Assange is a "straightforward" criminal

[papasmurf]

Assange is a political prisoner, and should not be in prison at all.

[patman post]

A lawyer for the US government claimed at Woolwich Crown Court, that Assange was guilty of "straightforward" criminality for hacking into and publishing US military databases.

On the opening day of the extradition hearing the court heard that Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange revealed the names of sources who subsequently "disappeared" after he put them at risk.

Assange's lawyers say he could face up to 175 years in prison in the US if found guilty of one of the world's biggest data breaches, but James Lewis QC, for the US, described this as "hyperbole".



It appears to me that Assange's actions were even more dangerous to the lives of other people than newspapers' phone hackers, so I don't feel much sympathy. If anything, I believe the phone hackers got off too lightly, while the principals behind them weren't made that uncomfortable...