Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 7 February 2018
British judge upholds arrest warrant for Julian Assange

By JILL LAWLESS to arrest Assange.
GREGORY KATZ Summers said Assange had
Associated Press several serious health prob-
LONDON (AP) — A British lems including depression,
judge on Tuesday upheld and argued that the five
a U.K. arrest warrant for and a half years he has
WikiLeaks founder Julian spent inside the embassy
Assange, leaving him still a were more than adequate
wanted man in the country punishment for his actions.
where he has spent more He also cited a U.N. report
than five years inside the in support of Assange.
Ecuadorean Embassy. Arbuthnot said she would
Judge Emma Arbuthnot rule on those arguments
rejected a call from As- Feb. 13.
sange's lawyers for the Had the judge ruled in As-
warrant to be revoked sange's favor on Tuesday,
because he is no longer he would have been free
wanted for questioning in to leave the embassy with-
Sweden over alleged sex out being arrested on the
crimes. It was issued in 2012 British warrant.
for jumping bail. However, Assange suspects
"I am not persuaded the there is a secret U.S. grand
warrant should be with- In this Feb. 5, 2016 photo, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange speaks from the balcony of the Ecua- jury indictment against him
drawn," Arbuthnot told dorean Embassy in London. A British judge on Tuesday Feb. 6, 2018 upheld a U.K. arrest warrant for for WikiLeaks’ publication
the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, leaving his legal position unchanged after more than five
lawyers, journalists and As- years inside the Ecuadorean Embassy. of leaked classified Ameri-
sange supporters gathered (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) can documents, and that
at London's Westminster American authorities will
Magistrates' Court. Assange, 46, has been saying there was no pros- able to argue his case and seek his extradition. He
However, she allowed As- holed up in Ecuador's em- pect of bringing Assange "put an argument for rea- fears he will immediately
sange's lawyer to make a bassy in London since he to Sweden in the foresee- sonable cause" for breach- be taken into custody if he
new set of arguments chal- took refuge there in June able future. But Assange ing his bail conditions. leaves the embassy, spark-
lenging whether it is in the 2012 to avoid extradition was still subject to the British After the ruling keeping the ing what would likely be a
public interest to continue to Sweden, where prosecu- warrant for breaching his warrant in place, the judge long legal battle against
the case against Assange, tors were investigating al- bail conditions in 2012. agreed to let Assange's extradition to the U.S. “Fail-
and said she would rule on legations of sexual assault The judge said that if As- lawyer, Mark Summers, ar- ing to surrender to bail is
them next week. A decision and rape made by two sange wanted the warrant gue in his client's absence like insulting the court’s au-
in Assange's favor would women in 2010. lifted he should surrender that the warrant should be thority” and unlikely to go
end Britain's case against Swedish prosecutors to authorities and come to lifted because it was no down well with the court,
him. dropped the case last year, court. She said he would be longer in the public interest she said. q

Maldives high court annuls order freeing jailed politicians

By M. SHARUHAAN Yameen has rolled back was among the opposition
MALE, Maldives (AP) — a series of democratic re- politicians ordered freed
Three Maldives Supreme forms during his five years and who is now in neigh-
Court justices on Tuesday in office and said that the boring Sri Lanka, said in a
annulled their own order court overstepped its au- statement that Yameen
to free a group of impris- thority in ordering the poli- "has illegally declared mar-
oned opposition politicians ticians released, saying the tial law and overrun the
after two of the court's jus- order "blatantly disrupts the state. We must remove him
tices were arrested amid a systems of checks and bal- from power," calling for the
political crisis in the Indian ances." Indian envoy and military
Ocean archipelago na- The emergency decree to be sent. "We are asking
tion. gives officials sweeping for a physical presence."
The new ruling came as powers to make arrests, He also called on the U.S.
President Yameen Abdul search and seize property to stop Maldives govern-
Gayoom moved to assert and restrict freedom of as- ment officials from making
his power over the court, Policemen arrest former Maldives president and opposition sembly. transactions through U.S.
declaring a state of emer- leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, center, after the government "This state of emergency is banks.
gency and ordering secu- declared a 15-day state of emergency in Male, Maldives, early the only way I can deter- The spokesman for U.N.
rity forces to raid the court Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2018. mine how deep this plot, Secretary-General Antonio
compound where the jus- (AP Photo/Mohamed Sharuhaan) this coup, goes," Yameen Guterres said he was seri-
tices were arrested. der was announced in a ruling a coup and a plot. said. ously concerned about the
Political turmoil has swept court statement issued "This is not a state of war, Meanwhile, Yameen's main declaration of a state of
the Maldives since the sur- late Tuesday night after epidemic or natural disas- political rival called on In- emergency and the entry
prise court ruling last week Yameen issued a state of ter. This is something more dia to send an envoy — of security forces into the
ordering the release of the emergency for the coun- dangerous," Yameen said backed by its military — to Supreme Court premises.
opposition leaders, includ- try that restricted citizens' on national television. "This free the imprisoned justices India dispatched 1,600
ing many of Yameen's main rights and was internation- is an obstruction of the very and opposition leaders. paratroopers, who quickly
political rivals. ally condemned. He also ability of the state to func- Exiled former President Mo- restored Gayoom’s control.
The annulment of that or- labeled the original court tion." hammed Nasheed, who q