[governance] WikiLeaks: Stratfor leak shows US's covert plan to prosecute Assange

Fri Mar 2 15:48:10 EST 2012

Dear Riaz,

Thank you for this and these are some thoughts. This is really interesting.
If we look at the case of:-

 China [alleged imtimidation of Ai Wei Wei for threats against
 Odre Public/Public Order];
 US [alleged intention to prosecute Assange for threats to "national
security"];
Pakistan [RFPs for filtering for threats against Public Order];
 India [New Delhi - where Court said that ISPs have to block content for
threats against Public Order/Moral];
 Europe [where ECJ held that the danger of blocking lawful content was a
far greater risk in terms of filtering attempts]

then we have a deeper appreciation of the need to see what are legitimate
exceptions.

Sala

On Wed, Feb 29, 2012 at 8:31 PM, Riaz K Tayob <riaz.tayob at gmail.com> wrote:

>
>  WikiLeaks: Stratfor leak shows US's covert plan to prosecute Assange
>    Wednesday, February 29, 2012
>       Julian Assange.
>
> WikiLeaks released the statement<http://wikileaks.org/Stratfor-Emails-US-Has-Issued.html>below on February 28.
>
> * * *
>
> Confidential emails obtained from the US private intelligence firm
> Stratfor show that the United States government has had a secret indictment
> against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for more than 12 months.
>
> Fred Burton, Stratfor’s Vice-President for Counterterrorism and Corporate
> Security, is a former Deputy Chief of the Department of State’s (DoS)
> counterterrorism division for the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS).
>
> In early 2011, Burton revealed in internal Stratfor correspondence that a
> secret Grand Jury had already issued a sealed indictment for Assange: "Not
> for Pub — We have a sealed indictment on Assange. Pls protect." (375123)
> According to Burton: "Assange is going to make a nice bride in prison.
> Screw the terrorist. He’ll be eating cat food forever." (1056988) A few
> weeks earlier, following Julian Assange’s release from a London jail, where
> he had been remanded as a result of a Swedish prosecutor’s arrest warrant,
> Fred Burton told SkyNews: "extradition [to the US is] more and more
> likely". (373862).
>
> Emails from Fred Burton reveal that the US government employs the same
> counterterrorism strategy against Julian Assange and WikiLeaks as against
> Al Qaeda: "Take down the money. Go after his infrastructure. The tools we
> are using to nail and de-construct Wiki are the same tools used to
> dismantle and track aQ [Al Qaeda]. Thank Cheney & 43 [former US President
> George W. Bush]. Big Brother owns his liberal terrorist arse." (1067796)
>
> Ten days after the CIA reportedly assassinated Osama bin Laden, Burton
> writes in an email sent to Stratfor’s "Secure" mailing list that he "can
> get access to the materials seized from the OBL [Osama bin Laden] safe
> house." (1660854)
>
> Burton states: "Ferreting out [Julian Assange’s] confederates is also key.
> Find out what other disgruntled rogues inside the tent or outside [sic].
> Pile on. Move him from country to country to face various charges for the
> next 25 years. But, seize everything he and his family own, to include
> every person linked to Wiki." (1056763)
>
> Along with the FBI, the Diplomatic Security Service and the Department of
> Defense (DoD) form a multi-agency US Government outfit seeking to
> criminally indict and prosecute WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. According to
> the Department of State, the DSS handles the investigation of all leads
> that involve the DoS and assists the DoD in forensic analysis of hard
> drives seized by the US government in its ongoing criminal investigation.
>
> Burton also says he "would pursue [c]onspiracy and [p]olitical [t]errorism
> charges and declassify the death of a source someone which [he] could link
> to Wiki" (1074383). Burton’s strategy is to: "[b]ankrupt the arsehole
> first," Burton states, "ruin his life. Give him 7-12 yrs for conspiracy."
> (1057220)
>
> WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said: "For over a year now, the US
> Attorny General Eric Holder has been conducting a "secret" Grand Jury
> investigation into WikiLeaks. This neo-McCarthyist witch hunt against
> WikiLeaks may be Mr Holder’s defining legacy. Any student of American
> history knows that secret justice is no justice at all. Justice must be
> seen to be done. Legitimate authority arises out of the informed consent of
> the governed, not Eric Holder’s press secretary.
>
> "Secret Grand Juries with secret indictments are apparently Eric Holder’s
> preferred method of dealing with publishers who hold his administration to
> account. Eric Holder has betrayed the legacy of Madison and Jefferson. He
> should drop the case or resign. Should he continue, however, the Obama
> administration may not — Democrats and Republicans alike believe in the
> right to tell the truth."
>
> As early as June 2010, after the release of the Collateral Murder video
> but prior to the Afghan War Diaries release, the emails talk of a sealed
> indictment. In an email conversation between Shane Harris, a National
> Security journalist, and Burton, Harris is surprised that Assange was
> reporteded to be attending a Las Vegas Investigative Reporters and Editors
> (IRE) conference. Burton remarks: "As a foreign national, we could revoke
> [Julian Assange’s] travel status and deport. Could also be taken into
> custody as a material witness. We COULD have a sealed indictment and lock
> him up. Depends upon how far along the military case is" (391504). Julian
> Assange cancelled his appearance at the IRE conference due to security
> concerns.
>
> In another email to Stephen Feldhaus, Stratfor legal counsel, about Ronald
> Kessler, a "pro-FBI journalist", Burton remarks: “I look forward to Manning
> and Assange facing a bajillion-thousand counts [of espionage]." (1035283)
>
> In July 2010 alleged WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning was moved from Camp
> Arifjan, Kuwait to the Quantico Brig in the Military District of Washington
> at the request of Maj. Gen. Terry Wolff, then Commanding General of the 1st
> Armored Division/US Division – Center in Iraq.
>
> Wolff requested Manning’s move, the Pentagon reported, "due to a
> potentially lengthy pre-trial confinement because of the complexity of the
> charges and an ongoing investigation.” Three days before Manning arrived at
> Quantico Brig, Burton wrote to George Friedman, Stratfor CEO and founder:
>
> “We probably asked the ASIS [Australian Secret Intelligence Service] to
> monitor Wiki coms and email, after the soldier from Potomac was nabbed. So,
> it’s reasonable to assume we probably already know who has done it. The
> delay could be figuring out how to declassify and use the Aussie intel on
> Wiki... The owner [Julian Assange] is a peacenik. He needs his head dunked
> in a full toilet bowl at Gitmo.” (402168)
>
> The GI Files: http://wikileaks.org/the-gifiles.html
>
> Please donate: http://shop.wikileaks.org/donate
>
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-- 
Salanieta Tamanikaiwaimaro aka Sala

Tweeter: @SalanietaT
Skype:Salanieta.Tamanikaiwaimaro
Cell: +679 998 2851
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