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Assange Talk Spurs UK Judges To Boycott Legal Conference
An anonymous reader writes The Commonwealth Law Conference in Glasgow was subjected to walk outs and boycott once it became known that Julian Assange was to appear by video link from the Ecuadorian embassy to give a talk at the conference. The Guardian reports that, "Judges from Scotland, England and Wales and the UK supreme court had agreed to speak at or chair other sessions but withdrew – in some cases after arriving at the conference centre– when they found out about Assange's appearance. Among those to boycott the conference were the most senior judge in Scotland, Lord Gill, and two judges on the supreme court, Lord Neuberger and Lord Hodge. A spokesperson for the Judicial Office for Scotland said: "The conference programme was changed to include Mr Assange's participation at short notice and without consultation. Mr Assange is, as a matter of law, currently a fugitive from justice, and it would therefore not be appropriate for judges to be addressed by him. "Under these circumstances, the lord president, Lord Gill, and the other Scottish judicial officeholders in attendance have withdrawn from the conference." A spokesman for the UK supreme court added: "Lord Neuberger and Lord Hodge share the concerns expressed by Lord Gill and his fellow senior Scottish judges ... "As a result of this unfortunate development, they trust that delegates will understand their decision to withdraw from the conference. ..." A spokesman for judiciary of England and Wales said: "The lord chief justice shares the concerns expressed by Lord Gill and Lord Neuberger ... He agreed with the position taken by both, and the judges of England and Wales also withdrew from the conference. ...""
Maybe not so much a boycott as the judges being careful not to break the rules. IANAL, but there a lots of rules that prohibit the communication between defendants and judges, at least in US law, and I presume it's similar in GB.
Given what we know about groups like JTRIG, spook groups that make false victim claims, fake evidence, use 'honeypots' (i.e. women offering sex),
The whole legal system is on trial. Several UK judges have permitted evidence in secret from the spooks, which denies the right of the defendant to challenge it, so they're not exactly an innocent group here of perfect people defending the basis of law.
http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/edward-snowden-interview/exclusive-snowden-docs-show-british-spies-used-sex-dirty-tricks-n23091
"British spies have developed "dirty tricks" for use against nations, hackers, terror groups, suspected criminals and arms dealers that include releasing computer viruses, spying on journalists and diplomats, jamming phones and computers, and using sex to lure targets into "honey traps.""
"Documents taken from the National Security Agency by Edward Snowden and exclusively obtained by NBC News describe techniques developed by a secret British spy unit called the Joint Threat Research and Intelligence Group (JTRIG) as part of a growing mission to go on offense and attack adversaries ranging from Iran to the hacktivists of Anonymous. According to the documents, which come from presentations prepped in 2010 and 2012 for NSA cyber spy conferences, the agency's goal was to "destroy, deny, degrade [and] disrupt" enemies by "discrediting" them, planting misinformation and shutting down their communications. "
Indeed, speaks volumes about our corrupted 'judges' doesn't it.
No it doesn't! Quite the opposite, the judges acted with the highest probity in this instance. Read the pertinent sentence in the summary again: "Mr Assange is, as a matter of law, currently a fugitive from justice, and it would therefore not be appropriate for judges to be addressed by him." Their participation would have been corrupt. [Emphasis added]
We cannot from this action determine if they have antipathy or sympathy for Assange and his cause. And that's just the point. On a purely personal basis they might support him as much as you or I. But they were there as judges and as such they are required to put aside their personal opinions and act as the ethics of their high office demands.
Better to be despised for too anxious apprehensions, than ruined by too confident a security. --Edmund Burke
Assange isn't a fugitive on the basis of a charge regarding his involvements with Wikilieaks. He is a fugitive from an arrest warrant pertaining to a charge of rape. Whether he is guilty or innocent has yet to be determined by a court of law, hence the need for the judges to remain, and be seen to remain, entirely impartial. If those that have sympathy with him attend then and those that don't stay away than it guarantees him an unsympathetic judge if it ever comes to trial. That's not exactly in his best interest or the interest of justice in general. This is quite clearly the right thing to do, especially if those judges have any sympathy for Assange.
-- Gaxx