US is so inhumane — that not even alleged criminals should be sent here? — British Judge Vanessa Baraitser regarding Julian Assange — and a matching sociological comment by William Astore

05 January 2021

Take that, Ahmuhrika!

A British judge just rendered a negative judgment, regarding American institutional morality in the Julian Assange extradition case:

In a mixed ruling for Assange and his supporters, District Judge Vanessa Baraitser rejected defense arguments that the 49-year-old Australian faces a politically motivated American prosecution that rides roughshod over free-speech protections.

But she said Assange’s precarious mental health would likely deteriorate further under the conditions of “near total isolation” he would face in a U.S. prison.

“I find that the mental condition of Mr. Assange is such that it would be oppressive to extradite him to the United States of America,” the judge said.

Britain’s extradition agreement with the U.S. says that extradition can be blocked if “by reason of the person’s mental or physical condition, it would be unjust or oppressive to extradite him.”

Assange-advocate Craig Murray added an insight

He wrote that:

The judgement is in fact very concerning, in that it accepted all of the prosecution’s case on the right of the US Government to prosecute publishers worldwide of US official secrets under the Espionage Act.

The judge also stated specifically that the UK Extradition Act of 2003 deliberately permits extradition for political offences.

The decision was based equally on two points; the appalling conditions in US supermax prisons, and the effect of those conditions on Julian specifically given his history of depression. The media has concentrated on the mental health aspect, and given insufficient attention to the explicit condemnation of the inhumanity of the US prison system.

I am quite sure that I again noted magistrate Baraitser have a catch in her throat when discussing the inhumane conditions in US supermax prisons, the lack of human contact, and specifically the fact that inmates are kept in total isolation in a small cage, and are permitted one hour exercise a day in total isolation in another small cage.

I noted her show emotion the same way when discussing the al-Masri torture evidence during the trial, and she seemed similarly affected here.

Evaluate what Craig Murray's observations mean about the United States

Judge Baraitser, who was consistently hostile to the Assange legal team's arguments about press freedom — just as the United States is — nevertheless blocked extradition to us because American prisons are so inhumane.

Judge Baraitser ignored Liberty's legal arguments but came down on the side of human decency, anyway.

What a strike that is against the United States' often displayed institutional depravity

Essentially, according to the judge:

Y'all are legally right regarding our prisoner's bad deeds, but you are too barbaric for us morally decent Brits to turn him over to you.

Ouch.

The moral? — Thank God for small, but meaningful, favors

Though I have been legally and ethically disappointed with Judge Baraitser's widely reported bias against Julian Assange's press-freedom case, I tentatively credit her with Heart's fundamental decency.

Baraitser's negative assessment of the United States' institution-sponsored anti-humanism matches my own.

Along that same inhumanity line, William Astore recently concluded that:

So far, 2021 is looking much like 2020. Nancy Pelosi is once again Speaker of the House, with progressive leaders like AOC extracting no meaningful concessions for their votes.

Jimmy Dore had suggested progressives could use their leverage over Pelosi to force a vote in the House on Medicare for All, but of course the progressives caved and cravenly supported Pelosi, who like Joe Biden is against Medicare for All.

America, you will never get a single-payer, publicly-funded, health care system. If you can’t even get a vote on one during a pandemic that will soon kill 400,000 Americans, you will never get a vote.

America’s health care system is a wealth-extraction system that profits off the sick and dying. That system simply will not change because politicians like Pelosi and Biden are bought and paid for.

Short of a revolution or a truly progressive third party, Americans will continue to suffer bankruptcy and death due to our for-profit wealth-care system that puts profit before patients.

Rapacious is a word that well describes American culture and structure.

Evidently, word is getting around.

PeteFree.com

US is so inhumane — that not even alleged criminals should be sent here? — British Judge Vanessa Baraitser regarding Julian Assange — and a matching sociological comment by William Astore