Julian Assange judge previously acted for MI6<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nSterile cell<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThey told him to pack a small bag then gave him clothing to wear. \u201cWe called it the banana. It’s like a green and yellow sort of striped prison service uniform top and bottoms.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad was then strip searched and put in a sterile cell. \u201cSterile, basically, meaning it’s empty completely,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He continues: \u201cSo I’m in the cell. I’m just sitting there waiting. A couple of hours go by. It was very heavy rain that day, I remember that. Then about 5:30pm they then came and got me and walked me to the small carpeted room where we used to pray and chill out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was the governor of the prison and lots of officers. They put Ahmad on the \u201cboss chair\u201d: a body orifice security scanner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s to check if you’ve got, like, a mobile phone secreted in your body somewhere, or a blade or something like that. Normally that’s located in the reception section of the prison. But this one, they had brought it right into our unit. So I sat on the boss chair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police officers then came in from the extradition squad in plain clothes and put handcuffs on him. He was walked through the unit to the back door, through the exercise yard, then into the police van which had come inside the actual prison grounds next to the unit. Ahmad had never seen this before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n The Tory appointee holding Julian Assange\u2019s life in her hands<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe fate of Assange<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen the hearing of the long-running Assange case comes to an end on Wednesday a similar scenario could play out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But while the UK legal system will then have been exhausted, Assange does have a further chance with the ECHR in Strasbourg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the High Court judges rule against Assange then his lawyers can apply to the ECHR for a Rule 39 injunction, which would halt the extradition until the European court had looked at the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decisions are binding on member countries and there is no precedent for the UK not respecting a Rule 39 order on a proposed extradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christophe Marchand is the Belgian lawyer instructed by Assange to coordinate and prepare the possible litigation at the ECHR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is an internet platform for the European Court of Human Rights where you can introduce your Rule 39 application, and a decision can be rendered in a few hours,\u201d Marchand tells me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter the decision is taken, the court then makes contact with the state saying that it has taken the decision and that the extradition must be halted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n Over Assange, Britain\u2019s press prefers to serve power not media...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nRule 39<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOn the chances of the ECHR issuing a Rule 39 order if Assange loses this final appeal, Marchand is hopeful. \u201cWe are very confident that the court will take it very seriously, because we have many arguments,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRemember, the first judge, at the magistrate court, already considered, from prison conditions, there was a risk that he would commit suicide if he goes over there, that he would be put in very restrictive conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the Assange case has been irregular from the start, as Declassified<\/em> has extensively reported<\/a>. Some believe the UK could take the unprecedented step of not abiding by the Rule 39 order\u2014or moving Assange out of the jurisdiction before it is issued. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIn Belgium, in October 2013, Tunisian terrorist Nizar Trabelsi was extradited to the US extremely quickly before the Rule 39 was issued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis person was extradited, the lawyers were not informed, no one was informed,\u201d Marchand says. \u201cIt all happened in the dark. The person was brought to a secret place, was drugged, was cuffed, was attached in a seat and was sent by a private plane of the CIA directly to the US where this person was put in solitary confinement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the ECHR does issue an injunction under Rule 39 then the extradition proceedings are suspended, but it is only an interim measure. Assange\u2019s lawyers would then introduce a demand on the merits of the ECHR considering that the UK decisions were wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It takes a minimum of 18 months for the courts to assess this situation. In the case of Babar Ahmad, it took five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n Judge who ruled against Assange built career as barrister defending...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nRAF Mildenhall<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen Ahmad left HMP Long Lartin in the police van on that rainy October day he had no idea where he was going. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen we came out we could see loads of cameramen, photographers, everything, there was even a helicopter overhead\u201d, Ahmad says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn my mind, I thought we were being taken to some airport, like a commercial airport, to be handed over to US marshals, because that\u2019s what other people who have been extradited experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad remembers the drive was long, around two hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was cross country and there were no motorways, it was all A roads, which means you\u2019ve got these little roundabouts every couple of minutes. So we’re just going from left to right, left to right, left to right. Heavy rain. And after about 2 hours, we enter this RAF air base. I used to be in cadets when I was younger, so I know what an RAF base looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The base was Mildenhall in Suffolk, the central US Air Force facility in Britain, where 4,245 American troops are permanently stationed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two executive twelve seater jets sat on the tarmac with their engines and lights on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere were floodlights everywhere and they stopped the van outside a brick building close to where the two jets are,\u201d Ahmad says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The police officers went into the building. \u201cOne comes back, he goes, \u2018sorry, guys, but you need to put these on before you can go inside\u2019. In his hand was a pair of blacked out ski goggles and ear defenders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad knew this was not right. \u201cI said, \u2018boss, you know, you can’t do that in Europe. You know, that’s illegal. You’re not allowed to do that.\u2019 And he sort of shrugged his shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n US Air Force deployment in Britain is third largest in...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nSki mask and ear defenders<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe police officer put the blacked out ski mask and ear defenders on Ahmad and he was taken inside the building. They were then removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m in this room, inside this one-story building, and this American guy, who is probably in his mid-40s, starts barking orders at the top of his voice, shouting, \u2018you’re now in the custody of the United States of America. You will be treated with respect unless you give us cause otherwise. You understand?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad said he did. The American then asked if he had any questions. \u201cI said, how long is the flight? Which was the most relevant question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat question is irrelevant,\u201d the American barked back. \u201cI thought, okay, this guy, he wants to play GI Joe,\u201d Ahmad says. \u201cAfter that, I just shut my mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad said the Met police officer still there had shock drawn across his face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI looked at him and we made eye contact together, and it was clear the Americans were in charge there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad was taken into another room and put through a strip search again. He was then put into a jumpsuit with a leather belt attached to shackles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo the shackles were put around my ankles. Then there’s some sort of chain that comes from the ankle shackles. It comes up and it attaches to that leather belt, which is around my waist. Then the handcuffs that are on my wrists, they are attached to that belt, right? So basically, I can’t stretch my arms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ski mask and ear defenders were put back on and Ahmad was then walked out onto the tarmac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m shuffling along in these shackles, and we get to the steps and he shouts, \u2018okay, step up\u2019. Then we went inside. So they strapped me into some sort of big seat. After a while they said \u2018we’re going to take off your mask now\u2019\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd then he took it off and then the ear defenders. And I’m sitting in this private jet on two big leather chairs that are in this walnut ash interior. The chairs are facing each other and I thought, wow, at least I got to go in a private jet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But this was just the start of the journey. What Assange can expect in the US is more chilling, according to Ahmad, and will be revealed by Declassified<\/em> in the coming days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cOne day in an American prison is like a year in a high-security prison in Britain. You could do a year in Belmarsh and it wouldn’t match a day in one of those places.\u201d Babar Ahmad is someone who knows. He was extradited to the US in 2012 on charges of providing material support to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":55525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[234,19,136],"tags":[144],"coauthors":[185],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
The last days of Julian Assange in Britain<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
They told him to pack a small bag then gave him clothing to wear. \u201cWe called it the banana. It’s like a green and yellow sort of striped prison service uniform top and bottoms.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad was then strip searched and put in a sterile cell. \u201cSterile, basically, meaning it’s empty completely,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He continues: \u201cSo I’m in the cell. I’m just sitting there waiting. A couple of hours go by. It was very heavy rain that day, I remember that. Then about 5:30pm they then came and got me and walked me to the small carpeted room where we used to pray and chill out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was the governor of the prison and lots of officers. They put Ahmad on the \u201cboss chair\u201d: a body orifice security scanner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s to check if you’ve got, like, a mobile phone secreted in your body somewhere, or a blade or something like that. Normally that’s located in the reception section of the prison. But this one, they had brought it right into our unit. So I sat on the boss chair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police officers then came in from the extradition squad in plain clothes and put handcuffs on him. He was walked through the unit to the back door, through the exercise yard, then into the police van which had come inside the actual prison grounds next to the unit. Ahmad had never seen this before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n The Tory appointee holding Julian Assange\u2019s life in her hands<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe fate of Assange<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen the hearing of the long-running Assange case comes to an end on Wednesday a similar scenario could play out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But while the UK legal system will then have been exhausted, Assange does have a further chance with the ECHR in Strasbourg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the High Court judges rule against Assange then his lawyers can apply to the ECHR for a Rule 39 injunction, which would halt the extradition until the European court had looked at the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decisions are binding on member countries and there is no precedent for the UK not respecting a Rule 39 order on a proposed extradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christophe Marchand is the Belgian lawyer instructed by Assange to coordinate and prepare the possible litigation at the ECHR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is an internet platform for the European Court of Human Rights where you can introduce your Rule 39 application, and a decision can be rendered in a few hours,\u201d Marchand tells me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter the decision is taken, the court then makes contact with the state saying that it has taken the decision and that the extradition must be halted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n Over Assange, Britain\u2019s press prefers to serve power not media...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nRule 39<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOn the chances of the ECHR issuing a Rule 39 order if Assange loses this final appeal, Marchand is hopeful. \u201cWe are very confident that the court will take it very seriously, because we have many arguments,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRemember, the first judge, at the magistrate court, already considered, from prison conditions, there was a risk that he would commit suicide if he goes over there, that he would be put in very restrictive conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the Assange case has been irregular from the start, as Declassified<\/em> has extensively reported<\/a>. Some believe the UK could take the unprecedented step of not abiding by the Rule 39 order\u2014or moving Assange out of the jurisdiction before it is issued. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIn Belgium, in October 2013, Tunisian terrorist Nizar Trabelsi was extradited to the US extremely quickly before the Rule 39 was issued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis person was extradited, the lawyers were not informed, no one was informed,\u201d Marchand says. \u201cIt all happened in the dark. The person was brought to a secret place, was drugged, was cuffed, was attached in a seat and was sent by a private plane of the CIA directly to the US where this person was put in solitary confinement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the ECHR does issue an injunction under Rule 39 then the extradition proceedings are suspended, but it is only an interim measure. Assange\u2019s lawyers would then introduce a demand on the merits of the ECHR considering that the UK decisions were wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It takes a minimum of 18 months for the courts to assess this situation. In the case of Babar Ahmad, it took five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n Judge who ruled against Assange built career as barrister defending...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nRAF Mildenhall<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen Ahmad left HMP Long Lartin in the police van on that rainy October day he had no idea where he was going. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen we came out we could see loads of cameramen, photographers, everything, there was even a helicopter overhead\u201d, Ahmad says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn my mind, I thought we were being taken to some airport, like a commercial airport, to be handed over to US marshals, because that\u2019s what other people who have been extradited experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad remembers the drive was long, around two hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was cross country and there were no motorways, it was all A roads, which means you\u2019ve got these little roundabouts every couple of minutes. So we’re just going from left to right, left to right, left to right. Heavy rain. And after about 2 hours, we enter this RAF air base. I used to be in cadets when I was younger, so I know what an RAF base looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The base was Mildenhall in Suffolk, the central US Air Force facility in Britain, where 4,245 American troops are permanently stationed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two executive twelve seater jets sat on the tarmac with their engines and lights on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere were floodlights everywhere and they stopped the van outside a brick building close to where the two jets are,\u201d Ahmad says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The police officers went into the building. \u201cOne comes back, he goes, \u2018sorry, guys, but you need to put these on before you can go inside\u2019. In his hand was a pair of blacked out ski goggles and ear defenders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad knew this was not right. \u201cI said, \u2018boss, you know, you can’t do that in Europe. You know, that’s illegal. You’re not allowed to do that.\u2019 And he sort of shrugged his shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n US Air Force deployment in Britain is third largest in...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nSki mask and ear defenders<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe police officer put the blacked out ski mask and ear defenders on Ahmad and he was taken inside the building. They were then removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m in this room, inside this one-story building, and this American guy, who is probably in his mid-40s, starts barking orders at the top of his voice, shouting, \u2018you’re now in the custody of the United States of America. You will be treated with respect unless you give us cause otherwise. You understand?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad said he did. The American then asked if he had any questions. \u201cI said, how long is the flight? Which was the most relevant question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat question is irrelevant,\u201d the American barked back. \u201cI thought, okay, this guy, he wants to play GI Joe,\u201d Ahmad says. \u201cAfter that, I just shut my mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad said the Met police officer still there had shock drawn across his face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI looked at him and we made eye contact together, and it was clear the Americans were in charge there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad was taken into another room and put through a strip search again. He was then put into a jumpsuit with a leather belt attached to shackles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo the shackles were put around my ankles. Then there’s some sort of chain that comes from the ankle shackles. It comes up and it attaches to that leather belt, which is around my waist. Then the handcuffs that are on my wrists, they are attached to that belt, right? So basically, I can’t stretch my arms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ski mask and ear defenders were put back on and Ahmad was then walked out onto the tarmac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m shuffling along in these shackles, and we get to the steps and he shouts, \u2018okay, step up\u2019. Then we went inside. So they strapped me into some sort of big seat. After a while they said \u2018we’re going to take off your mask now\u2019\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd then he took it off and then the ear defenders. And I’m sitting in this private jet on two big leather chairs that are in this walnut ash interior. The chairs are facing each other and I thought, wow, at least I got to go in a private jet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But this was just the start of the journey. What Assange can expect in the US is more chilling, according to Ahmad, and will be revealed by Declassified<\/em> in the coming days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cOne day in an American prison is like a year in a high-security prison in Britain. You could do a year in Belmarsh and it wouldn’t match a day in one of those places.\u201d Babar Ahmad is someone who knows. He was extradited to the US in 2012 on charges of providing material support to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":55525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[234,19,136],"tags":[144],"coauthors":[185],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
The last days of Julian Assange in Britain<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
The Tory appointee holding Julian Assange\u2019s life in her hands<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nThe fate of Assange<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen the hearing of the long-running Assange case comes to an end on Wednesday a similar scenario could play out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But while the UK legal system will then have been exhausted, Assange does have a further chance with the ECHR in Strasbourg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the High Court judges rule against Assange then his lawyers can apply to the ECHR for a Rule 39 injunction, which would halt the extradition until the European court had looked at the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decisions are binding on member countries and there is no precedent for the UK not respecting a Rule 39 order on a proposed extradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christophe Marchand is the Belgian lawyer instructed by Assange to coordinate and prepare the possible litigation at the ECHR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is an internet platform for the European Court of Human Rights where you can introduce your Rule 39 application, and a decision can be rendered in a few hours,\u201d Marchand tells me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter the decision is taken, the court then makes contact with the state saying that it has taken the decision and that the extradition must be halted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n Over Assange, Britain\u2019s press prefers to serve power not media...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nRule 39<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOn the chances of the ECHR issuing a Rule 39 order if Assange loses this final appeal, Marchand is hopeful. \u201cWe are very confident that the court will take it very seriously, because we have many arguments,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRemember, the first judge, at the magistrate court, already considered, from prison conditions, there was a risk that he would commit suicide if he goes over there, that he would be put in very restrictive conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the Assange case has been irregular from the start, as Declassified<\/em> has extensively reported<\/a>. Some believe the UK could take the unprecedented step of not abiding by the Rule 39 order\u2014or moving Assange out of the jurisdiction before it is issued. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIn Belgium, in October 2013, Tunisian terrorist Nizar Trabelsi was extradited to the US extremely quickly before the Rule 39 was issued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis person was extradited, the lawyers were not informed, no one was informed,\u201d Marchand says. \u201cIt all happened in the dark. The person was brought to a secret place, was drugged, was cuffed, was attached in a seat and was sent by a private plane of the CIA directly to the US where this person was put in solitary confinement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the ECHR does issue an injunction under Rule 39 then the extradition proceedings are suspended, but it is only an interim measure. Assange\u2019s lawyers would then introduce a demand on the merits of the ECHR considering that the UK decisions were wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It takes a minimum of 18 months for the courts to assess this situation. In the case of Babar Ahmad, it took five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n Judge who ruled against Assange built career as barrister defending...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nRAF Mildenhall<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen Ahmad left HMP Long Lartin in the police van on that rainy October day he had no idea where he was going. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen we came out we could see loads of cameramen, photographers, everything, there was even a helicopter overhead\u201d, Ahmad says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn my mind, I thought we were being taken to some airport, like a commercial airport, to be handed over to US marshals, because that\u2019s what other people who have been extradited experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad remembers the drive was long, around two hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was cross country and there were no motorways, it was all A roads, which means you\u2019ve got these little roundabouts every couple of minutes. So we’re just going from left to right, left to right, left to right. Heavy rain. And after about 2 hours, we enter this RAF air base. I used to be in cadets when I was younger, so I know what an RAF base looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The base was Mildenhall in Suffolk, the central US Air Force facility in Britain, where 4,245 American troops are permanently stationed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two executive twelve seater jets sat on the tarmac with their engines and lights on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere were floodlights everywhere and they stopped the van outside a brick building close to where the two jets are,\u201d Ahmad says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The police officers went into the building. \u201cOne comes back, he goes, \u2018sorry, guys, but you need to put these on before you can go inside\u2019. In his hand was a pair of blacked out ski goggles and ear defenders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad knew this was not right. \u201cI said, \u2018boss, you know, you can’t do that in Europe. You know, that’s illegal. You’re not allowed to do that.\u2019 And he sort of shrugged his shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n US Air Force deployment in Britain is third largest in...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nSki mask and ear defenders<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe police officer put the blacked out ski mask and ear defenders on Ahmad and he was taken inside the building. They were then removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m in this room, inside this one-story building, and this American guy, who is probably in his mid-40s, starts barking orders at the top of his voice, shouting, \u2018you’re now in the custody of the United States of America. You will be treated with respect unless you give us cause otherwise. You understand?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad said he did. The American then asked if he had any questions. \u201cI said, how long is the flight? Which was the most relevant question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat question is irrelevant,\u201d the American barked back. \u201cI thought, okay, this guy, he wants to play GI Joe,\u201d Ahmad says. \u201cAfter that, I just shut my mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad said the Met police officer still there had shock drawn across his face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI looked at him and we made eye contact together, and it was clear the Americans were in charge there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad was taken into another room and put through a strip search again. He was then put into a jumpsuit with a leather belt attached to shackles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo the shackles were put around my ankles. Then there’s some sort of chain that comes from the ankle shackles. It comes up and it attaches to that leather belt, which is around my waist. Then the handcuffs that are on my wrists, they are attached to that belt, right? So basically, I can’t stretch my arms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ski mask and ear defenders were put back on and Ahmad was then walked out onto the tarmac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m shuffling along in these shackles, and we get to the steps and he shouts, \u2018okay, step up\u2019. Then we went inside. So they strapped me into some sort of big seat. After a while they said \u2018we’re going to take off your mask now\u2019\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd then he took it off and then the ear defenders. And I’m sitting in this private jet on two big leather chairs that are in this walnut ash interior. The chairs are facing each other and I thought, wow, at least I got to go in a private jet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But this was just the start of the journey. What Assange can expect in the US is more chilling, according to Ahmad, and will be revealed by Declassified<\/em> in the coming days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cOne day in an American prison is like a year in a high-security prison in Britain. You could do a year in Belmarsh and it wouldn’t match a day in one of those places.\u201d Babar Ahmad is someone who knows. He was extradited to the US in 2012 on charges of providing material support to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":55525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[234,19,136],"tags":[144],"coauthors":[185],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
The last days of Julian Assange in Britain<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
When the hearing of the long-running Assange case comes to an end on Wednesday a similar scenario could play out. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But while the UK legal system will then have been exhausted, Assange does have a further chance with the ECHR in Strasbourg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the High Court judges rule against Assange then his lawyers can apply to the ECHR for a Rule 39 injunction, which would halt the extradition until the European court had looked at the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decisions are binding on member countries and there is no precedent for the UK not respecting a Rule 39 order on a proposed extradition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christophe Marchand is the Belgian lawyer instructed by Assange to coordinate and prepare the possible litigation at the ECHR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere is an internet platform for the European Court of Human Rights where you can introduce your Rule 39 application, and a decision can be rendered in a few hours,\u201d Marchand tells me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter the decision is taken, the court then makes contact with the state saying that it has taken the decision and that the extradition must be halted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n Over Assange, Britain\u2019s press prefers to serve power not media...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nRule 39<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOn the chances of the ECHR issuing a Rule 39 order if Assange loses this final appeal, Marchand is hopeful. \u201cWe are very confident that the court will take it very seriously, because we have many arguments,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRemember, the first judge, at the magistrate court, already considered, from prison conditions, there was a risk that he would commit suicide if he goes over there, that he would be put in very restrictive conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the Assange case has been irregular from the start, as Declassified<\/em> has extensively reported<\/a>. Some believe the UK could take the unprecedented step of not abiding by the Rule 39 order\u2014or moving Assange out of the jurisdiction before it is issued. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIn Belgium, in October 2013, Tunisian terrorist Nizar Trabelsi was extradited to the US extremely quickly before the Rule 39 was issued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis person was extradited, the lawyers were not informed, no one was informed,\u201d Marchand says. \u201cIt all happened in the dark. The person was brought to a secret place, was drugged, was cuffed, was attached in a seat and was sent by a private plane of the CIA directly to the US where this person was put in solitary confinement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the ECHR does issue an injunction under Rule 39 then the extradition proceedings are suspended, but it is only an interim measure. Assange\u2019s lawyers would then introduce a demand on the merits of the ECHR considering that the UK decisions were wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It takes a minimum of 18 months for the courts to assess this situation. In the case of Babar Ahmad, it took five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n Judge who ruled against Assange built career as barrister defending...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nRAF Mildenhall<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen Ahmad left HMP Long Lartin in the police van on that rainy October day he had no idea where he was going. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen we came out we could see loads of cameramen, photographers, everything, there was even a helicopter overhead\u201d, Ahmad says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn my mind, I thought we were being taken to some airport, like a commercial airport, to be handed over to US marshals, because that\u2019s what other people who have been extradited experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad remembers the drive was long, around two hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was cross country and there were no motorways, it was all A roads, which means you\u2019ve got these little roundabouts every couple of minutes. So we’re just going from left to right, left to right, left to right. Heavy rain. And after about 2 hours, we enter this RAF air base. I used to be in cadets when I was younger, so I know what an RAF base looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The base was Mildenhall in Suffolk, the central US Air Force facility in Britain, where 4,245 American troops are permanently stationed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two executive twelve seater jets sat on the tarmac with their engines and lights on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere were floodlights everywhere and they stopped the van outside a brick building close to where the two jets are,\u201d Ahmad says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The police officers went into the building. \u201cOne comes back, he goes, \u2018sorry, guys, but you need to put these on before you can go inside\u2019. In his hand was a pair of blacked out ski goggles and ear defenders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad knew this was not right. \u201cI said, \u2018boss, you know, you can’t do that in Europe. You know, that’s illegal. You’re not allowed to do that.\u2019 And he sort of shrugged his shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n US Air Force deployment in Britain is third largest in...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nSki mask and ear defenders<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe police officer put the blacked out ski mask and ear defenders on Ahmad and he was taken inside the building. They were then removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m in this room, inside this one-story building, and this American guy, who is probably in his mid-40s, starts barking orders at the top of his voice, shouting, \u2018you’re now in the custody of the United States of America. You will be treated with respect unless you give us cause otherwise. You understand?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad said he did. The American then asked if he had any questions. \u201cI said, how long is the flight? Which was the most relevant question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat question is irrelevant,\u201d the American barked back. \u201cI thought, okay, this guy, he wants to play GI Joe,\u201d Ahmad says. \u201cAfter that, I just shut my mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad said the Met police officer still there had shock drawn across his face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI looked at him and we made eye contact together, and it was clear the Americans were in charge there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad was taken into another room and put through a strip search again. He was then put into a jumpsuit with a leather belt attached to shackles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo the shackles were put around my ankles. Then there’s some sort of chain that comes from the ankle shackles. It comes up and it attaches to that leather belt, which is around my waist. Then the handcuffs that are on my wrists, they are attached to that belt, right? So basically, I can’t stretch my arms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ski mask and ear defenders were put back on and Ahmad was then walked out onto the tarmac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m shuffling along in these shackles, and we get to the steps and he shouts, \u2018okay, step up\u2019. Then we went inside. So they strapped me into some sort of big seat. After a while they said \u2018we’re going to take off your mask now\u2019\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd then he took it off and then the ear defenders. And I’m sitting in this private jet on two big leather chairs that are in this walnut ash interior. The chairs are facing each other and I thought, wow, at least I got to go in a private jet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But this was just the start of the journey. What Assange can expect in the US is more chilling, according to Ahmad, and will be revealed by Declassified<\/em> in the coming days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cOne day in an American prison is like a year in a high-security prison in Britain. You could do a year in Belmarsh and it wouldn’t match a day in one of those places.\u201d Babar Ahmad is someone who knows. He was extradited to the US in 2012 on charges of providing material support to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":55525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[234,19,136],"tags":[144],"coauthors":[185],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
The last days of Julian Assange in Britain<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
Over Assange, Britain\u2019s press prefers to serve power not media...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nRule 39<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOn the chances of the ECHR issuing a Rule 39 order if Assange loses this final appeal, Marchand is hopeful. \u201cWe are very confident that the court will take it very seriously, because we have many arguments,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRemember, the first judge, at the magistrate court, already considered, from prison conditions, there was a risk that he would commit suicide if he goes over there, that he would be put in very restrictive conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the Assange case has been irregular from the start, as Declassified<\/em> has extensively reported<\/a>. Some believe the UK could take the unprecedented step of not abiding by the Rule 39 order\u2014or moving Assange out of the jurisdiction before it is issued. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIn Belgium, in October 2013, Tunisian terrorist Nizar Trabelsi was extradited to the US extremely quickly before the Rule 39 was issued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis person was extradited, the lawyers were not informed, no one was informed,\u201d Marchand says. \u201cIt all happened in the dark. The person was brought to a secret place, was drugged, was cuffed, was attached in a seat and was sent by a private plane of the CIA directly to the US where this person was put in solitary confinement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the ECHR does issue an injunction under Rule 39 then the extradition proceedings are suspended, but it is only an interim measure. Assange\u2019s lawyers would then introduce a demand on the merits of the ECHR considering that the UK decisions were wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It takes a minimum of 18 months for the courts to assess this situation. In the case of Babar Ahmad, it took five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n Judge who ruled against Assange built career as barrister defending...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nRAF Mildenhall<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen Ahmad left HMP Long Lartin in the police van on that rainy October day he had no idea where he was going. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen we came out we could see loads of cameramen, photographers, everything, there was even a helicopter overhead\u201d, Ahmad says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn my mind, I thought we were being taken to some airport, like a commercial airport, to be handed over to US marshals, because that\u2019s what other people who have been extradited experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad remembers the drive was long, around two hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was cross country and there were no motorways, it was all A roads, which means you\u2019ve got these little roundabouts every couple of minutes. So we’re just going from left to right, left to right, left to right. Heavy rain. And after about 2 hours, we enter this RAF air base. I used to be in cadets when I was younger, so I know what an RAF base looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The base was Mildenhall in Suffolk, the central US Air Force facility in Britain, where 4,245 American troops are permanently stationed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two executive twelve seater jets sat on the tarmac with their engines and lights on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere were floodlights everywhere and they stopped the van outside a brick building close to where the two jets are,\u201d Ahmad says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The police officers went into the building. \u201cOne comes back, he goes, \u2018sorry, guys, but you need to put these on before you can go inside\u2019. In his hand was a pair of blacked out ski goggles and ear defenders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad knew this was not right. \u201cI said, \u2018boss, you know, you can’t do that in Europe. You know, that’s illegal. You’re not allowed to do that.\u2019 And he sort of shrugged his shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n RELATED<\/h3>\n \n \n \n \n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n US Air Force deployment in Britain is third largest in...<\/h2><\/a>\n READ MORE <\/i><\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nSki mask and ear defenders<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe police officer put the blacked out ski mask and ear defenders on Ahmad and he was taken inside the building. They were then removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m in this room, inside this one-story building, and this American guy, who is probably in his mid-40s, starts barking orders at the top of his voice, shouting, \u2018you’re now in the custody of the United States of America. You will be treated with respect unless you give us cause otherwise. You understand?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad said he did. The American then asked if he had any questions. \u201cI said, how long is the flight? Which was the most relevant question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat question is irrelevant,\u201d the American barked back. \u201cI thought, okay, this guy, he wants to play GI Joe,\u201d Ahmad says. \u201cAfter that, I just shut my mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad said the Met police officer still there had shock drawn across his face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI looked at him and we made eye contact together, and it was clear the Americans were in charge there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahmad was taken into another room and put through a strip search again. He was then put into a jumpsuit with a leather belt attached to shackles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo the shackles were put around my ankles. Then there’s some sort of chain that comes from the ankle shackles. It comes up and it attaches to that leather belt, which is around my waist. Then the handcuffs that are on my wrists, they are attached to that belt, right? So basically, I can’t stretch my arms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The ski mask and ear defenders were put back on and Ahmad was then walked out onto the tarmac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI’m shuffling along in these shackles, and we get to the steps and he shouts, \u2018okay, step up\u2019. Then we went inside. So they strapped me into some sort of big seat. After a while they said \u2018we’re going to take off your mask now\u2019\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd then he took it off and then the ear defenders. And I’m sitting in this private jet on two big leather chairs that are in this walnut ash interior. The chairs are facing each other and I thought, wow, at least I got to go in a private jet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But this was just the start of the journey. What Assange can expect in the US is more chilling, according to Ahmad, and will be revealed by Declassified<\/em> in the coming days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cOne day in an American prison is like a year in a high-security prison in Britain. You could do a year in Belmarsh and it wouldn’t match a day in one of those places.\u201d Babar Ahmad is someone who knows. He was extradited to the US in 2012 on charges of providing material support to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":55525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[234,19,136],"tags":[144],"coauthors":[185],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
The last days of Julian Assange in Britain<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n
On the chances of the ECHR issuing a Rule 39 order if Assange loses this final appeal, Marchand is hopeful. \u201cWe are very confident that the court will take it very seriously, because we have many arguments,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRemember, the first judge, at the magistrate court, already considered, from prison conditions, there was a risk that he would commit suicide if he goes over there, that he would be put in very restrictive conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the Assange case has been irregular from the start, as Declassified<\/em> has extensively reported<\/a>. Some believe the UK could take the unprecedented step of not abiding by the Rule 39 order\u2014or moving Assange out of the jurisdiction before it is issued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In Belgium, in October 2013, Tunisian terrorist Nizar Trabelsi was extradited to the US extremely quickly before the Rule 39 was issued. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis person was extradited, the lawyers were not informed, no one was informed,\u201d Marchand says. \u201cIt all happened in the dark. The person was brought to a secret place, was drugged, was cuffed, was attached in a seat and was sent by a private plane of the CIA directly to the US where this person was put in solitary confinement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the ECHR does issue an injunction under Rule 39 then the extradition proceedings are suspended, but it is only an interim measure. Assange\u2019s lawyers would then introduce a demand on the merits of the ECHR considering that the UK decisions were wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It takes a minimum of 18 months for the courts to assess this situation. In the case of Babar Ahmad, it took five years.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Ahmad left HMP Long Lartin in the police van on that rainy October day he had no idea where he was going. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen we came out we could see loads of cameramen, photographers, everything, there was even a helicopter overhead\u201d, Ahmad says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn my mind, I thought we were being taken to some airport, like a commercial airport, to be handed over to US marshals, because that\u2019s what other people who have been extradited experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ahmad remembers the drive was long, around two hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was cross country and there were no motorways, it was all A roads, which means you\u2019ve got these little roundabouts every couple of minutes. So we’re just going from left to right, left to right, left to right. Heavy rain. And after about 2 hours, we enter this RAF air base. I used to be in cadets when I was younger, so I know what an RAF base looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The base was Mildenhall in Suffolk, the central US Air Force facility in Britain, where 4,245 American troops are permanently stationed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Two executive twelve seater jets sat on the tarmac with their engines and lights on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere were floodlights everywhere and they stopped the van outside a brick building close to where the two jets are,\u201d Ahmad says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The police officers went into the building. \u201cOne comes back, he goes, \u2018sorry, guys, but you need to put these on before you can go inside\u2019. In his hand was a pair of blacked out ski goggles and ear defenders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ahmad knew this was not right. \u201cI said, \u2018boss, you know, you can’t do that in Europe. You know, that’s illegal. You’re not allowed to do that.\u2019 And he sort of shrugged his shoulders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The police officer put the blacked out ski mask and ear defenders on Ahmad and he was taken inside the building. They were then removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI’m in this room, inside this one-story building, and this American guy, who is probably in his mid-40s, starts barking orders at the top of his voice, shouting, \u2018you’re now in the custody of the United States of America. You will be treated with respect unless you give us cause otherwise. You understand?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ahmad said he did. The American then asked if he had any questions. \u201cI said, how long is the flight? Which was the most relevant question.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat question is irrelevant,\u201d the American barked back. \u201cI thought, okay, this guy, he wants to play GI Joe,\u201d Ahmad says. \u201cAfter that, I just shut my mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ahmad said the Met police officer still there had shock drawn across his face. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI looked at him and we made eye contact together, and it was clear the Americans were in charge there.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ahmad was taken into another room and put through a strip search again. He was then put into a jumpsuit with a leather belt attached to shackles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo the shackles were put around my ankles. Then there’s some sort of chain that comes from the ankle shackles. It comes up and it attaches to that leather belt, which is around my waist. Then the handcuffs that are on my wrists, they are attached to that belt, right? So basically, I can’t stretch my arms.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ski mask and ear defenders were put back on and Ahmad was then walked out onto the tarmac.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI’m shuffling along in these shackles, and we get to the steps and he shouts, \u2018okay, step up\u2019. Then we went inside. So they strapped me into some sort of big seat. After a while they said \u2018we’re going to take off your mask now\u2019\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd then he took it off and then the ear defenders. And I’m sitting in this private jet on two big leather chairs that are in this walnut ash interior. The chairs are facing each other and I thought, wow, at least I got to go in a private jet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But this was just the start of the journey. What Assange can expect in the US is more chilling, according to Ahmad, and will be revealed by Declassified<\/em> in the coming days.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cOne day in an American prison is like a year in a high-security prison in Britain. You could do a year in Belmarsh and it wouldn’t match a day in one of those places.\u201d Babar Ahmad is someone who knows. He was extradited to the US in 2012 on charges of providing material support to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":55525,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[234,19,136],"tags":[144],"coauthors":[185],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRELATED<\/h3>\n
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