Only Massive Publicity in US and UK Will Change Things for …

US attorney for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said that the arrest of Roger Stone, an ex-aide of President Donald Trump, was an attempt to intimidate Assange. Barry Pollack tweeted that FBI's arrest of Stone served no other purpose other than intimidation. Stone is accused of lying to investigators about his alleged interactions with WikiLeaks.

Earlier, it was reported that Julian Assange had launched a legal challenge againstthe administration ofUS President Donald Trump. The activist's lawyers have filed an urgent application tothe Washington-based Inter-American Commission ofHuman Rights, demanding US prosecutors toreveal possible charges againstthe Australian citizen. The move aims toprevent his extradition tothe United States.

Sputnik talked aboutStone's arrest and Assange's future withProfessor Stuart Rees, the director ofthe Sydney Peace Foundation and Australian academic, human rights activist, and author.

Sputnik: What's your take onthe arrest ofRoger Stone, how could this affect Julian Assange's position?

Stuart Rees: Your commentator used the word intimidation aboutStone. Look, intimidation has been going onfor five or six years, the idea that freedom ofspeech, which essentially WiliLeaks, whatever their shortcomings there might have been, represented, is anathema tosuccessive American administrations, so if Stone was perceived ascooperating or being sympathetic withWikiLeaks, that's why they're outto get him and anybody else who stands inthe way ofwhat an American administration wants todo.

READ MORE:Stone Might Relish inthe Drama' ofMueller's Charges, But Drama's All They Are

Sputnik: I was discussing this yesterday withyou atlength and it's just hypocrisy atthe highest level. We've got the New York Times and The Guardian, obviously, they've released various sources ofinformation publicly, the American administration are not going afterthose media outlets, so inyour view how high are the chances that the legal team will be able toget the requested information onthese charges fromthe US authorities?

REUTERS / Peter Nicholls

Unless we prick the bubble oftheir arrogance, and express a different set ofvalues ina different language ofhow we treat one another, we're always going tohave this sort ofinternational bullying sanctioned bythe American governments and overthe Assanges bythe British.

Sputnik: The element tothis aswell interms ofthe whole protracted case that has been going on, it's going tobe further protracted bythe fact that a lengthy process is going tobe initiated withthe legal process. What chances does it have ofgetting stuck ina legal quagmire now? It's been never ending, it's going tobe never ending interms ofthe legality process, what's your take onthat?

Stuart Rees: They call it legal, they keep oncalling it legal and I've spent enough time incourts oflaw aroundthe world toknow that what claimed tobe legal is often a fiction, that it's aboutthe use offorce, it's aboutpowerful governments and people wanting touse violence directly and indirectly tostifle dissent, tostifle people they disagree with.

AP Photo / Kirsty Wigglesworth

Even Machiavelli told us that the only thing that dictators and powerful people don't likeis tobe laughed at, tobe ridiculed, so the idea that we win bylegal challenge when this is essentially a political issue, I think I'm not going toput any hope inthe legal paraphernalia.

Sputnik: Absolutely, I think we all agree withyou onthis point, it's laughable and hypocritical atthe same time asI've mentioned and it is also prudent topoint outthat President Trump benefited fromthe publication ofdiplomatic cables byWiliLeaks duringhis election campaign; he was able toutilize and leverage those elements ofthe WikiLeaks exposure tohis benefit, now obviously he's ina position ofpower asthe American President and I suppose he has got totow the line interms ofideology, buthe's going againsta particular campaign that assisted him. It's hypocrisy atthe highest order, what's your point onthat then?

Stuart Rees: Well I think if you're completely amoral and I'm not claiming tobe a moral person, butif you're completely amoral, otherwise you can't tell the difference betweenright and wrong, loyalty and disloyalty, which is what we've got withTrump and the appalling mediocracies that he surrounds himself with.

Most ofthem are Christians bythe way, then you and I are talking aboutour sort ofdismay or surprise that he wouldn't help somebody who can help him, butthey were assuming that there's a certain thing called principal and courage toact onthe basis ofprincipal; that's completely absentin this American administration.

Sputnik: Absolutely, thank you forcorrecting me onthat point. Now let me ask you aboutthe options regarding Julian Assange's situation atthe moment and if and when the US charges againsthim are confirmed, what's your particular point ofview?

Stuart Rees: There have been recent incidents inwhich young, vulnerable people have been rescued bymassive publicity aroundthe world, and I'm talking aboutthe Saudi Arabian girl that arrived inBangkok;within days she was given refuge inCanada.

So I am making the analogy toJulian's situation withpeople sort ofbeing anesthetized intothinking there's nothing we can do, he's back inthe Ecuadorian Embassy, and I think we all need, including myself, we need tobe reawakened asto what the threats are toJulian.

Julian has made it easy forsupporters likeme because he insome ways I can't tell which direction he is sailing in, butas I say, this is a political issue, it's called a legal one, butit's a political one and that means that only massive, massive publicity affecting Britain, affecting supporters inAmerica it is going tochange things.

Julian Assange has been holed upin the Ecuadorian Embassy inLondon since2012. He was accused ofrape bySweden, which has dropped the charges sincethen. The accusations followed a grand jury hearing in2011 intopublication ofhundreds ofthousands ofUS diplomatic cables.

The views and opinions expressed bythe speaker do not necessarily reflect those ofSputnik.

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Only Massive Publicity in US and UK Will Change Things for ...