New Zealand to Extradite Kim Dotcom to US

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Facts

  • New Zealand's Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith has signed an extradition order for Kim Dotcom, the founder of the now-defunct file-sharing website Megaupload, on charges of online piracy, a ministerial spokesperson announced Thursday.[1]
  • In a statement, Goldsmith said he 'decided that Mr Dotcom should be surrendered to the US to face trial' after considering all available information, adding that he gave Dotcom 'a short period of time' to seek advice on his decision.[2]
  • The German-born entrepreneur has been fighting his extradition to the US since 2012, arguing that he isn't liable for copyright infringements committed by users of Megaupload.[3]
  • This comes after Dotcom accused New Zealand of being an 'obedient US colony in the South Pacific,' claiming he had no control over what users uploaded to the platform. He has refused to leave New Zealand.[4]
  • Megaupload was allegedly used to share pirated copies of films and music, with US authorities claiming the company profited from the intellectual property of others. Extradition enforcement is likely to take years.[5]
  • Following Megaupload's shutdown in 2012, US authorities filed charges of conspiracy, racketeering, and money laundering against Dotcom and three co-defendants, with the internet entrepreneur potentially facing decades in prison if found guilty.[6]

Sources: [1]BBC News, [2]Reuters, [3]Guardian, [4]Abc, [5]NZ Herald and [6]CBS.

Narratives

  • Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by ABC News. That New Zealand has finally approved the US extradition request for Dotcom is a victory for justice and underlines the independence of the country's legal system. The flamboyant internet fraudster was the architect of a vast criminal enterprise, as indicated by the previous guilty pleas of two of his associates. With the New Zealand Ministry of Justice's decision, the largest copyright trial in US history is now set for a happy ending, and the case proves that there is no hiding from the long arm of US jurisdiction.
  • Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by RT International. The witch hunt against Dotcom proves that he is right in calling New Zealand a US colony. Similarly to the Assange case, the US is trying to punish the internet mogul for standing up for freedom of expression and using his popularity to criticize the corrupt and hypocritical US empire openly. Now, the entrepreneur is facing extradition to a country he has never set foot in, and where he can't expect a fair trial. The case is politically motivated, marking the latest example of the US justice system's bankruptcy.

Predictions