Not Pynchon but Assange

[Thomas Eckhardt]

Here is the most complete account I have read. An interview with Nils 
Melzer, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and other Cruel, 
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and professor of international 
law at the University of Glasgow.
Melzer provides many interesting details and I highly recommend reading the 
whole thing. This might serve as his conclusion:
"What does it mean when UN member states refuse to provide information to 
their own Special Rapporteur on Torture?
That it is a prearranged affair. A show trial is to be used to make an 
example of Julian Assange. The point is to intimidate other journalists. 
Intimidation, by the way, is one of the primary purposes for the use of 
torture around the world. The message to all of us is: This is what will 
happen to you if you emulate the Wikileaks model. It is a model that is so 
dangerous because it is so simple: People who obtain sensitive information 
from their governments or companies transfer that information to Wikileaks, 
but the whistleblower remains  anonymous. The reaction shows how great the 
threat is perceived to be: Four democratic countries joined forces – the 
U.S., Ecuador, Sweden and the UK – to leverage their power to portray one 
man as a monster so that he could later be burned at the stake without any 
outcry. The case is a huge scandal and represents the failure of Western 
rule of law.
If Julian Assange is convicted, it will be a death sentence for freedom of 
the press."
https://www.republik.ch/2020/01/31/nils-melzer-about-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange






On Wed, 29 Jan 2020 11:25:34 +0000
  Kai Frederik Lorentzen <lorentzen at hotmail.de> wrote:
> 
> + 28 January 2020. The Parliamentary Assembly of the 
>Council of Europe (PACE) has called on member states to 
>oppose the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian 
>Assange to the United States and resolve that “he must be 
>promptly released.” Assange is fighting extradition to 
>the United States in an unprecedented Espionage Act 
>prosecution for journalistic activity. His extradition 
>hearing opens at Woolwich Crown Court in London on 24 
>February 2020 ... +
> 
> https://bridgesforfreedom.media/council-of-europes-parliamentary-assembly-calls-for-assanges-prompt-release/