4 ms·

Can someone explain how Assange's trial is unfair when it hasn't taken place yet?

abdullahkhalids 7y ago
> He will not receive a trial consistent with the rule of law. That’s another reason why his extradition shouldn’t be allowed. Assange will receive a trial-by-jury in Alexandria, Virginia – the notorious «Espionage Court» where the U.S. tries all national security cases. The choice of location is not by coincidence, because the jury members must be chosen in proportion to the local population, and 85 percent of Alexandria residents work in the national security community – at the CIA, the NSA, the Defense Department and the State Department. When people are tried for harming national security in front of a jury like that, the verdict is clear from the very beginning. The cases are always tried in front of the same judge behind closed doors and on the strength of classified evidence. Nobody has ever been acquitted there in a case like that. The result being that most defendants reach a settlement, in which they admit to partial guilt so as to receive a milder sentence.
- ithkuil 7y ago
  That sounds interesting. Can you provide some links to more in-depth information about the use of Alexandria, Virginia and the skewed jury composition? I tried to Google a bit but so far was unable to find much more than just news snippets mentioning a few high profile intelligence related trials that reference said court. Am I just unlucky?
simion314 7y ago
Nothing was fair or legal so far, abuses everywhere but you expect that the special US court (see article who is part of that)will be fair in a secret trial. Btw the article mentiones that after the UN person asked clarification on some illegalities on the rape related procedures the investigation was dropped and no response was provided. Also is mentioned that UK is using solitary confinement without any reason, nobody that escaped bail is treated like this but Assange seems not to have human rights in UK.

> He will not receive a trial consistent with the rule of law. That’s another reason why his extradition shouldn’t be allowed. Assange will receive a trial-by-jury in Alexandria, Virginia – the notorious «Espionage Court» where the U.S. tries all national security cases. The choice of location is not by coincidence, because the jury members must be chosen in proportion to the local population, and 85 percent of Alexandria residents work in the national security community – at the CIA, the NSA, the Defense Department and the State Department. When people are tried for harming national security in front of a jury like that, the verdict is clear from the very beginning. The cases are always tried in front of the same judge behind closed doors and on the strength of classified evidence. Nobody has ever been acquitted there in a case like that. The result being that most defendants reach a settlement, in which they admit to partial guilt so as to receive a milder sentence.

ithkuil 7y ago
That sounds interesting. Can you provide some links to more in-depth information about the use of Alexandria, Virginia and the skewed jury composition? I tried to Google a bit but so far was unable to find much more than just news snippets mentioning a few high profile intelligence related trials that reference said court. Am I just unlucky?

simion314 7y ago

Nothing was fair or legal so far, abuses everywhere but you expect that the special US court (see article who is part of that)will be fair in a secret trial. Btw the article mentiones that after the UN person asked clarification on some illegalities on the rape related procedures the investigation was dropped and no response was provided. Also is mentioned that UK is using solitary confinement without any reason, nobody that escaped bail is treated like this but Assange seems not to have human rights in UK.