Reporter (RT News):
Senior judges have walked out of a legal conference in Glasgow after realising that whistleblower Julian Assange was booked to speak at the event. They say it would have been inappropriate to engage with a fugitive from justice. The WikiLeaks founder went on to speak via video link to the Commonwealth Law Conference, and suggested Scottish nationalists were right to be concerned about interference by intelligence agencies in last year's referendum campaign.
Well, Assange has been holed up at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since losing his legal challenge to an extradition request from Sweden in 2012.
Peter Tatchell is a human rights campaigner, and he joins me live in the studio now.
Now, Peter, how do you assess the judges' reaction to Assange's appearance at this conference?
Peter Tatchell:
I think the decision of those senior British judges to walk out was yet another example of the heavy handed over-reaction by the British state. Julian Assange is, to many people, a hero. He blew the whistle on very grave abuses of state power. I think he performed an incredibly important public service. These judges, according to a statement released, claim that he's a fugitive from justice.
Julian Assange - there are no charges against him. The man is innocent until proven guilty and just because there are allegations against him, that does not mean that he forfeits his right to free speech.
He was talking - not about his case - he was talking about the issue of lawyer-client confidentiality and the intrusion of state surveillance into that; a completely separate issue.
Reporter (RT News):
But he is a fugitive from justice, isn't he - I'm just going to read out what the note said. They said he's a fugitive from justice and it would therefore not be appropriate for them to be addressed by him.
The moment he entered the Ecuadorian Embassy, surely he became a fugitive from justice?
Peter Tatchell:
Well, even today, the whole case against him is up in the air. Right now the Swedish Supreme Court is considering whether to proceed with any charges or not. So there are no charges and even whether there should be charges is a matter of legal dispute and contestation - and the other thing to remember, very importantly, is that when someone like Julian Assange seeks to speak before a conference about an issue unrelated to his case, surely, on the basis of the principle of free speech, he ought to be entitled to do so, and most of the judges at that conference agree that he should be able to speak. It was a tiny minority that walked out. They did not represent the majority of judges at that conference.
Reporter (RT News):
And what do you think of what Julian was saying at this conference that Scottish nationalists could have been monitored by surveillance agencies? What was your opinion on that?
Peter Tatchell:
Well, given the incredible intrusions and abuses of state power that his WikiLeaks organisation has exposed in the past, I wouldn't be surprised. I haven't got any evidence, but I wouldn't be surprised and, certainly, the campaign against Nicola Sturgeon (the leader of the SNP) - the leaking of that so-called claim that she wanted a Conservative victory - it smacks of a dirty tricks operation. Who was behind it, we don't yet know, but there's something very fishy going on and, of course, it suits the interest of the British state which wants to keep Britain together and stop the Scottish people having their own choice to be independent. It suits them to discredit her in the way this kind of leak did.
Reporter (RT News):
We've heard today that Assange has formally agreed to let Swedish prosecutors interview him at the Ecuadorian Embassy. He's been saying this for a little while. Is this a step forward?
Peter Tatchell:
Well, absolutely - and it's astonishing, astounding and disgraceful that the Swedish prosecutors did not take up his offer all those years ago when he first made it. After all, Swedish prosecutors have gone to other countries to interview suspects subject to allegations, so why shouldn't they come to Britain? Their refusal to do so, again, it smacks of some kind of wilful persecution of this man.
Reporter (RT News):
All right, Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner, thank you very much.
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EU-NATO IMPERIALISM ❌ 