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Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition

reuters.com

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Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition

#361

Post by dogma1138 »

viraptor wrote: post #350
dogma1138 wrote: post #346

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or they don’t want to set a precedent that you can hide out of reach of justice just because you are famous? What’s next should you be able get trial over FaceTime while evading the police without any consequences?

I'm not sure what the issue is. If you are already hiding in a place unreachable by the Swedish LE, you don't have to take part in anything. If you agree to take part in the investigation over internet anyway, that's still better for the victims. (verdict, potential damages from any sources the LE can take over, public acknowledgement of guilt, etc.)

For the same reason you don't usually negotiate with terrorists? Or any other behaviour you don't condone, right or wrong the guy made a mockery of Swedish LE if nothing else he should be charged with obstruction for going AWOL after agreeing to come for an interview and then skipped the country a day before.

Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition

#362

Post by tommorris »

dullgiulio wrote: post #128
ChrisSD wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In a word, no. He broke his bail agreement and was a fugitive for years. The supporters who put money and assets forward where doing it to show their faith that Assange was not a flight risk. This has been proven to be false.

Also (correct me if I am wrong), there is no legal trace that the bail money was not from Assange own funds. In other words, if he did surrender according to terms, the money would have gone back to Assange who would have returned it to the donors himself. I am not sure the donors have any legal way to get the money back now. Unless there were agreements Assange signed, all that money was basically gifts.

It is a criminal offence under s9 of the Bail Act 1976 to agree to indemnify a bail surety. If Assange's guarantors had entered into an agreement with Assange, that agreement would have been illegal under English criminal law, and thus an unenforceable contract.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1976/63/section/9

Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition

#363

Post by ivarb »

btilly wrote: post #296
ivarb wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The diplomatic cables were released November 28 2010. The international arrest warrant November 18 2010. Before that other documents had been released, during the course of almost a year. So, the way I see it there is nothing really special about the timeline here. It is interesting that a lot of people seem to think that he should not be held responsible (or at least investigated) for the crimes he might have commit…

The wrong event may have been cited, but the timeline was special. As https://www.npr.org/2019/04/11/712306713/12-years-of-disrupt... verifies, here is the order of events. April, a famous video was released from inside a chopper that was mistakenly shooting journalists. May, Chelsea Manning was arrested for that. July, 75,000 documents were released about the Afghan war. August, the rape charges are filed. October,…

"Moving on, please check your assumptions about whether he should be held responsible. It is my belief that he is an example of selective enforcement of laws that should be more broadly enforced. " Okay... I live in Sweden and my view is not that he is a victim of selective enforcement. All rape allegations reported to the police are investigated in Sweden as far as I know. Unfortunately it is usually hard to find supporting evidence and it is usually word against word, which often is not enough for conviction. That his case was open for so long, and that the prosecutor found a reason to reopen the case (on request of the victim) does indicate that there might be substantial evidence.

Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition

#364

Post by teddyh »

turk73 wrote: post #85
sedeki wrote: post #22

Can 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?

Who says the public has turned? Only the media has turned and they are promoting a particular narrative. It's funny that so many powerful people are quaking in their boots over this guy. Guilty much? Assange is still alive. That tells me that what he has much be unbelievable political dynamite.

> Who says the public has turned? Only the media has turned and they are promoting a particular narrative.

The media controls the public, so the question of why the public has turned is the same question as asking why the media has turned.

Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition

#365

Post by viraptor »

dogma1138 wrote: post #361
viraptor wrote: post #350

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure what the issue is. If you are already hiding in a place unreachable by the Swedish LE, you don't have to take part in anything. If you agree to take part in the investigation over internet anyway, that's still better for the victims. (verdict, potential damages from any sources the LE can take over, public acknowledgement of guilt, etc.)

For the same reason you don't usually negotiate with terrorists? Or any other behaviour you don't condone, right or wrong the guy made a mockery of Swedish LE if nothing else he should be charged with obstruction for going AWOL after agreeing to come for an interview and then skipped the country a day before.

I don't see how this is similar to negotiating with terrorists. He holds no power in this case while physically unreachable by Sweden. If found guilty, he gets more problems. If found innocent, he's stuck with all the original problems.

Charging him for running away also seems irrelevant to the original question - was this case more than a political play.

Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition

#366

Post by rich-tea »

lostjohnny wrote: post #351
rich-tea wrote: post #281

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I refer you to the children's story "Crying Wolf".

That's not what the story talks about. Do you remember it? First of all the story is titled "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" But, most importantly, the boy was "crying wolf" when there was no wolf .

Oh no, I got the title wrong! Yes, of course I remember what it is about. And, yes, it is perfectly applicable here.

Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition

#367

Post by viivaux »

dang wrote: post #330
viivaux wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are links to primary evidence and unbiased sources throughout. It's absolutely riddled with them, as this thread is with people like you. So, you're welcome. Except, from your recent comments you seem highly averse to becoming familiar with the facts, even when people have put them right in front of you.

Personal attacks will get you banned here, regardless of whether someone else posted a bad comment. We've had to warn you several times before. Would you please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and fix this, so we don't have to ban you?

Wasn't a personal attack - it was a statement of fact. Please learn the difference.

Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition

#368

Post by scoot_718 »

nvarsj wrote: post #195
tarcyanm wrote: post #154

Assange himself and the rape charges have been politicized to such an extent that I find it essentially meaningless to pontificate about what may or may not have happened in Sweden. His character has been debated endlessly, but when one thinks of what WikiLeaks has actually revealed, I find it totally likely that a systematic effort was made to curtail him: https://twitter.com/SomersetBean/status/1116916146458877952/…

Exactly. There is almost certainly an organized government sponsored campaign to discredit him in every way possible. That means the things we read in the media about him need to be considered very critically.

I agree. Except he's the one running the campaign to discredit himself. Wikileaks has done the damage to his own reputation, all sponsored by Russia.

He's actively hurt the goal of radical transparency with his antics. Actual people with principles abandoned Wikileaks a decade ago.

Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition

#369

Post by scoot_718 »

tarcyanm wrote: post #154

Assange himself and the rape charges have been politicized to such an extent that I find it essentially meaningless to pontificate about what may or may not have happened in Sweden. His character has been debated endlessly, but when one thinks of what WikiLeaks has actually revealed, I find it totally likely that a systematic effort was made to curtail him: https://twitter.com/SomersetBean/status/1116916146458877952/…

He certainly would love everyone to believe he's a man of principles, unfortunately his actions over past decades don't work in his favour.

Re: Sweden reopens Assange rape investigation, to seek extradition

#370

Post by dogma1138 »

viraptor wrote: post #365
dogma1138 wrote: post #361

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the same reason you don't usually negotiate with terrorists? Or any other behaviour you don't condone, right or wrong the guy made a mockery of Swedish LE if nothing else he should be charged with obstruction for going AWOL after agreeing to come for an interview and then skipped the country a day before.

I don't see how this is similar to negotiating with terrorists. He holds no power in this case while physically unreachable by Sweden. If found guilty, he gets more problems. If found innocent, he's stuck with all the original problems. Charging him for running away also seems irrelevant to the original question - was this case more than a political play.

So in your opinion it's ok for someone who committed a crime to run away and hide and then have the DA go and question to them knowing regardless of the outcome they can't touch them and even compelling them to answer questions would be impossible unlike in court?

Ofc not, they should be marked as fugitives and held in contempt until they can brought in.

This wasn't a political case this was an asshole trying to escape justice, he knew he wouldn't be extradited to the US from Sweden he just hoped to play that while he plays the UK authorities while he spins this as political prosecution to his fans and the media to gather public support.

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