The publication of nationally classified information is a crime. As is hacking data that is not yours! And while some may not see this as serious s some other crimes, i.e., because the criminals are often protected by online Anonymity!

Birds of a feather do not see the harm of say accessing a dead person's voice mail for pure and simple sensationalism and to make a buck and to hell with the feelings of the family or in other cases the victims.

Some say there is no evidence of unintended consequences of the publication of non-validated stolen material and none to the contrary!

Let's be clear this grub has to dig to get the dirt and has to break several national laws to do so! And would seem to be serving the interests of an election interfering Putin who we all know, is no friend of the west!
Alan B.

1. Julian Assange clearly expects Immunity from Earthly laws given he believes he is above UK Law and above US Law.

Assange's whole business model was the use of INTERnational communications using the INTERnet. In using the INTERnet Assange hoped he would be exempt from any country's laws.

The US, UK, Snowden's Russia and almost all other countries have made laws (for many years) against use of the INTERnet to publish their national classified documents.

Assange thought he could get away with encouraging US Government employees to leak millions of classified documents to Wikileaks fiefdom - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiLeaks
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2. WIKILEAKS THREATENS COURT ACTION - TO CENSOR JOURNALISTS' FREEDOM TO PUBLISH

In arguing Assange should be covered by freedom of the press Kampmark ignores the attempts of Assange's Wikileaks' fiefdom to, itself, muzzle the press.

Checkout the Link http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/wikileaks-emails-journalists-with-97-false-and-defamatory-claims-to-avoid-in-reporting-on-founder-julian-assange/ of January 7, 2019.

In a move to prevent journalists from doing to Wikileaks what Wikileaks does every day to Democratic governments, Wikileaks emailed journalists with a list of 97 “false and defamatory” statements (see Link above) afterr claiming efforts to defame Assange had “reached a new nadir”.

The authoritarian Wikileaks organisation said the number of “false and defamatory” claims made against Assange had “accelerated” since his internet access at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London was cut off. Assange is also frustrated that UK gaol doesn't give him INTERnet access.

Before listing 97 “false and defamatory” claims about Assange and Wikileaks itself, the Wikileaks email concluded: “The purpose of this list is to aid the honest and accurate and to put the dishonest and inaccurate on notice.”

It is believed that the list originally contained 140 claims, but the version published by Wikileaks today had some sections taken out."

WIKILEAK'S itself placed a SECURITY CAVEAT on its Email List as “NOT FOR PUBLICATION”

But Wikileaks was forced to make the Email List (reproduced here http://pastelink.net/m69m ) public after the List was leaked by JOURNALISTS who DEFIED WIKILEAK's LEGAL THREATS.

"Julian Assange and his Australian lawyers were secretly recorded in Ecuador's London embassy"

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-23/surveillance-of-julian-assange-captured-lawyers-conversations/11985872

"After a few minutes, he is greeted by the embassy's most famous resident, Julian Assange.

The camera continues to roll, recording every word of the confidential legal conversation which follows.

While this may be typical surveillance at a secure diplomatic property, what Robertson did not know was he and a handful of other lawyers, were allegedly being targeted in a...deeply illegal surveillance operation possibly run at the request of the US Government.

...WikiLeaks Spanish lawyer, Aitor Martinez, told the ABC the surveillance came to light after Assange was arrested, when former UC Global employees provided a large file of material.

"This consisted of recordings from cameras installed in the embassy and hidden microphones; recordings made with secret microphones placed inside the embassy; hundreds of secret copies of the passports of Mr Assange's visitors; multiple emails exchanged between the company owner and the employees," Martinez said.

...The recording of lawyers and legal conversations was not accidental, according to the Spanish criminal case, which is now investigating UC Global and its owner, former Spanish Navy marine David Morales.

"David Morales...sent on several occasions — via email, by phone and verbally — some lists of targets in which we had to pay special attention … they were mainly Mr Assange's lawyers."

...In an email from September 2017, Morales ordered UC Global staff to find out what the walls around Assange's bedroom were made of, and to photograph the embassy's rooms and its furniture.

Then in December, UC Global updated the embassy's camera system, installing audio-capable cameras.

...A month later, and under instructions from Morales, they installed a listening device in the false base of the meeting room's fire extinguisher.

They also installed a microphone in the women's bathroom — a place where Assange would regularly hold sensitive legal meetings.

The case is being investigated by Spain's federal court...which is examining whether Morales and UC Global are guilty of breaching both Assange's privacy and lawyer-client privilege, as well as crimes relating to misappropriation of funds, bribery, and money laundering..."