Assange's Judge Exposed for Military/Intel Links, Conflict of Interest, Off Case

Some good news has arrived to potentially help Julian Assange achieve greater justice in the ludicrous case the US government is bringing upon him.

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Jen Robinson, WikiLeaks lawyer, said the judge presiding over Julian Assange's case, Lady Emma Arbuthnot, will no longer be sitting in on the case her conflict of interest have been exposed.

"Yes, there was some controversy about her sitting on the case. She won’t be sitting on the case going forward."

It's not yet known who will take over in the case.

Arbuthnot’s husband is Lord Arbuthnot of Edrom, a former British defense minister who “has financial links to the British military establishment, including institutions and individuals exposed by WikiLeaks.” Arbuthnot herself has received gifts "a military and cybersecurity company exposed by WikiLeaks."

The Daily Maverick reported on this last Friday:

“The son of Lady Emma Arbuthnot, the Westminster chief magistrate overseeing the extradition proceedings of Julian Assange, is the vice-president and cyber-security adviser of a firm heavily invested in a company founded by GCHQ and MI5 which seeks to stop data leaks, it can be revealed.

Alexander Arbuthnot’s employer, the private equity firm Vitruvian Partners, has a multimillion-pound investment in Darktrace, a cyber-security company which is also staffed by officials recruited directly from the US National Security Agency (NSA) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

These intelligence agencies are behind the US government’s prosecution of Julian Assange for publishing secret documents. Darktrace has also had access to two former UK prime ministers and former US President Barack Obama.

The revelations raise further concerns about potential conflicts of interests and appearance of bias concerning Lady Arbuthnot and the ties of her family members to the UK and US military and intelligence establishments. Lady Arbuthnot’s husband is Lord James Arbuthnot, a former UK defence minister who has extensive links to the UK military community.

As far as is known, Lady Arbuthnot has failed to disclose any potential conflicts of interest in her role overseeing Assange’s case. However, UK legal guidance states that “any conflict of interest in a litigious situation must be declared.’”

References:

• Arbuthnot Out as Assange’s Judge, Says WikiLeaks Lawyer Jen Robinson