It’s Wackyleaks
Dame Vivienne joins in bizarre protest to free Assange – as he faces fresh espionage charges
JULIAN Assange yesterday failed in a bid to rule out new claims against him – as the legal fight to stop his extradition to the US resumed amid a bizarre circus-style protest.
The WikiLeaks founder, 49, now stands accused of recruiting a teenager to hack the computer of a former colleague.
It comes on top of a string of other espionage charges. Assange is wanted by the Americans for publishing classified documents in 2010 and 2011 and faces up to 175 years in jail if convicted.
The Australian, who has spent 16 months in high-security Belmarsh Prison, was rearrested in the cells at the Old Bailey over a new US indictment containing 18 charges that was first lodged in June.
In chaotic scenes outside court, dozens of Assange’s supporters – including fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood – gathered to bang drums and loudly protest against his incarceration.
Dame Vivienne, 79, wearing a yellow and black striped jumper, said: ‘I am very frightened, I’ve lost days and years of sleep worrying about Julian Assange. Julian Assange is the trigger, he is shining the light on all the corruption in the world.’ Assange’s partner Stella Moris, with whom he fathered two children while he was holed up in London’s Ecuadorian Embassy for nearly seven years, was in court after visiting Downing Street in a bid to deliver a petition against extradition, signed by 80,000 people. The new indictment alleges Assange and WikiLeaks colleagues recruited hackers including a 17-year-old to steal data. It is said that Assange later directed the teen to target a former WikiLeaks associate. Assange’s lawyer, Mark Summer QC, said the new charges were ‘essentially a fresh extradition request’. District Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected the defence bid to ‘excise’ the claims and requests for an adjournment.
In the dock, Assange only confirmed that he does not consent to extradition. The case, which began at Woolwich Crown Court in February, was delayed due to lockdown. Assange has been on remand in Belmarsh since last May after serving a 50-week term for breaching bail conditions while he was in the embassy.