Old Bailey

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Place.png Old Bailey  Rdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
Assange Old Bailey.jpg

The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales – nicknamed the Old Bailey (after the street on which it stands) – is a court in London and one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court. The street outside traces the City of London's ancient fortified wall (and bailey), which runs from Ludgate Hill to the junction of Newgate Street and Holborn Viaduct. The Old Bailey has been housed in a succession of court houses on the street since the sixteenth century. Part of the building stands on the site of the medieval Newgate Prison.

The Crown Court sitting at the Central Criminal Court deals with major criminal cases from within Greater London and in exceptional cases, from other parts of England and Wales. Trials at the Old Bailey, as at other courts, are open to the public; however, they are subject to stringent security procedures.[1]

Assange Travesty Continues

On 30 August 2020 Craig Murray wrote:

The travesty that is Julian Assange’s extradition hearing resumes fully on 7 September at the Old Bailey. I shall be abandoning my own legal team and going down to London to cover it again in full, for an expected three weeks. How this is going to work at the Old Bailey, I do not know. Covid restrictions presumably mean that the numbers in the public gallery will be tiny. As of now, there is no arrangement for Julian’s friends and family in place. It looks like 4am queuing is in prospect.[2]

Update from Stella Moris

As we draw closer to Julian’s extradition hearing on Monday, I would like to share the latest news with you.

If you would like to come down to the Old Bailey on Monday there will be a safe socially-distanced demonstration taking place outside the court from 9am. Everyone is very welcome to come and show their support for Julian.

There will be a stage set up near the entrance to the Old Bailey. Speakers will include Kristinn Hrafnsson, editor-in-chief of Wikileaks, John Shipton, Julian’s father, and Dame Vivienne Westwood.

I was not able to speak to Julian at all for a few days, after seeing him in Belmarsh Prison last week. But I am pleased to say we have been able to talk on the phone this week and that has been a great comfort.

Julian will not have seen the case in full before he arrives into the court room. The other side continues to submit documents after deadlines have past. Since legal documents have to be posted to Belmarsh Prison as hard copies, they won't reach Julian in time before the hearing starts.

When he arrives in court on Monday morning it will be first time Julian will have seen his legal team in person in over six months. However, his lawyers are dealing with all the last-minute details of the case and making final preparations for Monday.

Thank you once again for your support in this very important case. More and more people are waking up to the realisation that this hearing has huge ramifications for other publishers and journalists.

Julian faces 175 years in prison in the United States for the ‘crime’ of journalism and exposing truths. If the UK court decides to extradite Julian, that sets a precedent for any publisher or journalist to be put on trial abroad if a country does not like something that has been written about them.

However, there are still many people who are not aware of the consequences this case will have on freedom of speech. Please continue to share details with your friends and contacts about the extradition hearing and of our fundraising appeal.

Stella Moris
3 September 2020

 

Related Documents

TitleTypePublication dateAuthor(s)Description
Document:Media Freedom? Show me the MSM Journalist Opposing the Torture of Assangeblog post7 September 2020Craig MurrayAt a time when the government is mooting designating Extinction Rebellion as Serious Organised Crime, right wing bequiffed muppet Keir Starmer was piously condemning the group, stating: “The free press is the cornerstone of democracy and we must do all we can to protect it.”
Document:Your Man in the Public Gallery: the Assange Hearing Day 6blog post2 March 2020Craig MurrayIf you asked me to sum up today in a word, that word would undoubtedly be “railroaded”. it was all about pushing through the hearing as quickly as possible and with as little public exposure as possible to what is happening. Access denied, adjournment denied, exposition of defence evidence denied, removal of superseding indictment charges denied.
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References

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