The Persecution of Julian Assange

On the show, Chris Hedges discusses The Trial of Julian Assange, a new book by Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

In July 2010, Wikileaks published Cablegate, one of the biggest leaks in the history of the US military, including evidence for war crimes and torture. Julian Assange, the founder and spokesman of Wikileaks, immediately found himself a target, accused of hacking, and later sexual assault. He spent the next seven years in asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, fearful that he would be extradited to Sweden to face the accusations of assault and then sent to US. In 2019, Assange was handed over to the British police. On the same day, the US demanded his extradition. He faces up to 175 years in prison for alleged espionage and computer fraud.

It was at this moment that Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, started his methodical investigation into how the US and UK governments were working in tandem to imprison Assange for life in the United States. The more Melzer investigated the more it became apparent that the UK and the United States were grossly distorting the legal process to revoke Assange’s most basic rights, including due process along with the flagrant manipulation of evidence. The violations included the taping of Assange’s meetings with his attorneys, in violation of attorney-client privilege. Melzer gathered medical and psychological evidence to prove that Assange has suffered prolonged and orchestrated psychological torture. All these measures were instituted solely because Assange provided to the public evidence of war crimes, lies, corruption and a callous indifference by the United States to human life.

Nils Melzer is the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture. His new book is The Trial of Julian Assange: A Story of Persecution.

#QuestionMore #RTAmerica #ChrisHedges #OnContact #JulianAssange #AssangeExtradition #NilsMelzer

Get exclusive content and watch full episodes now by downloading the Portable.TV app: https://bit.ly/DownloadPortable

Telegram: https://t.me/RTAmerica

Check out our other shows!

NO show does it like this. It’s TIME for The News on RT America: https://bit.ly/NRSSHOW

It’s her take on all things political and she presents ALL the angles: News.Views.Hughes with Scottie Nell Hughes, NVH: https://bit.ly/NVHSHOW

What’s your NEWS IQ? Give us 30 minutes, and we’ll take you across the globe! In Question with Manila Chan, IQ: https://bit.ly/IQ_SHOW

Steve Malzberg sinks his teeth into the slander, hypocrisy, bias and lies of MSM. MMM…Delicious! Eat The Press: http://bit.ly/EatThePress

Candid conversations with the most outspoken guy in Hollywood! Dennis Miller + One!
Dennis Miller Plus One: http://bit.ly/DennisMillerPlusOne

Let our TV time-machine bring you the week’s highlights and a closer look at the BIGGEST stories, Just Press Play: http://bit.ly/JustPressPlayShow


Author and social critic Chris Hedges conducts fascinating in-depth interviews with the fiercest critics of the establishment. Watch all episodes at https://bit.ly/2QIkQZg

Yep, it’s Gov. Jesse Ventura and you’re living in his WORLD! Come along for the ride.
The World According To Jesse: http://bit.ly/WATJSHOW

They’re watching you. Are you watching them? Are you WATCHING THE HAWKS?
Watching The Hawks: http://bit.ly/WTHSHOW

Follow the twists and turns of the global economy with Boom Bust, the one business show you can’t afford to miss. Boom Bust: http://bit.ly/BoomBustShow

Do you keep missing the forest for the trees? Let Holland Cooke show you the Big Picture, The Big Picture: http://bit.ly/TheBigPictureShow