The Trial of Julian Assange: A Story of Persecution

Wikileaks published Cablegate in 2010, revealing evidence of war crimes and torture. Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, was accused of hacking and sexual assault and spent seven years in asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. In 2019, he was handed over to the British police and faced extradition to the US. UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Nils Melzer conducted an investigation into how the US and UK governments were working together to ensure a conviction, revealing grave and systematic due process violations, judicial bias, collusion, and manipulated evidence. Melzer's findings show how unchecked power reveals a deeply undemocratic system and set a dangerous precedent for censorship and tyranny.

Format: Hardback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 08 February 2022
Publisher: Verso Books

In July 2010, Wikileaks made public Cablegate, a massive leak that exposed evidence of war crimes and torture within the US military. The release of this information led to the arrest of Julian Assange, the founder and spokesperson of Wikileaks. Over the next seven years, Assange sought refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, fearing extradition to Sweden and eventual transfer to the United States. In 2019, Assange was finally handed over to British authorities, and the United States immediately demanded his extradition. The American government threatened him with up to 175 years in prison for alleged espionage and computer fraud.

During this time, Nils Melzer, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, initiated an investigation into the actions of the US and UK governments in ensuring Assange's conviction. Melzer's findings were explosive, revealing a grave and systematic violation of Assange's due process rights, judicial bias, collusion, and manipulated evidence. Assange had been subjected to constant surveillance, defamation, and threats. Furthermore, consolidated medical evidence indicated that Assange had undergone prolonged psychological torture while in prison.

Melzer's investigation placed the UK government under scrutiny, highlighting the dangers of unchecked power and the erosion of democratic principles. The Assange case set a dangerous precedent, as it demonstrated that speaking the truth could be considered a crime, leading to censorship and tyranny. The revelations from Cablegate exposed the dark underbelly of the US military and government, and they continue to resonate around the world. The case of Julian Assange serves as a reminder of the importance of freedom of speech and the need to protect whistleblowers who expose wrongdoing.

Weight: 538g
Dimension: 162 x 241 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781839766220