WikiLeaks about to hit the fan

Chomsky signs Australian letter of support for Assange
By Amy Coopes (AFP) – 5 hours ago
SYDNEY — Renowned American scholar and activist Noam Chomsky signed an open letter to Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Tuesday urging her to make a "strong statement" in support of Julian Assange.
Chomsky, a professor of linguistics at the US Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a prominent critic of US foreign policy, joined scores of high-profile Australian lawyers, authors and journalists in signing the letter.
Noting the "increasingly violent rhetoric" directed towards Australian-born Assange, the besieged founder of whistleblowing website WikiLeaks, the signatories said there were "grave concerns" for his safety.
"We therefore call upon you to condemn, on behalf of the Australian Government, calls for physical harm to be inflicted upon Mr Assange, and to state publicly that you will ensure Mr Assange receives the rights and protections to which he is entitled, irrespective of whether the unlawful threats against him come from individuals or states," says the letter, published on the ABC website.

Radio interview: Veteran Australian journalist John Pilger discusses the latest twists and turns in the Wikileaks case.

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Quote:

Chomsky signs Australian letter of support for Assange
By Amy Coopes (AFP) – 5 hours ago
SYDNEY — Renowned American scholar and activist Noam Chomsky signed an open letter to Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Tuesday urging her to make a "strong statement" in support of Julian Assange.
Chomsky, a professor of linguistics at the US Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a prominent critic of US foreign policy, joined scores of high-profile Australian lawyers, authors and journalists in signing the letter.
Noting the "increasingly violent rhetoric" directed towards Australian-born Assange, the besieged founder of whistleblowing website WikiLeaks, the signatories said there were "grave concerns" for his safety.
"We therefore call upon you to condemn, on behalf of the Australian Government, calls for physical harm to be inflicted upon Mr Assange, and to state publicly that you will ensure Mr Assange receives the rights and protections to which he is entitled, irrespective of whether the unlawful threats against him come from individuals or states," says the letter, published on the ABC website.

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Geoffrey Robertson to defend Assange
Paola Totaro, London, Dylan Welch and Joel Gibson
December 8, 2010

AUSTRALIAN-BORN human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson, QC, has cut short his summer holiday in Sydney to represent WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after he turns himself in to British police.

Mr Robertson and another specialist extradition lawyer from his Doughty Street Chambers are to act for Mr Assange who was expected to surrender to police late yesterday and appear in a magistrate's court to argue for bail. A full hearing of the extradition case must be heard within 28 days.

But London legal sources warned that the European arrest warrant issued for Mr Assange over sexual assault claims in Sweden is difficult to ''avoid or challenge''. He and his lawyers plan to fight the extradition with every available resource. There is growing fear that this case could lead to a hand-over to US authorities in the wake of the release of hundreds of thousands of US diplomatic cables.

The Age believes that Mr Robertson, whose chambers are one of the few with a specialist in extradition proceedings with Scandinavian nations, has been in contact with Assange about his defence and met federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland about the case.

The imminent surrender of Mr Assange is unfolding as his whistleblower website continued to battle a seemingly global effort to block release of further information led by the US Attorney-General, Eric Holder. Mr Holder said he had authorised significant actions aimed at prosecuting the WikiLeaks founder but he refused to specify what these might be.

''The lives of people who work for the American people have been put at risk. The American people themselves have been put at risk by these actions that I believe are arrogant, misguided and ultimately not helpful in any way,'' he said.

Mr Assange, 39, is reported by The Guardian to be seeking supporters to put up surety and bail to stave off attempts to hold him. He has reportedly told friends he is increasingly convinced the US is behind Swedish prosecutors' attempts to extradite him.

He has previously said that the original allegations were the product of ''personal issues'' but he believes Sweden has behaved as ''a cipher'' for the US. .....<cont>

When WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange released his latest document trove—more than 250,000 secret State Department cables—he intentionally harmed the U.S. government. The release of these documents damages our national interests and puts innocent lives at risk. He should be vigorously prosecuted for espionage.

The law Mr. Assange continues to violate is the Espionage Act of 1917. That law makes it a felony for an unauthorized person to possess or transmit "information relating to the national defense which information the possessor has reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation."

In a letter sent to Mr. Assange and his lawyer on Nov. 27, State Department Legal Adviser Harold Hongju Koh warned in strong terms that the documents had been obtained "in violation of U.S. law and without regard for the grave consequences of this action."

Mr. Koh's letter said that publication of the documents in Mr. Assange's possession would, at minimum:

• "Place at risk the lives of countless innocent individuals—from journalists to human rights activists and bloggers to soldiers to individuals providing information to further peace and security;

• "Place at risk on-going military operations, including operations to stop terrorists, traffickers in human beings and illicit arms, violent criminal enterprises and other actors that threaten global security; and,

• "Place at risk on-going cooperation between countries—partners, allies and common stakeholders—to confront common challenges from terrorism to pandemic diseases to nuclear proliferation that threaten global stability."

The "damage to national security" is beyond question. As for intent, Mr. Assange's own words paint a damning picture.

In June, the New Yorker reported that Mr. Assange has asserted that a "social movement" set on revealing secrets could "bring down many administrations that rely on concealing reality—including the U.S. administration." The same piece revealed Mr. Assange's stunning disregard for the grave harm his actions could bring to innocent people, which he dismisses as "collateral damage."

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper: “The actions taken by WikiLeaks are not only deplorable, irresponsible, and reprehensible—they could have major impacts on our national security. The disclosure of classified documents puts at risk our troops, law enforcement, diplomats, and especially the American people."

Whoa!

Just curious, Finn.
Can a non-US citizen be prosecuted under the Espionage Act?

Yes

Are there instances of this having occurred in the past?

Not certain

When was the last time anyone was prosecuted under the Act & for what reason?

Believe it was Samuel Loring Morison in 1985 who was convicted of passing classified information to a UK magazine.

Also, could a US newspaper like the NYT be prosecuted under the Act, given that it disseminated the leaked material?

Yes

Some of this stuff is fascinating. But, that's easy for me to say because my name won't show up in any of those documents. I'm not big on "acceptable collateral damage".

Wasn't he claiming that he was disseminating information under the right of a free press?