David Coombs Reads Bradley Manning Statement

By Jerry Smith Nov. 12 2013
assangewatch.blogspot.com

This video shows lawyer David Coombs reading a statement written by Pfc. Bradley Manning at a press conference outside Fort Meade after Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison.



The following is a transcript of the statement read by Coombs:

The decisions that I made in 2010 were made out of a concern for my country and the world that we live in. Since the tragic events of 9/11, our country has been at war. We’ve been at war with an enemy that chooses not to meet us on any traditional battlefield, and due to this fact we’ve had to alter our methods of combating the risks posed to us and our way of life.

Manning Attorney David Coombs Talks With Journalist Alexa O'Brien

By Jerry Smith Nov. 12 2013
assangewatch.blogspot.com

Just after Bradley Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison, and before Manning’s announcement of a gender transition, independent journalist Alexa O’Brien sat down with Manning’s attorney, David Coombs, for his first interview about the case.

Julian Assange Talks About Bradley Manning and Political Payback

By Jerry Smith Nov. 11 2013
assangewatch.blogspot.com

Julian Assange talks with Royce Akers of Vice News Australia about political payback, his plans for freeing the most famous whistle-blower in history, and why the world needs a WikiLeaks political party..

Twitter Must Hand Over Subscribers Information

By Jerry Smith Nov. 11 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

In Alexandria, Virginia yesterday, U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady dealt a blow to Twitter and privacy advocates everywhere when he upheld Magistrate Judge Theresa Buchanan’s earlier ruling that Twitter had to give U.S. investigators the data it has on subscribers “associated with WikiLeaks”, including WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, U.S. soldier Bradley Manning, Icelandic parliamentarian Birgitta Jonsdottir, US computer researcher Jacob Appelbaum, and Dutch volunteer for WikiLeaks Rop Gonggrijp.

Prosecutors are seeking subscriber names, contact information, billing records, user activity, Internet Protocol addresses and source and destination e-mail addresses associated with the accounts, not the actual messages in them or the Twitter users who follow the accounts.

Assange Speaks At Hay Festival Of Literature

By Jerry Smith June 6 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

At the Hay Festival Of Literature, Julian Assange was heckled about U.S soldier Bradley Manning, and spoke about the role WikiLeaks played in the pro-democracy riots across the Middle-East this year, any harm caused by WikiLeaks revelations, the FBI trying to bribe WikiLeaks' staff members, and much more.

Assange And Ellsberg Talk WikiLeaks: Video

By Jerry Smith June 3 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

On October 25,2010 Julian Assange and Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg talked WikiLeaks with CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer at the Frontline club.

WikiLeaks Had Best Year For Donations In 2010

By Jerry Smith Apr 28 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

The Wau Holland Foundation, a German nonprofit organization that processes most of the donations given to WikiLeaks, has released a report detailing what they received in donations for WikiLeaks, and how the donated money was spent.

The foundation said that they received about $1.9 million in donations in 2010 for WikiLeaks, with about $700,000 being donated in December.

Twitter WikiLeaks Information Handover Hearing Cancelled

By Jerry Smith Apr 23 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

The hearing scheduled for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), on behalf of Icelandic parliamentarian Birgitta Jonsdottir, US computer researcher Jacob Appelbaum, and Dutch volunteer for WikiLeaks Rop Gonggrijp, to continue fighting the government's demand for their Twitter records had been cancelled.

U.S. District Court Judge Liam O'Grady, who was scheduled to hold a hearing on Friday to hear Jonsdottir, Appelbaum, and Gonggrijp's appeal, cancelled the hearing and decided instead to issue his ruling after he reads the written briefs from both sides.

Accused WikiLeaker Bradley Manning Is Being Transferred : Video

By Jerry Smith Apr 22 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

U.S. soldier Bradley Manning, who is being held at Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia in solitary confinement 23 hours a day in a windowless 6-by-12-foot cell, shackled and forced to sleep either naked or in a suicide-proof smock due to supposed fears that he may commit suicide, is getting transferred to a Joint Regional Correctional Facility at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

23 year old Manning has been imprisoned at Quantico since July 2010, and is accused of leaking the embarrassing diplomatic cables, the classified documents about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the 'Collateral Murder' video to WikiLeaks.

Malcolm Turnbull On WikiLeaks And Assange

By Jerry Smith Apr 9 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

On March 31 2011, Australian politician Malcolm Turnbull gave a speech titled 'Reflections on WikiLeaks, Spycatcher and Freedom of the Press', to the Sydney University Law School.

In his speech Turnbull talks about Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Julian Assange, WikiLeaks, 'Spycatcher' author Peter Wright, and more.

Former State Department Spokesman Stands By Criticism Of Bradley Manning Treatment

By Jerry Smith Mar 30 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

Former U.S. state department’s chief spokesperson Philip “P.J.” Crowley said he has no regrets about resigning or about making the remarks he did about U.S. soldier Bradley Manning's treatment saying the investigation into Manning's role as the source for WikiLeaks has been weakened.

Crowley was forced to resigned Sunday Mar 13 after he made comments to a small audience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Friday Mar 11 condemning the conditions Manning is being kept in.

Julian Assange Wanted Advice From Daniel Ellsberg

By Jerry Smith Mar 29 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

In an extract from Australian journalist Andrew Fowler's upcoming book about Julian Assange titled ‘The Most Dangerous Man in the World’, Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg reveals how Assange came to him for advice and how Assange wanted him to be apart of WikiLeaks' "political armor".

ACLU And EFF Appeal Twitter Information Handover Ruling

By Jerry Smith Mar 27 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), on behalf of Icelandic parliamentarian Birgitta Jonsdottir, US computer researcher Jacob Appelbaum, and Dutch volunteer for WikiLeaks Rop Gonggrijp, have filed an appeal to U.S. Magistrate Judge Theresa Buchanan's order for Twitter to give U.S. investigators the data it has on subscribers “associated with WikiLeaks,” including WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, U.S. soldier Bradley Manning, Jonsdottir, Appelbaum, and Gonggrijp.

Jonsdottir, Appelbaum, and Gonggrijp have been fighting the government demand for their Twitter records, but Assange and Manning have not contested the order. WikiLeaks and Assange feel the U.S. lacks jurisdiction "over expressive activities beyond its borders," and said they would not be taking part in hearings.

Protests And Rallies Held For Bradley Manning : Video

By Jerry Smith Mar 26 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

Various protests and rallies were held around the world this past week and last weekend for Bradley Manning, the U.S. soldier accused of leaking the embarrassing diplomatic cables, the classified documents about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the 'Collateral Murder' video to WikiLeaks.

On Sunday about 35 of the more than 400 people in attendance, including Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg and Retired Army Col. Ann Wright, were arrested while protesting outside the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia, where Manning is being held in solitary confinement 23 hours a day in a windowless 6-by-12-foot cell, shackled and forced to sleep either naked or in a suicide-proof smock due to supposed fears that he may commit suicide.

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Carlos Pascual Resigns Due To WikiLeaks Published U.S. Diplomatic Cables

By Jerry Smith Mar 20 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Carlos Pascual, has resigned after the President of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, expressed his lack of trust in the diplomat and demanded his removal because of his comments in the leaked U.S. diplomatic cables that were published by WikiLeaks.

The cables written by Pascual and sent to Washington criticized the Mexican government’s anti-drug fight, criticised the Mexican authorities’ ability to tackle the country’s organised crime problem and angered President Calderon.

US State Department Official Philip Crowley Forced To Resign After Criticizing Treatment Of Manning

By Jerry Smith Mar 18 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

Philip J. Crowley (PJ), the US state department’s chief spokesperson and assistant secretary of state for public affairs, was forced to resigned Sunday after he made comments to a small audience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Friday condemning the conditions US soldier Bradley Manning is being kept in.

Manning is accused of leaking the embarrassing diplomatic cables, the classified documents about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the 'Collateral Murder' video to WikiLeaks and is being is held at the Quantico marine corps base in solitary confinement 23 hours a day in a windowless 6-by-12-foot cell, shackled and forced to sleep naked due to supposed fears that he may commit suicide.

Anonymous Supports Bradley Manning

By Jerry Smith Mar 14 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

While Julian Assange and WikiLeaks still haven't released their cache of secret documents, supposedly significant enough to "take down a bank or two", from the hard drive of a U.S. megabank executive, the internet group known as Anonymous has obtained documents they say will be released that pertain to the issue of whether Bank of America (BofA) has improperly foreclosed on homes and documents that expose "corruption and fraud" at BofA.

Anonymous has previously engaged in damaging denial of service attacks on major American corporations Pay Pal, Mastercard and Visa because they removed the ability for users to donate to Wikileaks via their services, and now they have set their sites on the families of the soldiers at the Quantico marine corps base to show their support for US soldier Bradley Manning.

Twitter Ordered To Give The US Government The Information It Has On Users Associated With WikiLeaks

By Jerry Smith Mar 12 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

U.S. Magistrate Judge Theresa Buchanan has upheld her order for Twitter to give U.S. investigators the data it has on subscribers “associated with WikiLeaks,” including WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, U.S. soldier Bradley Manning, Icelandic parliamentarian Birgitta Jonsdottir, US computer researcher Jacob Appelbaum, and Dutch volunteer for WikiLeaks Rop Gonggrijp.

The United States government is trying to use the information in the Twitter accounts to build a case against WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange for publishing the the secret military communications relating to the Iraq and Afghan wars, publishing the roughly 250,000 classified diplomatic cables and releasing the Collateral Murder video.

Assange Calls Bradley Manning An Unparalleled Hero

By Jerry Smith Mar 6 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

On Wednesday, the United States government filed 22 additional charges against US Army Private Bradley Manning, one of them being 'aiding the enemy'. Manning is accused of copying classified military cables and then delivering them to WikiLeaks. If found guilty Manning could face the death penalty.

Julian Assange responded to the new charges against Manning by saying:

"They’re certainly trying to set an example. You know, one of these charges carries with it the death penalty, and that’s a very serious matter. And it will also be a serious matter if that charge is extended from Bradley Manning to other people and to us as publishers of the alleged material."

Assange Lawyers File Appeal

By Jerry Smith Mar 5 2011
assangewatch.blogspot.com

Lawyers for Julian Assange have filed an appeal against Judge Howard Riddle's ruling last week that Assange should be extradited to Sweden because he felt Assange could get a fair trial in Sweden and that his extradition to Sweden would not violate his human rights.

Assange has been fighting extradition to Sweden where he has not been charged with anything but is wanted for questioning by the Swedish police about accusations of rape and sexual molestation made against him by Sofia Wilen and Anna Ardin. Assange denies the allegations and says he had consensual sex with the two women.