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Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

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Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#211

Post by DSingularity »

rootusrootus wrote: post #206
DSingularity wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good on Biden? It was only Assange good fortunes that his bail hearing coincided with Biden polling so terribly that they were probably forced for release him. I’m sure they believe themselves to be hemorrhaging votes and unable to risk any more negative publicity with the left. So they decided they don’t want to receive him any more. Is that too cynical of a view? I mean this is an administration that is supplying t…

> coincided with Biden polling so terribly Do you think this helps Biden? Assange is a right winger, helping him out isn't likely to convince moderates to go for Biden.

Yeah. Avoiding the persistent enmity of the traditional liberal left — you know the anti war, pro freedom of speech crowd that used to represent the fundamentals of being liberal in the US — during the election cycle almost certainly helps Biden.

Or do you think traditional liberals ripping Biden non-stop when most liberals are demoralized by everything happening is going to help Biden somehow?

The only people who think this hurts Biden are people that think Clinton was a better liberal candidate than Bernie.

Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#212

Post by alfiedotwtf »

jjmarr wrote: post #75
boomboomsubban wrote: post #38

How do plea deals work for precedent? As despite the constant claim that he was only being charged for assisting in hacking US computers, the plea deal is over violations of the Espionage Act specifically about receiving and publishing classified documents. Or basically his acts as a journalist. Can this be used to indict other journalists who receive and publish classified information? As if so, this feels like a hu…

Journalists generally avoid asking for classified information. The belief is that (in the US) a journalist that passively receives classified information & publishes it isn't committing a crime due to the First Amendment. The actual crime itself was committed by the person leaking the information. Julian Assange actively solicited leaks of information. That's where the espionage claim comes from. There's not much pre…

Hopefully the next Wikileaks will have better OPSEC and will be completely out of reach from ALL governments

Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#213

Post by georgeplusplus »

dmix wrote: post #204
MOARDONGZPLZ wrote: post #190

> Julian's freedom is our freedom. A little too heavy handed. Yeah it seems like from the outside he was potentially overly punished, pending further details that may never materialize, but “his freedom is our freedom” is pretty extreme given what he did. He’s not relatable.

Yes the world is clearly a worse place because of Snowden, without him just imagine the true power the national security state could have achieved and how much safer we’d all feel.

I don’t know, did he really change really anything? It doesn’t feel like it at least.

Outside of the tech community, he’s not really known except for being that guy who leaked things.

Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#214

Post by [deleted] »

esnard wrote: post #45

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 Stanstead 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…

[deleted]

Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#215

Post by jeffparsons »

netsharc wrote: post #21
hiddencost wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Priorities change. He's not really a threat anymore. They've thoroughly scared people who might copy him.

And haven't they broken his brain anyway with all the solitary confinement... Ah, Western Democracy and the rule of law and humane treatment of prisoners, how we love thee. That sounds like I'm pro-Russia or China, but no, I don't like them either.

To make your point even more explicit:

The kind of imprisonment that Assange was subjected to is unambiguously torture, and was unambiguously administered for the purpose of revenge.

There is no natural "need" for the conditions he was subjected to (e.g. the cost of a larger cell is negligible), and no natural purpose other than to punish.

I am deliberately ignoring the question of guilt here, because I don't believe that we should torture _anyone_, regardless of the crime. The fact that we do this is a giant ugly stain on civilisation.

Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#217

Post by Cody-99 »

DSingularity wrote: post #194

For those who don’t know the obvious reason behind his persecution is Wikileaks revealing embarrassing US secrets (re: embassy cables and Bradley/Chelsea Manning) and publishing IS war crimes in Iraq (re: collateral murder).

Turns out taking an active role in breaking into government systems is a bad idea. The whole situation is funny because he would have been out years ago had he not done everything in his power to avoid a trial haha.

Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#219

Post by alfiedotwtf »

marcus_holmes wrote: post #100
femto wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There was a mood change in Australia, with all sides of politics wanting Assange's case to be closed [1]. Consequently in the last 12 months there has been pressure from Australia, on its "five eyes" US and UK partners, to close the case. [1] https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/albanese-expresses-f...

I'm not sure that the US gives too many fucks about Australian public opinion, or what Albanese says. I think it has more to do with US politics and the upcoming election. But whatever, I'm glad he's free and is not being extradited to whatever hellhole the US had planned for him. I hope he's able to get a beer and a swim and put his life back together.

I hope Assange never has to buy a beer for the rest of his life.

Re: Julian Assange has reached a plea deal with the U.S., allowing him to go free

#220

Post by Cody-99 »

slg wrote: post #99
jjmarr wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Journalists generally avoid asking for classified information. The belief is that (in the US) a journalist that passively receives classified information & publishes it isn't committing a crime due to the First Amendment. The actual crime itself was committed by the person leaking the information. Julian Assange actively solicited leaks of information. That's where the espionage claim comes from. There's not much pre…

>Julian Assange actively solicited leaks of information. This phrasing makes it sound like Assange asked "Do you have this?" when the accusations have always been closer to "Can you get me this? Here is how you could go about doing that." That takes it out of the realm of journalism in at least the legal sense.

Assange played an active role in breaking into government systems. He wasn't asking "can you get this for me?".
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