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| First day of hearing into extradition of WikiLeaks founder to Sweden centers on issue of Swedish prosecutor's impartiality. (photo: Guardian UK) |
02 February 12
his
month's Supreme Court hearing in the Julian Assange case has profound
meaning for the preservation of basic freedoms in western democracies.
This is Assange's final appeal against his extradition to Sweden to face
allegations of sexual misconduct that were originally dismissed by the
chief prosecutor in Stockholm and constitute no crime in Britain.
The consequences, if he loses, lie not in Sweden but
in the shadows cast by America's descent into totalitarianism. In
Sweden, he is at risk of being "temporarily surrendered" to the US,
where his life has been threatened and he is accused of "aiding the
enemy" with Bradley Manning, the young soldier accused of leaking
evidence of US war crimes to WikiLeaks.
The connections between Manning and Assange have been
concocted by a secret grand jury in Virginia that allowed no defence
counsel or witnesses, and by a system of plea-bargaining that ensures a
90 per cent conviction rate. It is reminiscent of a Soviet show trial.
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