It sought to refute arguments made by the WikiLeaks founder's lawyers the day before, when they claimed that the United States was seeking politically motivated retaliation over his exposure of state criminality, including torture, rendition and extrajudicial killings.
Dobbin said Assange, who was not well enough to attend court for a second day, not only published material, but conspired, aided and abetted US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in stealing and disclosing classified information. He also allegedly sought to recruit other hackers and leakers of confidential information.
Assange has the support of journalistic organizations, including the Australian Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, Reporters Without Borders, and the National Union of Journalists in Britain, and his lawyers described his trial as “unprecedented” and a threat to freedom of the press.
But Dobbin said Assange “deliberately and indiscriminately published to the world the names of individuals who served as sources of information for the United States.” She said that this was a basic fact that distinguished Assange's position from that of “the situation.” The New York Times and other media.”
“This is what forms the objective basis for his trial. These facts are what distinguish him, not his political views.”
By encouraging Manning and others to hack into and steal government computers, Dobbin said, Assange was “going beyond” a journalist collecting information.
“He was not someone who just set up an online box that people could submit confidential information to,” she said. He added, “The allegations indicate that he sought to encourage theft and hacking that would benefit WikiLeaks.”
Assange, who founded WikiLeaks in 2006, has been held in London's high-security Belmarsh prison for nearly five years while US authorities seek his extradition to stand trial on espionage charges. His website claims to have published more than ten million secret files, including official reports on corruption, espionage and civilian deaths.
In 2019, the US Department of Justice described the leaks as “one of the largest breaches of classified information in US history.” He was charged with 18 crimes under the Espionage Act of 1917 and extradition proceedings were filed against him in the United States.
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Dubin told the court that the fact that the Biden administration committed to prosecuting Assange when he was charged under the Trump administration was evidence that it was not political.
On Tuesday, Assange's lawyer, Mark Summers KC, argued that the publication of the unredacted cables was unintentional, but even if intentional, the public interest would have outweighed the naming of individuals. He also said that no harm had been proven to any of the individuals mentioned.
Assange's lawyers say he could be sentenced to up to 175 years in prison, but it is more likely to reach 40 years. US prosecutors said the order would not exceed 63 months. US authorities said that if they agreed to extradite Assange, he could serve any US prison sentence he received in his native Australia.
If Assange wins this case, there will be a full appeal hearing, but if he loses, his only remaining option will be the European Court of Human Rights. His wife, Stella Assange, said his lawyers will apply to European judges to issue an emergency injunction if necessary.
With agencies
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