Assange is told: Be brave enough for trial
A judge yesterday upheld an arrest warrant for julian Assange, saying he should have the courage to face court.
Lawyers for the WikiLeaks founder had argued it was no longer in the public interest to pursue him for skipping bail in 2012 when fighting extradition to Sweden on sex charges.
But district judge emma Arbuthnot told Westminster magistrates’ court: ‘defendants on bail, and persons facing extradition, come to court to face the consequences of their own choices. He should have the courage to do the same.’
She said his five-year confinement at ecuador’s London embassy was voluntary: ‘There is a distinction between being held in Wandsworth Prison and living in the embassy.
‘Firstly, he can leave the embassy whenever he wishes; secondly, he is free to receive, it would seem, an unlimited number of visitors and those visits are not supervised; thirdly, he can choose the food he eats, the time he sleeps and exercises. He can sit on the balcony (I accept probably observed by the police and his supporters) to take the air. He is not locked in at night.’
She suggested that Wandsworth inmates would prefer to stay in the embassy.
She added: ‘The impression I have, and this may well be dispelled if and when Mr Assange finally appears in court, is that he is a man who wants to impose his terms on the course of justice, whether the course of justice is in this jurisdiction or in Sweden. He appears to consider himself above the normal rules of law and wants justice only if it goes in his favour.’
Last week the judge rejected the argument that the warrant was no longer valid because the investigation by the Swedish authorities had been dropped. And she rejected claims that Assange’s health had deteriorated in the embassy.
‘I do not accept there is not sunlight,’ she said. ‘There have been a number of photographs of him on a balcony connected to the premises.’
The 46-year-old Australian fears extradition to the united States on secrecy charges.
Following the hearing he tweeted: ‘ The judge went outside what the parties presented in court. This seems to have led to the significant factual errors in the judgment.’
Assange accused the uK of a cover-up to keep him detained while his lawyer, jennifer Robinson, said the government had refused to confirm or deny there was an extradition request from the uS.