Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

bbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 784 posts

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#21

Post by criley2 »

ceejayoz wrote: post #19
criley2 wrote: post #16

[flagged]

Assange isn't a great example of someone escaping justice (or "the arm of the law", if you'd prefer). He spent years in a prison-like environment, and is now in prison for skipping out on bail - he's been in jail-like conditions far longer than the original crime would've incurred. He's likely to wind up in US hands later on, too.

1. His self-imposed sequester was not in prison and had NOTHING to do with justice or serving time. He willingly chose his location and is allowed to leave it at any moment. Can you say that of any prisoner? He had free access to internet and visitors and many many luxuries rightfully denied to criminals serving time

2. Even if you think his "self-imposed punishment" was bad, it categorically by definition is not justice, and as this point, he raped a woman (understood the limits of her consent, and violated that consent to engage in non-consensual sex) and has gotten away with it with literally zero repercussion.

Even from a rehabilitation standpoint, does anyway seriously think Julian learned his lesson and will respect consent after he literally got away with raping someone?

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#22

Post by vertex-four »

Shihan wrote: post #13
ceejayoz wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Memory weakens over time, and the case would've largely hinged on memory-based testimony.

Yeah, but the testimony was surely recorded already some years ago? Or did they just wait.. I doubt so.

Sure, except that the victims would be called to the stand and get to answer everything they're asked with "I don't really remember", which isn't amazingly convincing.

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#26

Post by willis936 »

jakelazaroff wrote: post #4
ivl wrote: post #2

> "The reason for this decision is that the evidence has weakened considerably due to the long period of time that has elapsed since the events in question." I'm not sure I understand what's meant by this. Did the victims testimony change? How does evidence weaken over time?

Eyewitnesses’ memories get worse, records get lost, etc. This is one of the reasons that statutes of limitations exist.

And they probably shouldn’t. Statute of limitations should only be to protect against fast changes to the law that apply retroactively.

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#27

Post by ceejayoz »

criley2 wrote: post #21
ceejayoz wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assange isn't a great example of someone escaping justice (or "the arm of the law", if you'd prefer). He spent years in a prison-like environment, and is now in prison for skipping out on bail - he's been in jail-like conditions far longer than the original crime would've incurred. He's likely to wind up in US hands later on, too.

1. His self-imposed sequester was not in prison and had NOTHING to do with justice or serving time. He willingly chose his location and is allowed to leave it at any moment. Can you say that of any prisoner? He had free access to internet and visitors and many many luxuries rightfully denied to criminals serving time 2. Even if you think his "self-imposed punishment" was bad, it categorically by definition is not jus…

His embassy conditions, by all accounts, were pretty similar to a Nordic prison. "Allowed to leave at any moment" is a bit of a disingenuous way of describing "be immediately arrested and taken to real-jail". His freedom of movement was severely restricted for a good part of a decade - that's a significant repercussion, even if not directly inflicted by a court.

> Even from a rehabilitation standpoint, does anyway seriously think Julian learned his lesson and will respect consent after he literally got away with raping someone?

Oh, not at all, but the same is true for many of those who go through the normal justice system.

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#28

Post by kkarakk »

ivl wrote: post #2

> "The reason for this decision is that the evidence has weakened considerably due to the long period of time that has elapsed since the events in question." I'm not sure I understand what's meant by this. Did the victims testimony change? How does evidence weaken over time?

He got picked up in a country that the US can extradite from and they would actually have to look at the case now. This thing has been so transparent.

Stay safe Snowden and all you other possible whistleblowers/leakers out there!

To people downvoting me - check out the vox article on this earlier this year.

https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/4/12/18306901/julian-ass...

The women were "vehement" about restarting the case. Reportedly were "willing to do whatever it takes to force case to be re-opened" The statute of limitations is August,2020.

But suddenly it doesn't matter according to sweden

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#30

Post by criley2 »

criley2 wrote: post #21
ceejayoz wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Assange isn't a great example of someone escaping justice (or "the arm of the law", if you'd prefer). He spent years in a prison-like environment, and is now in prison for skipping out on bail - he's been in jail-like conditions far longer than the original crime would've incurred. He's likely to wind up in US hands later on, too.

1. His self-imposed sequester was not in prison and had NOTHING to do with justice or serving time. He willingly chose his location and is allowed to leave it at any moment. Can you say that of any prisoner? He had free access to internet and visitors and many many luxuries rightfully denied to criminals serving time 2. Even if you think his "self-imposed punishment" was bad, it categorically by definition is not jus…

I don't care if his voluntary embassy stay was "similar to a Nordic prison" because he was not made to stand trial and face justice for his crimes. Justice isn't "well I did a bad thing and locked myself in a comfy house with internet and takeout food for a few years". Could you even imagine?

His "freedom of movement" is self-restricted by his fear that he will have to face justice for acting as an agent of Russian military intelligence to attack America including laundering Russian intelligence into America to upset elections.

He got away with raping a woman completely. Zero justice, zero rehabilitation, zero punishment.

His voluntary embassy stay is related to his fear of facing justice for playing spy games, not for rape.

EDIT: It's disgusting how many people are justifying his lack of justice for raping a woman by saying that his unrelated embassy stay "makes up" for it. What happened to morality? He raped a woman and did not stand trial for it. He received no punishment.

If you did this, make no mistake, you'd have gone to prison. Because you're not an agent government playing spy games. Because protecting you doesn't advance a nations anti-west ideology. Because you're a regular person so you have to face regular person justice.

Post reply on HN