US looks for ways to prosecute Assange
focus |
WASHINGTON — Lambasted as a “traitor” and “terrorist” in the United States, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is facing an all-out effort by US officials and politicians who want him tried and arrested.
But experts say the path to prosecution is strewn with potential legal complications, including free speech protections under the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
“Right now, believe me, at the Justice Department there are many lawyers that are going through all of potential statutes and trying to figure out which statute is going to be the best one to be able to prosecute him,” said Bruce Zagaris, an expert on international law at Berliner, Corcoran and Rowe.
The United States officially opened a criminal investigation after WikiLeaks released tens of thousands of secret documents on US military operations in Afghanistan in July.
But now, after being embarrassed by a third massive document dump — this time a quarter of a million US diplomatic cables, many with candid assessments of world leaders — US officials are under intensifying pressure to act..... MORE
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20101203com3.html
0 comments
Post a Comment