This is just to save face and make it look like the whole thing wasn't driven by US pressure from the outset. There's no chance he will end up standing trial in Sweden, unlikely they could even bring such a flimsy case to court, and unlikely that the UK would prioritize Sweden's request over the US. I doubt they'll even get round to making a formal extradition request. This is an empty gesture.
Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition
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Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition
#42Assange is accused of unlawful coercion and "lesser-degree rape" (mindre grov våldtäkt). In the first case, the complainant willingly had an intercourse with him. But after sex, she realized that the condom had a hole. She claims that he made it. In the second case, the complainant also willingly had an intercourse with Assange, they slept naked together. The next day in the morning, he penetrated her without a condo…
And while it doesn't change the ethical and moral landscape around his alleged actions, people should be aware that what he is accused of is not illegal in the US.
I don’t believe there is a distinction between reproductive coercion and sexual assault in the United States. IANAL, though.
Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition
#43[flagged]
Strangely, a Russian diplomatic car didn't come to pick him up from the Ecuadorian embassy.
Yeah because the second Assange had set foot outside the embassy, the UK cops would have arrested him. Even in a car / "diplomatic bag" the UK cops would have the right to search it for Assange, because, well, a smuggled body isn't exactly "articles intended for official use" (per Art. 27 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations).
Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition
#44> “His attitude is that he is happy to cooperate with Sweden and that he wants to be interviewed and that he wants to clear his name,” Samuelson told Reuters. He spent how many years on both UK soil and then the Ecuadorean embassy to fight these Swedish allegations and now he's "happy to cooperate". He's imprisoned himself all these years for nothing.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
He could probably have been leading a quiet life in Sweden by now, having served his sentence in a nice Swedish prison.
Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition
#45[flagged]
The idea that WL is responsible for Clinton's loss - rather than her being a terrible candidate - is laughable. To credit Assange with Trump's election is a complete joke - not least because the same people attacking him for releasing Clinton / Podesta / DNC emails have spent the past several years utterly failing to take stock of the reasons they lost.
I say all this as a non-US observer. The US' media and political figures are completely unfit for purpose.
Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition
#46Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition
#47Can someone explain to me why the general public has ”turned” on Assange in the last few years? Is it because Wikileaks revealed those Hillary Clinton emails? And that’s the ”protagonist” party? Or is it the rape accusations initiated in Sweden?
The entire western world is against him, I mean governments with all their power. Aligning with Russia didn't help him, although like Snowden, he had no choice once essentially declaring war to US allies.
Never underestimate what nation states can do. They'll bring down your entire economy unless...or they can pay, bribe or blackmail someone into filing rape charges against you. Or plant a bag of cocaine, and then behave like good citizens by calling the equivalent of 911 on you.
Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
Perhaps they are prosecuting him because he is accused of committing a crime?
It seems that the word "rape" is somehow exaggeration. Per Wikipedia (assuming it is reliable source here, hasn't checked sources it cites) "On 20 August 2010, two women, a 26-year-old living in Enköping and a 31-year-old living in Stockholm, reported to the Swedish police that Assange had engaged in unprotected sexual activity with them that violated the scope of their consent. "The next day, the case was transferre…
This was before the alleged victims' lawyer asked the prosecutor to review the decision. Anyway, Assange has been sought in Sweden since 2010 for rape under mitigating circumstances, which carries a maximum sentence of four years and statute of limitations of ten years.
Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition
#49Can someone explain to me why the general public has ”turned” on Assange in the last few years? Is it because Wikileaks revealed those Hillary Clinton emails? And that’s the ”protagonist” party? Or is it the rape accusations initiated in Sweden?
WL published papers against Clinton, but not much against Trump, therefore he is a traitor.
Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition
#50This is just to save face and make it look like the whole thing wasn't driven by US pressure from the outset. There's no chance he will end up standing trial in Sweden, unlikely they could even bring such a flimsy case to court, and unlikely that the UK would prioritize Sweden's request over the US. I doubt they'll even get round to making a formal extradition request. This is an empty gesture.
You call it a flmisy case but Assange has tried to resist extradition from the UK to Sweden and he failed in court.
It's useful to read this court document which sets out some of his claims, and why they fail: https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2011/2849.html