Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation • Hacker News Board

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#191

Post by freejulian85 » Tue, Nov 19, 2019, 3:05 PM UTC

goerz wrote: post #180

k1m wrote: post #35

Worth mentioning that Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, visited Assange and described his treatment as psychological torture: > “It was obvious that Mr. Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years,” the expert said. “Most importantly, in addition to physical ailments, Mr. Assange showed all symptoms typical for…

> Mr. Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years Let me correct that: Mr Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the environment that he exposed himself to (Edit: I’m talking about the embassy episode here, not his more recent incarceration)

> Mr Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the environment that he exposed himself to

Fuck you.

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#192

Post by matthewdgreen » Tue, Nov 19, 2019, 3:05 PM UTC

himinlomax wrote: post #31

criley2 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

He chose conditions that were arguably worse in most respects but one (access to communication/internet) than a Swedish prison. Prison sentences in Sweden are hardly ever longer than his stay in the embassy, except for the most heinous crimes. His claim all along was that he seek refuge in the embassy were because he feared US extradition. Those claims were ridiculed by his opponents. They are now incontrovertibly ve…

My understanding (based on reporting [1]) is that the Obama administration was very much on the fence about prosecuting Assange, largely because they were concerned about political blowback and precedent that it might set for prosecuting journalists. The added blowback from using the Swedish rape charge as a "backdoor" extradition would have made the case politically even more charged. So there was a view that, while extradition was possible, it was so politically fraught that Assange had a pretty good chance of walking away from it. This was also a time when Wikileaks/Assange was relatively more popular, since they weren't perceived as taking a partisan interest in an election outcome [2].

Then Donald Trump got elected and Assange was doomed.

[1] https://apnews.com/3d9c190f66cc4e5b8669bcc0b6c1eff9 [2] https://theintercept.com/2018/02/14/julian-assange-wikileaks...

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#193

Post by Steer » Tue, Nov 19, 2019, 3:06 PM UTC

buboard wrote: post #158

plesner wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's possible to be both unfairly targeted by a superpower and commit sexual assault, one doesn't cancel out the other. I'm not saying he did, I don't know how any of us could know. You seem quite confident he didn't though, I'm curious what you base that on.

the charges were of 'rape' (not sexual assault), as it is defined in sweden. I m pretty sure these charges don't qualify as rape in most other countries: https://www.vox.com/identities/2019/4/12/18306901/julian-ass...

I understand you feel Swedish law is too harsh on this, but surely that is besides the point since Assange was in Sweden at the time of the alleged crime? It doesn't really matter if his actions qualifies as rape in any other country or not if they do in Sweden (which was for the courts to decide).

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#194

Post by ceejayoz » Tue, Nov 19, 2019, 3:06 PM UTC

deiznof wrote: post #129

ceejayoz wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/julian-ass... > Assange, who was aware that it was the expressed wish of the injured party and a prerequisite of sexual intercourse that a condom be used, consummated unprotected sexual intercourse with her without her knowledge. > Assange deliberately consummated sexual intercourse with her by improperly exploiting that she, due to sleep, was in a helpless state. It…

These are just the original accusations, this is not a summary of established facts.

The parent comment gave a somewhat inaccurate picture of the allegations, hence my linking them.

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#195

Post by mapcars » Tue, Nov 19, 2019, 3:06 PM UTC

criley2 wrote: post #30

criley2 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 m…

>face justice for his crimes

Which crimes exactly? Folloing a link from above:

>Strangely, however, the women themselves never claimed to have been raped, nor did they intend to report a criminal offence. Go figure. Moreover, the forensic examination of a condom submitted as evidence, supposedly worn and torn during intercourse with Assange, revealed no DNA whatsoever — neither his, nor hers, nor anybody else’s. Go figure again. One woman even texted that she only wanted Assange to take an HIV test, but that the police were “keen on getting their hands on him”. Go figure, once more.

https://medium.com/@njmelzer/demasking-the-torture-of-julian...

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#196

Post by dependenttypes » Tue, Nov 19, 2019, 3:07 PM UTC

goerz wrote: post #180

k1m wrote: post #35

Worth mentioning that Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, visited Assange and described his treatment as psychological torture: > “It was obvious that Mr. Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years,” the expert said. “Most importantly, in addition to physical ailments, Mr. Assange showed all symptoms typical for…

> Mr. Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years Let me correct that: Mr Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the environment that he exposed himself to (Edit: I’m talking about the embassy episode here, not his more recent incarceration)

It's not like he had any better choice here.

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#197

Post by cortic » Tue, Nov 19, 2019, 3:07 PM UTC

duxup wrote: post #134

k1m wrote: post #35

Worth mentioning that Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, visited Assange and described his treatment as psychological torture: > “It was obvious that Mr. Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years,” the expert said. “Most importantly, in addition to physical ailments, Mr. Assange showed all symptoms typical for…

I find the idea of the threat of prosecution in a free country as a form of "torture" a bit questionable. It's something, but i'm not sure I agree with calling that torture.

It was the threat of being deported to a country that has the death penalty and routinely torchers people for years without trial; If you honestly can't imagine being stressed about that then you are just not trying.

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#198

Post by dependenttypes » Tue, Nov 19, 2019, 3:07 PM UTC

freejulian85 wrote: post #191

goerz wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Mr. Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years Let me correct that: Mr Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the environment that he exposed himself to (Edit: I’m talking about the embassy episode here, not his more recent incarceration)

> Mr Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the environment that he exposed himself to Fuck you.

Please don't do that.

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#199

Post by friendlybus » Tue, Nov 19, 2019, 3:07 PM UTC

buboard wrote: post #149

k1m wrote: post #35

Worth mentioning that Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, visited Assange and described his treatment as psychological torture: > “It was obvious that Mr. Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years,” the expert said. “Most importantly, in addition to physical ailments, Mr. Assange showed all symptoms typical for…

7 years confined in a room, no matter how nice the embassy, common sense says it is obviously psychological torture.

Being confined to a room is not so bad, being confined to a room where you know if you leave or piss off the host of your room enough, that the most powerful government on the planet has a secret indictment sealed ready to go the second you make a mistake and senators have called for your head off publicly, is a little more stressful.

Re: Sweden Drops Julian Assange Rape Investigation

#200

Post by entropea » Tue, Nov 19, 2019, 3:08 PM UTC

goerz wrote: post #180

k1m wrote: post #35

Worth mentioning that Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, visited Assange and described his treatment as psychological torture: > “It was obvious that Mr. Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years,” the expert said. “Most importantly, in addition to physical ailments, Mr. Assange showed all symptoms typical for…

> Mr. Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years Let me correct that: Mr Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the environment that he exposed himself to (Edit: I’m talking about the embassy episode here, not his more recent incarceration)

>he exposed himself to

Did you miss what happened to him when he was arrested? He's now being tortured even more. He put himself there, for his safety, and to think he did it 'just because' is wildly ridiculous.