Langsung ke konten utama

Julian Assange's celebrity supporters stake reputations on case

Picture of Julian Assange during a talk at 26C3Image via Wikipedia
The already curious case of Julian Assange took another bizarre twist yesterday when the court learned that a raggle-taggle of "household names" were prepared to stake their reputation in his case, offering sureties to the court with a total value of £180,000.

Despite claiming not to know Assange, the film-maker Ken Loach and the socialite and charity fundraiser Jemima Khan stood before Westminster magistrates and offered big sums towards Assange's bail, though bail was later refused.

Offering £20,000, Loach said he did not know Assange other than by reputation, but added: "I think the work he has done has been a public service. I think we are entitled to know the dealings of those that govern us."


Khan offered a further £20,000, "or more if need be".

In a statement later, she said: "I make no judgment of Julian Assange as an individual as I have never met him. I am offering my support to him as I believe in the universal right to freedom of information and our right to be told the truth."

On her Twitter feed last month, Khan asked if Assange was "the new Jason Bourne", a reference to the fictional action hero created by the thriller writer Robert Ludlum. The post has since been deleted.

The journalist and filmmaker John Pilger, who also offered £20,000, said he knew Assange as a journalist and personal friend and had a "very high regard for him".

The largest donation of £80,000 was offered by an unknown American relation who did not want to be named because of fear for his safety.

Patricia David, a professor, and the top lawyer Geoffrey Sheen each offered up £20,000 surety on grounds that they had spent their lives fighting for human rights.

Outside court Pilger said: "This business in Sweden is a travesty; an innocent man has a right to be free.

"Having his freedom taken away is outrageous. Sweden should be ashamed. This is not justice – this is outrageous."

He added: "Behind this he has made a lot of enemies, the principal one being the warmonger, the United States."

Howard Riddle, the judge at the court in Horseferry Road, London, commended four of the sureties for their willingness to help "out of concern for human rights" and without personal knowledge of Assange.

source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2010/dec/08/julian-assange-celebrity-supporters
Enhanced by Zemanta
Label:

POPULAR

Museum Tsunami Aceh Persiapkan Inovasi berbasis Teknologi Digital

MUSEUM Tsunami Aceh terus lakukan inovasi untuk menjadi destinasi edukasi kebencanaan yang lebih modern dan menarik. Dengan mengusung konsep digitalisasi, museum akan memberikan pengalaman baru yang lebih interaktif dan imersif bagi para pengunjung. Kepala Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Aceh, Almuniza Kamal, menjelaskan bahwa empat ruang utama di museum akan ditata ulang secara signifikan. Ruang-ruang tersebut meliputi lorong tsunami, memorium hall, lobi lantai dua, dan ruang pameran tetap. "Kami ingin menghadirkan pengalaman yang lebih mendalam dan menyentuh bagi pengunjung. Lorong tsunami akan dilengkapi dengan visual 3D pada lantai dan dinding, menciptakan sensasi seolah berada di tengah gelombang tsunami," ujar Almuniza, Rabu, 17 September 2025. Sementara itu, memorium hall yang ikonik akan diperbaharui dengan serangkaian LED berbentuk persegi panjang, menggantikan layar yang sudah ada. Tujuannya adalah untuk menampilkan konten-konten sejarah dan edukasi secara lebih d...
Selengkapnya...

1,8 Juta Penderita Kanker Mati Akibat Merokok

Kebiasaan merokok adalah salah satu faktor utama penyebab kanker paru. Berdasarkan data Badan Kesehatan Dunia (WHO), 40 persen dari 12 juta orang di dunia didiagnosa terserang kanker setiap tahun. WHO memperkirakan, 84 juta orang meninggal akibat kanker dalam rentang 2005-2015. Ada 1,8 juta angka kematian aki­bat kanker yang disebabkan kebiasaan merokok. Sebesar 60 persen dari keseluruhan angka kematian akibat kebiasaan me­rokok dijumpai di negara-negara berkembang dan terbelakang. Bagaimana rokok dapat me­nimbulkan kanker? Kebiasaan merokok bisa memicu kanker paru, kanker paru, tenggorokan, rongga mulut dan pharynx.
Selengkapnya...

Top Ten Facebook Alternatives That Keep Up Your Privacy

With the rise to top spot in social networking world, Facebook's taking advantage of its monopoly. The social networking ace is eager on controlling online identity of its members and reconfiguring the world’s privacy norms. Lately Facebook has been accused of taking advantage of users privacy. In such a situation you must be looking for Facebook Alternatives. If you are looking for alternatives, you have many but those that upkeep your privacy and offer similar features and apps as Facebook are numbered. We made an effort to queue up the 10 Facebook alternatives that doesn't compromise your privacy. 1. Friendster It is already quite popular in Asia but has also grown in popularity in the United States. The network offers quite a few features to customize your profile, offering quite a few features to customize. This is the ultimate point of a social network through. You can stay updated on people's shared information  Friendster’s privacy is stricter than what we find w...
Selengkapnya...