Lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is suing the US Central Intelligence Agency and its former director Mike Pompeo in lawsuit filed in District Court of New York on On Monday, alleging that the agency recorded their conversations and copied data from their phones and computers.
lawyers together with two journalists joining lawsuit, are Americans and allege that the CIA violated their US constitutional guarantees for confidential discussions with Assange, who is Australian.
The lawsuit alleges that the CIA worked with security firm hired by the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where Assange lived at the time, to spy on founder of WikiLeaks, his lawyers, journalists and others met.
Assange facing extradition from the UK to the US, where he is charged with violating the U.S. Espionage Act by publishing military and diplomatic files in 2010 associated with the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Robert Boyle, New York attorney representing the plaintiffs in lawsuit, claimed alleged espionage on Assange’s lawyers say the WikiLeaks founder’s right to a fair trial “has now been tainted, if not destroyed”.
“There should be sanctions, even up to dismissal of these charges or withdrawal of extradition request,” Boyle told reporters.
The lawsuit was filed by lawyers Margaret Ratner Kunstler and Deborah Hrbek, as well as journalists Charles Glass and John Goetz.
They all visited Assange while he was staying at the Ecuadorian embassy. in London under political asylum, as withdrawn.
In a suit the name of the CIA, former CIA director as well as former US secretary of State Pompeo and security firm Undercover Global as defendants.
The lawsuit blames Undercover Global, which had a security contract. with embassy, swept information on their electronic devices, including means of communication with Assange and provided it to the CIA.
He also placed microphones around the embassy and sent recordings and CCTV footage to the CIA, the lawsuit alleges.
This, lawyers argue, violated privacy protections. for US citizens.
Assange awaits decision on his appeal of British extradition order to the United States.
The accusations he faces could lead to a sentence of up up to 175 years in prison.
The lawsuit alleges that while Undercover Global controlled security at the embassy, every visitor was required to leave their electronic devices. with security guard before meeting with Assange.
” information contained on the plaintiff’s devices were copied and eventually turned over to the CIA,” it says. “Defendant Pompeo knew of and approved copying of information contained on plaintiffs mobile electronic devices and clandestine audio monitoring of their meetings with Assange,” the lawsuit says.
