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Julian Assange arrested in London

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Julian Assange arrested in London

#161
post #141
post #25

This mean that the single most expensive police case in the history of UK will have an end. It will be interesting to see the final price tag in respect to the final verdict.

I wonder if the expense was solely borne by the UK taxpayer or if foreign interests helped finance it.

Obviously the tax payer. If there was any payments from foreign interests, they're more likely to end up in a Cayman Island bank account than HMRC's coffers.

Re: Julian Assange arrested in London

#162
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also feel the same way. He may have committed some heinous crimes outside of the actual hacking/leaking but to say we all didn't benefit from what we learned regarding how our government spies on us would just be flat out wrong..

What crimes did he commit? Honest question. I heard that someone accused him of being a rapist but then dropped the charges so I guess it was false. What else is there?

The charges were suspended under Swedish law, however they can be brought back, they haven't been outright dropped.

Re: Julian Assange arrested in London

#163
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What crimes did he commit? Honest question. I heard that someone accused him of being a rapist but then dropped the charges so I guess it was false. What else is there?

At this point, his "crime" is simply evading arrest. It will be interesting to see what they charge him with to justify a seven year siege.

If you spent a decade hiding in the basement because you're afraid of the neighbour's cat...

...it's not the cat's fault, and the cat doesn't have to prove that it is a vicious killer one needs to hide from.

Re: Julian Assange arrested in London

#164
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I also feel the same way. He may have committed some heinous crimes outside of the actual hacking/leaking but to say we all didn't benefit from what we learned regarding how our government spies on us would just be flat out wrong..

What crimes did he commit? Honest question. I heard that someone accused him of being a rapist but then dropped the charges so I guess it was false. What else is there?

The state prosecutor accused him of being a rapist. The alleged victim didn't accuse him of anything and only went to the police in an attempt to contact him to tell him to be tested for STDs since the condom broke. The state prosecutor found a way to twist that into a rape charge under Sweden's laws, even though the purported victim disagreed. Those charges were later dropped.

The only "crime" he committed was refusing to cooperate and fleeing the country, since he saw this only as a pretext to get him in custody for US extradition, which objectively was the case (the US wasn't hiding its attempts to get him extradited).

Re: Julian Assange arrested in London

#165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh come on. The fact that he has done some good doesn't mean that he is above the law.

What law, exactly?

failing to surrender to the court.

Bit like how in the US resisting arrest is a crime itself even if there was no legal grounds for the attempted arrest.

Re: Julian Assange arrested in London

#166
post #53
post #45

RIP. It's only a matter of time before he's extradited, and I would think the current US government would definitely push for the death penalty under the Espionage Act. I suppose it's little solace that he'll join a long list of illustrious names prosecuted under that infamous act. (Emma Goldman, Eugene Debs, Victor Berger, Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden)

Reading the rest of the comments, it's surprising that so many people seem to have reduced WikiLeaks & Assange to 'co-conspirators with the President'. They've been around before the 2016 election.

The majority of people I know don't remember or care what Chelsea Manning's leaks actually contained. Or that she exists.

Re: Julian Assange arrested in London

#167
post #45

RIP. It's only a matter of time before he's extradited, and I would think the current US government would definitely push for the death penalty under the Espionage Act. I suppose it's little solace that he'll join a long list of illustrious names prosecuted under that infamous act. (Emma Goldman, Eugene Debs, Victor Berger, Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden)

The UK does not permit extradition where there is a risk of the death penalty being applied. It would require an assurance against the death penalty as a condition of extradition.

Yes, if he were to be extradited facing the death penalty this would actually violate the European Convention on Human Rights as decided in Soering v UK.

Re: Julian Assange arrested in London

#168
post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Skipping bail; failing to surrender to the court after he was previously released on bail. The sexual assault case against him in Sweden has since been dropped, but the warrant for skipping bail is still active.

Though given his situation and the quite likely extradition to the US, who wouldn't have done the same? Technically something criminal but..

Why would he be extradited to the US instead of Sweden?

Re: Julian Assange arrested in London

#169
post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What crimes did he commit? Honest question. I heard that someone accused him of being a rapist but then dropped the charges so I guess it was false. What else is there?

What you've heard is false. The investigation was dropped simply because there was no way to proceed with the investigation with him still hiding away in the embassy. The investigation will be reopened if he returns to Sweden before August 2020 when the statute of limitations expires for the minor rape allegation. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39973864

You are misrepresenting the article or may not understand the finer details here. One example: Ny says they "Sweden did not expect Ecuador's co-operation in formally notifying Mr Assange of the allegations against him", yet that makes it clear that Sweden has not attempted to formally notifying Mr Assange.

Re: Julian Assange arrested in London

#170
post #45

RIP. It's only a matter of time before he's extradited, and I would think the current US government would definitely push for the death penalty under the Espionage Act. I suppose it's little solace that he'll join a long list of illustrious names prosecuted under that infamous act. (Emma Goldman, Eugene Debs, Victor Berger, Chelsea Manning, Edward Snowden)

If he’s likely to face the death penalty, then he has an excellent legal defence against extradition. If he’d left earlier, he’d have had a chance to appeal to the ECJ too. Ooops

This is not about the ECJ but he could instead appeal to the ECHR, which the UK is still a party to even if there was a Brexit.
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