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Assange Says “Mansion Arrest” Hampers WikiLeaks

06-16-2011 by Linda S. Carbonell

Julian Assange had no difficulty in January holding a press conference to show off his latest leaker – former Swiss bank employee, Rudolf Elmer – in spite of being under “mansion arrest”(as it is referred to in the British press) awaiting decisions about his extradition to Sweden. Now, he is claiming that being ensconced at the post estate, Ellingham Hall in Suffolk, is interfering with his work. His bail restrictions require him to wear an ankle bracelet, observe a curfew and report daily to the local constabulary.

His supporters have issued a video condemning his incarceration and said the British government is employing “excessive and dehumanizing” treatment. Associate Sarah Harrison said that Assange is being treated “like a caged animal.”

Perhaps Ms. Harrison would like to take a tour of Quantico and Leavenworth to see what conditions Bradley Manning has been held under. Over-the-top descriptions of Assange’s conditions can easily backfire if people simply log into Ellingham Hall’s Facebook page. I’m sure a lot of us wish we could be held “like a caged animal” in conditions like that.

The British courts have imposed these conditions because Assange has already proven he is a flight risk. He landed in England to avoid answering questions in the investigations of two rape and sexual molestation charges. It is really too easy to get off the island and reach the European mainland and then just disappear again. British legal commentator Carl Gardner said that “he can move around, he can make public appearances. He is at liberty in the most basic sense of the phrase.” He is scheduled in July to attend a luncheon in London with eight people who are bidding for the honor on e-Bay.

The video claims that surveillance cameras have been set up near the 600-acre estate and calls it “a pretty intrusive regime.” Assange added that “It is easy to conduct surveillance against me and anyone I talk to. We take steps against this, but it is costly and time-consuming.” In his view, the house arrest is “the single largest impediment to our work, with the possible exception of the illegal blockade being conducted by the major U. S. financial institutions against us.” He is referring to the refusal of American-based banks and credit card companies to handle payments to WikiLeaks.

Legal proceedings are continuing in America against Bradley Manning and WikiLeaks. Grand jury proceedings in America are secret, so it is impossible to speculate on the nature of the investigation being conducted by the grand jury which has been convened in this case. It is known, that evidence has surfaced that WikiLeaks did not rely entirely on whistleblowers, but was hacking sites through P2P networks.

Assange has had some major setbacks inside WikiLeaks, with Daniel Domscheit-Berg and Birgitta Jonsdottir deserting the ship citing numerous problems in working with Assange.

Domscheit-Berg has published a book, as have a couple of the journalists who worked on the Manning leak. They have described Assange as self-consumed, paranoid, abusive and childish.

Assange’s statements about his “mansion arrest” seem to indicate his is more concerned about the cash flow problems in WikiLeaks than his actual “inhumane” treatment. “A lot of our resources are tied up in dealing with the situation in the United States and the grand jury and this Swedish extradition case and the banking blockade placed on us by Visa, Mastercard, Bank of America and so on. So, while we are still producing publications every day, a lot of these resources have been taken away to deal with these events.” Threatening to dump thousands of pages of Bank of America documents probably doesn’t do much to convince them to process payments to WikiLeaks. It would be very easy to arrange other pathways for funds to reach Wikileaks.

Of course, the whole situation could be easily and rapidly resolved if Assange would just get on the plane and to to Stockholm. He has not been charged with a crime. He is only wanted for questioning. His attorneys have been trying to present a defense in the rape charges in the British courts, which is inappropriate and has had no impact on the decisions to extradite him. Assange insists that the will be cleared of the charges and the Swedish authorities will drop the case, though he can offer no explanation for that statement other than “there are many players in the Swedish situation.” He cannot be cleared of the charges until there are charges, and that won’t happen until he returns to Sweden and answers the investigators’ questions.

Assange’s mansion arrest is not hampering WikiLeaks operations. The internet is everywhere. He can and has run WikiLeaks from anywhere in the world. WikiLeaks is being hampered by Assange’s own actions. It must be very hard to realize one’s fifteen minutes have expired.

 

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