerous records set by Vanilla in previous missions. This achievement underscores the exceptional capabilities of the Vanilla-POTION combination and represents a milestone in advancing UAV technology for naval operations within the scope of the long-term partnership.
…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla_UAV

The Vanilla UAV is a long-endurance, low-cost UAV produced by American manufacturer Vanilla Unmanned. It has flown unrefueled over 8-days.
…

Posted by: anon2020 | Jun 25 2024 14:24 utc | 266

Assange got out because Biden is getting his clock cleaned in his reelection campaign.
Period.
Posted by: morongobill | Jun 25 2024 14:55 utc | 267
_____
If that’s the case, I’ll be delighted when it turns out that this won’t help Genocide Joe one bit, especially after a decade’s worth of bipartisan vilification of Assange.

Posted by: malenkov | Jun 25 2024 15:31 utc | 268

Who could have guessed?
https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeffrey-epsteins-ex-says-he-boasted-about-being-a-mossad-agent

Posted by: Newbie | Jun 25 2024 16:40 utc | 270

Perhaps the UK elections are held so that Starmer can replace Sunak now, rather than later. This implies Starmer would be entrusted with a time-critical decision by TPTB. What could that be?

Posted by: persiflo | Jun 25 2024 17:41 utc | 272

well it’s good that Assange has been released, but all evidence indicates that he’ll be “Epsteined” sometime in the next 12 months.

Posted by: Kadath | Jun 25 2024 1:56 utc | 213
Julien is by no means out of danger. Right now, his promised release from custody after the mock trial on that Marian island, comes in handy to help sleepy Joe look more human, right in time for the presidential debate. But later on, Assange will be seen as a danger, as soon as he starts giving interviews. He has become an authority of sorts, he is articulate and he knows a lot. I’ll just wait and see if he really makes it to Australia.

Posted by: grunzt | Jun 25 2024 21:12 utc | 274

Posted by: malenkov | Jun 25 2024 11:23 utc | 256
The plane was chartered to avoid landing in the USA.
He was also accompanied on the flight by Stephen Smith, Australian High Commissioner to the UK.

Posted by: Menz | Jun 25 2024 22:26 utc | 276

Posted by: denk | Jun 25 2024 14:02 utc | 264
Posted by: denk | Jun 25 2024 17:37 utc | 271
Thank you for bringing that history of north east India to our attention. I have to say that I had absolutely no knowledge of that matter. And that map with the area you marked, an absolute shocker. I thought I knew a bit about south east Asia (where I live!) but I have to say that left me dumbfounded. May I ask if you have a connection with that region?
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Northeast_India.svg/375px-Northeast_India.svg.png
I was just thinking recently that the USA had lately gone a bit quiet on Tibet, but lo and behold, predictably since going quiet on Xinjiang for a while they have turned again to “human rights” in that region. I guess it’s not a good time to preach about human rights for moslems given what they are doing in Gaza.
Read this for a LOL.
China replaces ‘Tibet’ with ‘Xizang’ in latest diplomatic documents
The move is seen as ‘completely politically-driven, to legitimize the occupation and rule of Tibet,’ say experts.
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-tibet-xizang-10122023021833.html

Posted by: Walt | Jun 25 2024 23:20 utc | 278

Posted by: Walt | Jun 25 2024 23:20 utc | 278
I noticed that the Declassified article was 20 years old and was curious to learn a bit more and get up to date. Some extracts from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manipur

During World War II, Manipur was the scene of many fierce battles between Japanese invaders and British Indian forces. The Japanese were beaten back before they could enter Imphal, which was one of the turning points of the overall war in South Asia.[50] The Battle of Imphal, known to the Manipuris as Japan Laan, are among the lesser-known battles of the Second World War. Yet the Allied Victory in this battle was a turning point against the Japanese in East Asia.
“Disturbed area” designation
From 1980 to 2004, the Indian government referred to Manipur as a disturbed area. This term (designated by the Ministry of Home Affairs or a state governor) refers to a territory where extraordinary laws under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act can be used. The laws allow the military to treat private and public spaces in the same manner, detain individuals for up to 24 hours with unlimited renewals, perform warrantless searches, and to shoot and kill individuals who break laws, carry weapons, or gather in groups larger than four. Legal immunity applies to the military.[79] Since 1980, the application of AFSPA has been at the heart of concerns about human rights violations in the region, such as arbitrary killings, torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and forced disappearances. Its continued application has led to numerous protests, notably the longstanding hunger strike by Irom Sharmila Chanu. In 2004, the government lifted the disturbed status after a violent attack on a local woman. The rape of a Manipuri woman, Thangjam Manorama Devi, by members of the Assam Rifles paramilitary had led to wide protests including a nude protest by the Meira Paibi women’s association.
2023 ethnic violence
In May 2023, an ethnic clash between Meitei people and Kuki people led to extensive violence and arson, resulting in 60,000 people displaced from their homes and hundreds more dead and hospitalized.[83] According to data released by Manipur Police, as on September 15, 2023; 175 people have been killed; 1,118 people were injured, and 33 people were missing. 96 bodies remained unclaimed. 5,172 cases of arson including destruction of 4,786 houses and 386 religious places, out of which there were 254 churches and 132 temples, were reported since May. Out of 5,668 arms lost; 1,329 arms, 15,050 ammunition and 400 bombs were recovered.[84][85][86] Indian army troops were deployed to control the situation.[87] International outrage resulted from a report that two Kuki women had been paraded naked and allegedly gang-raped by a mob of Meitei men.

Tails off a bit, what’s the current status regarding independence?

Posted by: Walt | Jun 26 2024 0:57 utc | 280

DR Congo – it’s a few weeks ago (May 19th), but was I the only one to wonder about the “coup attempt”?
Most amateurish “coup” I’ve ever heard of, a handful of poorly trained guys driving to some minister’s villa, only to be chased away by security guards, then entering parliament (how?) and posting a video…
Two thoughts:
a. The incident has probably strengthened the position of president Tshisekedi, and served as a ‘loyalty test’ of those around him.
b. This is especially relevant as the DRC government is probably preparing a military offensive to drive Rwandan troops/ Rwanda-backed militias out of eastern Congo, which they’ve been plundering for 25 years. Worth keeping an eye on imho.
Al Jazeera seemed to reach a similar conclusion to a.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/5/20/who-was-behind-the-drcs-attempted-coup-and-were-americans-involved

Posted by: smuks | Jun 26 2024 1:10 utc | 282

grunzt | Jun 25 2024 21:12 utc | 274
psychohistorian | Jun 25 2024 22:21 utc | 275
Agree that Assange isn’t “out of danger” by any means.
But what I’m most curious about is – why now??
The Brits seemed to dangle him in front of Washington’s face like a carrot, thus implying “You can get him, but we want something in return!” – What did they want, and did they get it?
In a maybe related side note, if the EU does indeed confiscate Russia’s assets, the Euro is toast.

Posted by: smuks | Jun 26 2024 1:19 utc | 284

It appears that for the 1st time in my memory the amerikan government has kept its word. Yeah I’m well aware that the judge in Saipan stating “it appears this case ends with me here in Saipan” and then declaring that there would be no period of supervision doesn’t preclude the dirty tricks to come. According to graun reporter Mr Assange nearly teared up at this. That didn’t stop her honour from blathering the usual cliches about living a new different life from now etc. Makes me sick and I know that as well as joy at freedom Mr Assange will hate the humiliation by a bunch of greed driven murderers which has been forced to suffer. However he is entitled to hold his head high as the alternative was unconscionable – at least 10 more years at the Belmarsh torture center as the amerikans ensured his appeal against extradition was slow ground through the englander then the euro courts.
He would have won eventually- but at what cost? In many ways even the getting burned at the stake martyrdom of the england legal system of a few centuries back would have been preferable to what those USuk arseholes had planned.

Posted by: Debsisdead | Jun 26 2024 2:23 utc | 286

Posted by: Debsisdead | Jun 26 2024 2:23 utc | 286
Thanks for this better than good news, Debsisdead, and a new life it will be for Julian and for all of us; let’s make it that way.
It is so fitting for this to be the milestone we all have reached. I’m going to savor it because I need it to be. We all know the sacrifice that has been made, a great man is free! And Australia can be a beautiful place; I have been there.
I so wish him well.

Posted by: juliania | Jun 26 2024 2:53 utc | 288

Knowing all the insane and subjective decisions made by a variety of englander judges in his case so far, I believe it would frankly to be ludicrous to expect any englander judge, who let us not forget are picked because of the belief by that government the men & women selected will do as they are told when necessary, would not behave as they have already. That is to kick the can down the road a little further so that they can’t be said not to have done as instructed and importantly for them, they cannot be blamed for his extradition either.
We know this because the last judgement which tended slightly, only slightly, in Mr Assange’s favour was handed down at what many had felt was Mr Assange’s last chance – any other decision would have required the beak to either refuse his instructions from government or to be known as the beak who sentenced Mr Assange to death – plus of course the amerikan justice department may well have requested that result as genocide joe didn’t want the embarrassment of this trial during an election campaign he is already struggling in.
So no, not taking this deal which certainly wouldn’t be on the table again in 12 months, was the only way Mr Assange could avoid doing another 10 spot. So good on him for making the only play possible against a stacked deck.

Posted by: Debsisdead | Jun 26 2024 3:12 utc | 290

Posted by: Debsisdead | Jun 26 2024 2:23 utc | 286
It appears that for the 1st time in my memory the amerikan government has kept its word. Yeah I’m well aware that the judge in Saipan stating “it appears this case ends with me here in Saipan” and then declaring that there would be no period of supervision doesn’t preclude the dirty tricks to come. …
.
Good comment and observations.
This Assange saga is undoubtedly important for journalism and the general freedom to convey truth in the Western hegemony, and will have ongoing ramifications. I also note that the story is also being highlighted on RT-whatever that may mean.
Some commentators have expressed fears that as a free man Assange is now vulnerable to assassination, but I don’t think there is really a risk of this. He has been “out of circulation” for well over a decade and any “secrets” he may have had would now be very stale beer. In short, he is not a priority for silencing as say Epstein (and others) were/are for the Western PTB.
It will be interesting to see whether Wikileaks continues in in its robust efforts to expose the hypocrisy, duplicity and outright lies of various governments in the future, and whether Assange will contribute his undoubted talents. I hope both eventuate in time.

Posted by: Barrel Brown | Jun 26 2024 3:15 utc | 292

As for the undertaking about deleting all the files, I along with thousands of other humans on this planet grabbed copies of all what became known as ‘the wikileaks cable files’ years ago when wikileaks put them up for download. Most cables in a volume called ‘Insurance’ were initially encrypted but a pair of fascist journos dedicated to getting Mr Assange arrested used the encryption key as the title of one of the chapters in their book of lies about Mr Assange. All the data given to wikileaks by Bradley Manning has been well disseminated and is still used as evidence in many news articles. The request by the judge was the usual symbolic arse-covering akin to the time MI5 forced the graun to smash up a coupla old hard drives.

Posted by: Debsisdead | Jun 26 2024 3:24 utc | 294

Posted by: Walt | Jun 25 2024 23:20 utc | 278
———————————————-
I’ve no connection to the NE ‘Indians’.
Since India is a FUKUSA ‘ally’ [We share many values ;-)] , Naga etc became freedom fighters terrorists in FUKUS book, hence not a peep from the ‘international communities’.
The Naga’s plight never make the headlines for sure, yet I did come across many accounts of the genocidal wars uploaded by the survivors who want the world to hear their story.
Exhibit A

For 91 years, ever since the Simon Commission’s visit, we have been saying “Nagas are not Indians”. Between 1955-1964 more than 200,000 Nagas were killed by Indian army shot to death, starved to death, burnt to death, raped to death, among those raped to death 709 were said to be below 20 years. Many maimed and many became insane. 4 lakhs detained in concentration camp for one year, chained and locked, all in the so called state of Nagaland. Out of 860 villages 645 were burned some of them 19 times with all their granaries. (Sources – The blood and tears written by Kaka D Iralu and From Phizo to Muivah written br Dr Lanu Nungsan Ao).

http://bit.ly/2wEKvCf
As for gringo/limey etc questioning the legitimacy of Tibet, WHat chutzpah !
Its definitely more legit than the stature of USA/CANADA/OZ/NZ Hawaii, GUam. , Peurto Rico, Diego Garcia, Okinawa, Jeju island, Marshall island, Kashmir, seven sisters [‘Indian’ NE]…for sure.
YOu’r right , Tibet is in vogue again.
EU in Tibet
Pelosi witch in India meeting HMTDL
CONgress just past this
Resolve Tibet Act

which authorises the use of funds to counter Chinese disinformation about Tibet “including disinformation about the history of Tibet, the Tibetan people, and Tibetan institutions, including that of the Dalai Lama

Yeah you heard it right,
CIA bullhorn to counter CPC ‘disinfo’ !
Bandits crying robbery…!
Wash, rinse. , recycle.

Posted by: denk | Jun 26 2024 4:11 utc | 296

Posted by: waynorinorway | Jun 26 2024 4:33 utc | 298
——————-
Roger !
Re Assange…
David Hicks
Witness K
Bernard Collaery
Greg Shackleton,
Gary Cunningham,
Tony Stewart,
Malcolm Rennie and
Brian Peters
JUlian Assange
David Mcbridge
Canberra have proven times and again to be unable and/or unwilling to protect its own citizens. [Re Balibo FIVE]
The next time Aussie wanna partake in [five liars] Tibet/Xinjiang inquisition….
Somebody please tell them.
Charity starts at home,.

Posted by: denk | Jun 26 2024 4:51 utc | 298

The genuine (and likely unintentional) lessons that seem to be conveyed to whoever it concerns from “the powers that be” by their actions are (and yeah all of these are very closely related):
1. Don’t do journalism and don’t work directly with newspapers. They are not adding value.
2. Don’t do vetting (release early and release often). Don’t be an arbiter. You are not adding value.
3. Don’t redact anything for any reason. It is not adding any value…
4. Don’t limit dissemination (this includes by encryption. Encryption is fine/required for immutability but release the keys alongside everything else, ie.: GPG/PGP signing rather than encryption will do just fine).
5. Don’t rely on “dead man” triggers or other “cleverness”.
6. Don’t be “fair” or “principled” or considerate.
7. Don’t hold back in any way.
Unless you want to end up as Assange, Snowden, Manning, broken and/or dead.
Did I miss anything?

Posted by: Sunny Runny Burger | Jun 26 2024 5:34 utc | 300