Co-Sponsored by Beverly Hills Bar Association and the British American Bar Association of Southern California
The Extradition of Julian Assange
Monday, October 3, 2022
12:30 PM
Free Virtual Event
In June 2022, Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, filed a lawsuit in London challenging the decision of the UK Home Secretary to grant the US Government’s request to extradite him to face trial on charges under the Espionage Act. Among his many grounds are that he should not be extradited for political offenses, that he will be denied due process because he will not receive a fair trial, that he is being denied his right of self-expression, and that Wikileaks was not the first outlet to publish the diplomatic cables in question.
Assange is an enormously controversial personality. To some, he is the devil incarnate who did massive damage to US national security by irresponsibly publishing top secret diplomatic cables and other documents; to others, he is a heroic journalist who exposed government lies and malfeasance at great personal risk to himself.
Our distinguished panelists are two lawyers who represent Assange, a former senior FBI officer and a former federal prosecutor. They will explore both viewpoints. and debate whether Assange should indeed be extradited.
Speakers: Ronald L. Cheng – Partner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP (Los Angeles)
Deborah Hrbek – Partner, HRBEKKunstler (New York) and English barrister
Peter J. Lapp – retired FBI special agent specializing in counterintelligence and espionage
Jennifer Robinson – Barrister, Doughty Street Chambers (London)
Moderator: Alexander Rufus-Isaacs – Partner, Rufus-Isaacs Acland & Grantham LLP (Beverly Hills) and English barrister
