Earlier quoted context omitted.
Julian Assange is not a journalist.
You are incorrect, he is a journalist. https://medium.com/@caityjohnstone/smear-1-he-is-not-a-journ...
I can only assume you’re trolling.
Julian Assange Appears in Court for U.S. Extradition Hearing
131–140 of 172 posts
Re: Julian Assange Appears in Court for U.S. Extradition Hearing
#132I don't really care which way this goes. Assange is a despicable person: he has been a pompous ideologue; he was accused of rape in Sweden; he acted as a "useful idiot" (at best) for the Russians; and he finally irritated the Ecuadoreans enough that they kicked him out of their embassy, which is why he is facing extradition. I'm not eager to punish him, but I wouldn't object to him spending some time in prison.
> he was accused of rape in Sweden
Tell me how being accused of rape makes you a despicable person.
I could accuse you of rape in this moment. Would you instantly become a despicable person?
Re: Julian Assange Appears in Court for U.S. Extradition Hearing
#133Earlier quoted context omitted.
Rather, where is the proof that he did? The burden of proof is on the accuser.
That is the entire purpose of a trial. The accuser brings forth evidence against the accused. Assange is under federal indictment meaning that a grand jury was presented evidence and decided that it was enough to file charges. However, the parent comment claims that Assange is innocent.
The indictment formulation is “assisted with”. It is really vague; publishing results can be interpreted as assistance.
Re: Julian Assange Appears in Court for U.S. Extradition Hearing
#134Re: Julian Assange Appears in Court for U.S. Extradition Hearing
#135Re: Julian Assange Appears in Court for U.S. Extradition Hearing
#136I don't really care which way this goes. Assange is a despicable person: he has been a pompous ideologue; he was accused of rape in Sweden; he acted as a "useful idiot" (at best) for the Russians; and he finally irritated the Ecuadoreans enough that they kicked him out of their embassy, which is why he is facing extradition. I'm not eager to punish him, but I wouldn't object to him spending some time in prison.
> he was accused of rape in Sweden Tell me how being accused of rape makes you a despicable person. I could accuse you of rape in this moment. Would you instantly become a despicable person?
I found the Swedish accusations credible at the time, at least enough that he should have stood trial. Maybe they were false, and he would have been acquitted after some time in court and jail, but he dodged the trial instead.
Even if you weren't convinced by the accusations, there are plenty of other reasons to find Assange despicable, some of which I listed.
Re: Julian Assange Appears in Court for U.S. Extradition Hearing
#137It is sad that they are sending this journalist to jail
Leaving aside he question of where the boundary of the class “journalist” should be drawn, I'm unsympathetic to the general idea that journalists are entitled to special treatment, and can see no argument that special treatment of the form “are entitled to jump bail in extradition cases related to rape charges” is appropriate for journalists.
I agree, though, to the extent that it is sad that Assange engaged in the behavior for which he is being sent to jail, but that is no one's fault but his own.
Re: Julian Assange Appears in Court for U.S. Extradition Hearing
#138Earlier quoted context omitted.
Treason has a specific definition in the us Constitution and it's a quite difficult bar to cross.
Lying about a war for corrupt reasons surely qualifies.
No, it doesn't. It certainly qualifies as official malfeasance, but treason in the US is defined narrowly in the Constitution (as an express reaction against “treason” being expansively applied.)
Re: Julian Assange Appears in Court for U.S. Extradition Hearing
#139Earlier quoted context omitted.
It might. Part of Ecuador's public justification for kicking Assange out was that it had received a "verbal" pledge [0] from the U.S. and the UK that the U.S. would not be seeking the death penalty. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who apparently agreed to this, is resigning. In 2010 [1], Trump commented that "there should be like death penalty or something" for Wikileaks. But obviously things have changed sin…
The US cannot seek the death penalty for people extradited from the EU. Well ok, they technically can break their own treaties but then no EU nation will ever extradite to them again. And many other countries require similar assurances which would now be worthless. Incidentally, the maximum penalty for the charges is five years, which is far short of a death sentence.
He can face more charges later, possibly more are already under seal. It is very unlikely he will face capital punishment, there is also legal precedent from the '60s in federal cases that makes it so.
Re: Julian Assange Appears in Court for U.S. Extradition Hearing
#140It’s amazing that the state moves so quickly when someone operates against its interests.
This hearing is the beginning of the process, and unnecessary delay at this point would be unsettling (leaving him wondering whether the other shoe will ever drop).
The fact that the very first hearing took place only weeks after Britain got him in custody doesn’t say anything about how quickly other hearings will take place, when a decision will be made, etc. It’s really silly to call for everyone to slow down at this point.