Adam
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
While many pundits rush to pat themselves on the back for being the first to postulate that the US violations of international law which are implicit in the FBI’s searches of Russian diplomatic properties in the US sets a worrying precedent for Julian Assange, this is not an original thesis. Far from it, it was actually theorised by Julian Assange himself.
On the 14th of July, 2017, Julian Assange laid out the legal case for why Barack Obama’s confiscation of Russian diplomatic properties in the US dating from December of 2016, was illegal and cited the appropriate provisions of international law, including and especially the Vienna Conventions.
The full set of Twitter based statement from Assange as well as my analysis at the time can be viewed here.
The recent actions by the Trump administration violate the Vienna Conventions even further as the FBI continues to conduct visible searches of the properties which is a further violation of Article 22 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
If the US can break into and search Russian diplomatic property under the guise of largely meaningless disputes, could the US or its proxy authorities in the UK do the same to the Ecuadorian Embassy in London in which Julian Assange is currently enjoying asylum from the Ecuadorian authorities? Now that such a dangerous precedent has been repeatedly set by the United States, the answer is sadly, yes.
If the US could act so brazenly with the diplomatic facilities of a nuclear superpower, one could only imagine what the US and its proxies could do in respect of the smaller embassy of a much poorer and less powerful nation, in this case Ecuador.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has made it clear that it shares Assange’s views on the illegality of US actions.
“On September 2, the US authorities seized the buildings of the Russian Consulate General in San Francisco and the Trade Mission in Washington, which are in Russian property and enjoy diplomatic immunity. Russian representatives are also denied access to the leased premises of the branch of the trade mission in New York.
This outrageous step follows the actual expropriation in December of last year of Russian-owned suburban diplomatic complexes near Washington and New York. In the occupied buildings, the US special services are now hosted with the support of the armed police.
We regard the incident as a frankly hostile act, a gross violation by Washington of international law, including the Vienna Conventions on diplomatic and consular relations, the bilateral Consular Convention.
We call on the American authorities to come to their senses and immediately return Russian diplomatic facilities. Otherwise, the entire blame for the continuing degradation of relations between our countries, on which the state of global stability and international security largely depends, will lie on the US”.
Assange has once again Tweeted Article 22 of the 1961 Vienna Convention along with an accurate statement on the illegality of US actions against the Russian diplomatic properties in the US.
https://twitter.com/JulianAssange/status/904028756548964354
Defend Assange Campaign on Twitter: “If Russia’s missions are standard diplomatic properties then they are inviolable under the VDR signed by the U.S. https://t.co/ebMv0Z1DU3 pic.twitter.com/jQw7Z4TCni / Twitter”
If Russia’s missions are standard diplomatic properties then they are inviolable under the VDR signed by the U.S. https://t.co/ebMv0Z1DU3 pic.twitter.com/jQw7Z4TCni
For now Assange is safe, but for how long? A very dangerous precedent has been set by the most aggressive nation on earth, which also happens to be the nation whose leading officials have repeatedly called for Assange’s imprisonment and even execution.
READ MORE: US actions against Russian diplomatic and consular property are illegal–here’s why
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
I am concerned for Assange, but it seems odd that the media have been completely silent about a far greater and much more dangerous implication of the US government’s acts. Everyone who knows about the Vienna Conventions agrees that the US government has flagrantly violated them. That implies that the US government has withdrawn from the Vienna Conventions – otherwise it would not feel free to ignore their provisions, which as an international treaty have the force of law in the USA. So if the US government has withdrawn unilaterally from the Vienna Conventions, that clearly means – quite unmistakably… Read more »
That would dig up a world of color revolution info.
That is worth looking into. The problem is; you couldn’t give them any notice of such an ‘entry’ to their diplomatic missions. You would have to do it “Unannounced.” 🙂
@ Tom re “U.$. has withdrawn from Vienna Convention” through its actions in violations of Russian territory of Diplomatic Missions. How… terribly… enlightened. They have voided their own entitlement to Diplomatic Immunity and the Protection of the Rule of International Law for their Diplomatic Missions. So, yes, no one is required to respect the diplomatic immunity that they THINK they are entitled to. They have voided their entitlement to protection under the Vienna Conventions. WOW… that is so big. I wonder it the U.$. appreciates the full implications of what they have done? Is this even correct? Are you in… Read more »
Washington is so hysterical about losing control over the world and so angry at Russia for having earned the free world’s respect/attention and the audacity to give safe harbor to Edwards Snowden and Ecuadore for providing a safe harbor to Assange, that they have set this precedent SPECIFICALLY in order to move/pressure the U.K to do the same in London in order to get Assange. Assange saw this coming. To Washington the ends justifies the means. Laws are to be obeyed by other countries, not the U.S. I am so sick of it….When is it going to end? Can someone… Read more »
I don’t see the connection. It’s not as if the US just started violating diplomatic immunity/protocols yesterday. They have been doing it for years.
Just recall what they forced the Europeans to do against President Morales and his plane.
Assange has been in the Embassy for 5 years, protected only by a front door (which would open if they knock).
In all that time the British police have never once tried to enter. Clearly the UK are not interested in breaking the Vienna Convention – despite US pressure.
“Clearly the UK are not interested in breaking the Vienna Convention – despite US pressure.”
Why not??? They have broken International Law in the past on behalf of the US Empire!
Please permit me and correct me: Isn’t it ‘despite zio-US preesure’ – with it’s head in zio-City of London?
@ Simon re: “In all that time the British police have never once tried to enter. Clearly the UK are not interested in breaking the Vienna Convention – despite US pressure.”
Touch Wood.
But the implications for Britain would be a lot more serious. Britain has Gibraltar; and some other smaller ‘satellite colonies’ that are at risk, and breaching the Vienna Convention for them may have many more serious repercussions… especially considering their imminent ‘divorce’ from the E.U.
Russia shouldn’t even be beating about the bush with this arrogant and ridiculous US behaviour anymore. You simply can’t reason with these irrational savages so just break off diplomatic relations, expel US diplomats and remaining NGO activists from Russia, then seize their diplomatic property as well and even sell it. Stop all international cooperation and start arming Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Bolivia with missiles that have the range to reach US territory, and in cooperation with Iran, start destabilising Saudi Arabia in its Shiite oil rich Eastern province in earnest, while ramping up dumping of the US dollar together with… Read more »
I agree with you but know that this means that greater horrors are coming care of the US.
The horrors have been with us since 2001 and have been steadily escalating ever since. The escalation dial is now at 11 and approaching red zone critical. Time to distract the monster. Watch how vicious wild dogs take down an old lion in the African wild – they attack and bite chunks from all directions at once, but the lion can only counter in one direction at a time. Sooner or later, the lion gets exhausted and either runs up a tree out of the wild dog’s reach, or continues resisting and bleeds to death. Same principal applies here against… Read more »
I like – big time. Multiple fronts – just as they love to to against Russia.
They need to find a way of smuggling Julian out to safety.
Putin should pull up in his diplomatic car
The US by its actions confirms that it is the fascist rogue state of the 21st century.
Perhaps I am being naive, but I think the Brits are still more gentleman than the Yanks.
International law, Diplomatic immunity, Torture (enhanced interrogation) or False imprisonment in Guantanamo means nothing to our exceptional. Why? Because we “the people” let our exceptional go that far.
The yanks never worry about legalities,
They take their modus operandi from
the Mafia.
Many of us are glad that RT has a channel on Satellite :All we got was the same old war lords and their same old lies. There is also another station that does not lie like our monopoly media.