Michael Clifford: Democracy abandons Assange at its peril

On Wednesday last, Julian Assange asked that he be allowed out from behind the bulletproof glass that encloses the dock.

He was speaking at Woolwich Crown Court, in London, which is hearing an extradition request from the US to hand him over. The lawyer for the US said he would have no problem if Assange was allowed to sit in the well of the court, handcuffed to a security official.