Julian Assange was spied on like 'in a movie', says his lawyer Baltasar Garzón
Baltasar Garzón, the Spanish lawyer for Julian Assange, said that the WikiLeaks founder was spied on like "in a movie" when he was a refugee at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
Julian Assange denounced the Spanish company Undercover Global, which he accuses of having spied on him for years on behalf of the United States when he had asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he remained between 2012 and 2019.
This firm was part of that time in charge of the security of the diplomatic legation.
You could say that it really happens in spy movies, but this is not a spy movie, ex-judge Garzón told reporters upon leaving the National Court in Madrid, where he testified this Monday to defend his client.
It is "somewhat scandalous," Garzón added, referring to the video surveillance images that were shown to him, and in which the Australian computer scientist is seen at the Ecuadorian embassy talking to his lawyers.
According to the complaint filed by Assange, the Spanish company placed microphones and cameras in different parts of the embassy, and even in the women's bathroom, where the Australian organized many of his meetings. There were also microphones at the base of the fire extinguishers, according to the complaint.
Assange, currently imprisoned in London, hopes that the espionage case in Spain will help him in the extradition procedure launched against him by the United States.
The 49-year-old computer scientist, is exposed to a prison sentence of 175 years for having published since 2010 more than 700,000 classified documents on US military and diplomatic activities (including war crimes) in Iraq, Afghanistan and many other countries.
We have made all this material available to the British judicial authorities, because they have a direct impact on extradition and demonstrate from our point of view that Julian Assange has been the object of political persecution, added Baltasar Garzón, defense coordinator for Assange in Spain.
This firm was part of that time in charge of the security of the diplomatic legation.
You could say that it really happens in spy movies, but this is not a spy movie, ex-judge Garzón told reporters upon leaving the National Court in Madrid, where he testified this Monday to defend his client.
It is "somewhat scandalous," Garzón added, referring to the video surveillance images that were shown to him, and in which the Australian computer scientist is seen at the Ecuadorian embassy talking to his lawyers.
According to the complaint filed by Assange, the Spanish company placed microphones and cameras in different parts of the embassy, and even in the women's bathroom, where the Australian organized many of his meetings. There were also microphones at the base of the fire extinguishers, according to the complaint.
Assange, currently imprisoned in London, hopes that the espionage case in Spain will help him in the extradition procedure launched against him by the United States.
The 49-year-old computer scientist, is exposed to a prison sentence of 175 years for having published since 2010 more than 700,000 classified documents on US military and diplomatic activities (including war crimes) in Iraq, Afghanistan and many other countries.
We have made all this material available to the British judicial authorities, because they have a direct impact on extradition and demonstrate from our point of view that Julian Assange has been the object of political persecution, added Baltasar Garzón, defense coordinator for Assange in Spain.