Edward Snowden: Assange Arrest “Dark Moment For Press Freedom” – One For “The History Books”

Via ZeroHedge

Assange’s critics may cheer, but this is a dark moment for press freedom,” NSA whistleblower and leaker Edward Snowden wrote on Twitter in reaction to seeing WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange dragged by UK police from his seven year asylum captivity at the Ecuadorian embassy in London on Thursday.

A bearded, disheveled-looking Assange was filmed being roughly escorted out of the embassy by British police and loaded into a police van. Assange can be seen shouting:

“The UK must resist this attempt by the Trump administration.”

The arrest came, as WikiLeaks predicted, a mere days after the organization was tipped off that Ecuador was preparing to swiftly end Assange’s asylum and hand him over the UK authorities, after which it’s further believed the WikiLeaks founder will be extradited to the United States.

As we reported Assange’s lawyer has confirmed that he was arrested not solely on charges stemming from skipping bail in the UK, but in connection with an extradition request from the US.

Snowden tweeted that the dramatic images of UK authorities dragging Assange out of the embasy were a “dark moment for press freedom.”

He further commented that a publisher of “award-winning journalism” being arrested and thrown into a security van would “end up in the history books.”

Notably Snowden pointed to the presence of UK “secret police” as part of the operation, some of which had been filmed staking out near the front door of the embassy in the days leading up to the arrest.

Snowden referenced a video of a journalist approaching what was believed to be a pair UK plain clothed secret police, who staged themselves as disinterested civilians casually smoking on a street corner.

Snowden also pointed out that “the United Nations formally ruled his detention to be arbitrary, a violation of human right” and followed in the wake of the arrest with: “Regardless of what you think of the man as a person, if you believe in human rights law, this matters.”

Hours after Assange was loaded into the police van, WikiLeaks confirmed he’d been taken to Westminster Magistrates court, noting “He has been arrested under a US extradition warrant for conspiracy with @xychelsea for publishing classified information revealing war crimes in 2010.”

-----------------------------------------------------
It is my sincere desire to provide readers of this site with the best unbiased information available, and a forum where it can be discussed openly, as our Founders intended. But it is not easy nor inexpensive to do so, especially when those who wish to prevent us from making the truth known, attack us without mercy on all fronts on a daily basis. So each time you visit the site, I would ask that you consider the value that you receive and have received from The Burning Platform and the community of which you are a vital part. I can't do it all alone, and I need your help and support to keep it alive. Please consider contributing an amount commensurate to the value that you receive from this site and community, or even by becoming a sustaining supporter through periodic contributions. [Burning Platform LLC - PO Box 1520 Kulpsville, PA 19443] or Paypal

-----------------------------------------------------
To donate via Stripe, click here.
-----------------------------------------------------
Use promo code ILMF2, and save up to 66% on all MyPillow purchases. (The Burning Platform benefits when you use this promo code.)

Click to visit the TBP Store for Great TBP Merchandise

As an Amazon Associate I Earn from Qualifying Purchases