Judge Set to Rule on Assange Extradition Previously Acted for MI6 Whose Activities Were Exposed by WikiLeaks
"One of the two High Court judges who will rule on Julian Assange’s bid to stop his extradition to the US represented the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and the Ministry of Defence," reported Declassified UK.
- "Justice Jeremy Johnson has also been a specially vetted barrister, cleared by the UK authorities to access top secret information. As with previous judges who have ruled on Assange’s case, this raises concerns about institutional conflicts of interest."
"Exactly how much Johnson has been paid for his work for government departments is not clear. Records show he was paid twice by the Government Legal Department for his services in 2018. The sum was over £55,000."
- "WikiLeaks has published sensitive documents on the US and Britain’s use of “extraordinary rendition” during the war on terror."
"Johnson has also represented the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) on at least two occasions."
- "Johnson has also acted for the Metropolitan Police in a number of controversial cases regarding political policing and alleged illegal surveillance. The Met would go on to lead “Operation Pelican”, the secret scheme to seize Assange from his asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy."
- The verdict may come today or at a later date. If the judges rule against the Australian citizen, he can ask the European Court of Human Rights to block his extradition, but supporters worry he could be sent to the US before that happens.
Declassified UK Article / Archive
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