British Home Secretary Ms. Priti Patel has approved the extradition of the WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange to the United States, although the organization said it would appeal against in the high court.
The case passed to the British home secretary last month after the UK supreme court ruled that there were no legal questions over assurances given by US authorities on Assange’s likely treatment.
According to The Guardian, while Ms. Patel has given the green light, WikiLeaks immediately released a statement to say it would appeal against the decision. “Today is not the end of the fight”, it said. “It is only the beginning of a new legal battle. We will appeal through the legal system; the next appeal will be before the high court”.
The statement said anyone who cared about freedom of expression should be “deeply ashamed” that the home secretary had approved Assange’s extradition.
“Julian did nothing wrong. He has committed no crime and is not a criminal. He is a journalist and a publisher and he is being punished for doing his job,” it said. “It was in Priti Patel’s power to do the right thing. Instead she will for ever be remembered as an accomplice of the United States in its agenda to turn investigative journalism into a criminal enterprise”.
Any appeal is likely to focus on grounds such as the right to freedom of expression and whether the extradition request is politically motivated. Patel had been considering whether the US extradition request met remaining legal tests, including a promise not to execute him.
Assange is being held at Belmarsh prison in London after a lengthy battle to avoid extradition. At a press conference in London, his wife, Stella Assange, said: “We are not at the end of the road here. We are going to fight this. We are going to use every available avenue. I’m going to use every waking hour fighting for Julian until he is free, until justice is served”.
Meanwhile, in response to British Home Secretary’s decision on Friday to approve a US request to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the United States, the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement:
“The extradition of Julian Assange to the United States to face trial on charges under the century-old Espionage Act is a blow to press freedom with implications for journalists everywhere,” said CPJ Executive Director Robert Mahoney. “We urge the Biden administration to live up to its stated commitment to a free press by dropping all charges against the Wikileaks founder”.
US prosecutors have indicted Assange on 17 espionage charges and one charge of computer misuse over WikiLeaks’ publication of thousands of leaked military and diplomatic documents. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 175 years in prison.
While the case of WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange has nothing to do with terror-funding, an INTERPOL wanted convicted terror-funder has been living in the United Kingdom especially since 2018 and using the UK soil is continuing numerous forms of terrorist activities targeting Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, on June 14, 2022, Shahid Uddin Khan has openly admitted plotting terrorist massacre, including jihadist suicide attacks in Bangladesh with the notorious agenda of toppling-down the democratically elected government of Sheikh Hasina.
Giving reaction about the arrest of his agent, Shahid Uddin Khan said: “Hundreds of people are ready to sacrifice their blood and become martyrs” for unseating the government in Bangladesh.
According to our information, Md. Shahid Uddin Khan (Army No: BA002428, Course: 8-BMA, Commission Date: 10-06-1983) Khan, invested millions of pounds in the United Kingdom in exchange for obtaining immigrant status under Visa Tier 1, vide VAF No. 511702. The family had laundered an unknown amount of money and brought that into the United Kingdom via the United Arab Emirates and a few more countries, while Shahid Uddin Khan had invested over 18 million pounds for buying citizenship under Britain’s ‘Golden Visa’ scheme. In a video statement released on June 11, 2022 on his Facebook ID, Shahid Uddin Khan has openly admitted that the entire amount was smuggled into the United Kingdom from Bangladesh as the British authorities do not ask “anyone” as to how they brought such large sum of cash into the country.
On May 25, 2019. prestigious British newspaper The Sunday Times published a report stating Md Shahid Uddin Khan has been charged with funding terror groups, arms dealing and money laundering offenses in Bangladesh. According to the British newspaper, the sacked army officer has political links in Britain and had funded Stephen Hammond, a Tory Party MP.
On June 14, 2019, Indian newspaper The Business Standard as well as IANS news agency in their report said: Indian intelligence agencies are probing a deep-rooted nexus involving underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and a London-based former Colonel of the Bangladesh army. The agencies suspect that the Bangladeshi army officer, allegedly involved in gun running, has links with Dawood Ibrahim’s underworld activities operating from India’s eastern borders.
Another report published in BLiTZ said, UK Tory Party MP Stephen Hammond has been actively working for this INTERPOL wanted terror-funder Shahid Uddin Khan, while Mr. Hammond is also helping Shahid Uddin Khan in holding “meetings” with several MPs and leaders of the party.
Shahid Uddin Khan in an Al-Qaeda patterned video statement claimed that the Tory Party MP is working for him in exchange for “donation”.
According to media reports, Shahid Uddin Khan, through a video posted on his Facebook ID has claimed of paying Tory Party in exchange for favors received from Stephen Hammonds MP. In another post, Shahid Uddin Khan claimed he held “meeting” with Stephen Hammonds MP, Victoria Mary Atkins MP (Victoria Atkins) and other members of the Tory Party and discussed about toppling-down Bangladesh government through “mass-revolt”.
In the same video statement, Shahid Uddin Khan admitted that he had smuggled millions of dollars into the United Kingdom, while he claimed that the UK authorities do not ask anyone as to how the money was brough into the country. It may be mentioned here that, while several international organizations including the Transparency International had branded London as the “capital of dirty money”, convicted and fugitive terror-funder Shahid Uddin Khan’s latest statement clearly proves, British authorities are welcoming laundered monies into that country.
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