The second day of the resumed British show-trial of Julian Assange included powerful witness testimony from Clive Stafford Smith, a US attorney who has represented Guantanamo Bay detainees. He likened US torture tactics exposed by WikiLeaks to those of the Spanish inquisition.
Smith discussed a US assassination program in Syria, with a “kill list” of 669 names. The list, published by WikiLeaks, showed how the US had targeted American journalist Bilal Abdul Kareem and Al Jazeera’s Ahmad Zaidan… Weapons used to assassinate US targets “were named after porn stars and revealed names clearly from US allies, identifiable to Great Britain or Australia.”
Stafford Smith outlined some of what WikiLeaks helped expose about the criminal US, British wars in Afghanistan and the Middle East.
WikiLeaks publications had also been used in the Chekkouri case, exposing British involvement in the secret rendition and torture of Binyam Mohamed. Interrogators had taken a razor blade to his genitals before rendering him to a “Dark Prison” in Kabul where he was tortured again.
Julian Assange has been warned by the judge that he could be removed from court with the case continuing in his absence after he interjected while a lawyer for the US authorities sparred with a high-profile witness giving evidence in support of the WikiLeaks founder.
Judge Vanessa Baraitser called a halt and adjourned the hearing for 10 minutes when there was an attempted interjection by Assange. The comments could not be heard by journalists, who are following proceedings on a videolink from another court, but some of those inside the courtroom said Assange was heard to say “this is nonsense” in reference to the position put forward by prosecution lawyer Lewis.
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