Wikileaks has responded to the 50 week sentence handed down to co-founder Julian Assange. They suggest that the sentence is excessive.
Last month, the award winning journalist and co-founder of Wikileaks was arrested by authorities. The arrest came after the American government gave a major loan to Ecuador where, some say, was made in exchange for revoking Assange’s political asylum.
Shortly after Assange’s arrest, a judge handed down a 50 week prison sentence for, the judge says, skipping bail. Some have already said that the sentence is excessive after a speedboat killer skipped bail and was handed a lesser sentence.
Wikileaks is blasting the sentence, suggesting that it is excessive and vindictive. In a Tweet, Wikileaks urged people to read their submission and come to their own conclusion about the fairness of the sentencing. They then posted their submission to ScribD, saying that the judge ignored it entirely. Here’s part of the submission:
Sentencing powers
18. The Court’s sentencing powers below were limited to 3 months’ imprisonment and/or a fine (ibid).19. The maximum sentence in the Crown Court is 12 months’ imprisonment and/or a fine (s.6(7) Bail Act)
Over and above the submission, Wikileaks made a number of comments on the case. In another tweet, Wikileaks said, “Julian Assange’s sentence is as shocking as it is vindictive. We have grave concerns as to whether he will receive a fair extradition hearing in the UK.”
Wikileaks then went on to point out that others got much lighter sentences for failing to appear in court. Here’s another tweet: “Julian Assange’s sentence, for seeking and receiving asylum, is twice as much as the sentencing guidelines. The so-called speedboat killer, convicted of manslaughter, was only sentenced to six months for failing to appear in court.”
There is also suggestions out there that Assange is currently in solitary confinement for the time being.
Obviously, things are moving quickly in this story and we’ll try and bring you the latest in this case.
Drew Wilson on Twitter: @icecube85 and Facebook.
