Assange Must Be Extradited
By: - 11:57 am, April 14th, 2019 - 205 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, accountability, crime, Deep stuff, domestic violence, International,patriarchy, prisons, sexism, violence against women - Tags: julian assange, rape, sexual assault, sexual violence,sweden, wikileaks
Categories: Abuse of power, accountability, crime, Deep stuff, domestic violence, International,patriarchy, prisons, sexism, violence against women - Tags: julian assange, rape, sexual assault, sexual violence,sweden, wikileaks
One of the oddities of Julian Assange’s long overdue arrest is that extradition is now his best option.
Not to the US, of course, but to Sweden.
He is far less likely to be sent to the States from there than he is from the UK because Sweden has stronger protections around sending prisoners to countries where the death penalty is possible.
Not that the sanction of execution is directly hanging over him, though I do sense that the accusation of conspiring with Chelsea Manning to hack her employer is merely a holding charge.
If he does find himself in the States, more serious trials await.
So Assange’s best bet is do his time in the UK for breaching bail (6-9 months, apparently) and accept a return to Stockholm to defend the rape and sexual assault charges when they are laid.
One of his accuser’s lawyer has said that her client wants the investigation re-opened.
The woman’s accusation, Swedish prosecutors told England’s High Court in 2011, was that in her home, “Assange deliberately consummated sexual intercourse with her by improperly exploiting that she, due to sleep, was in a helpless state.”
“It is an aggravating circumstance,” the prosecutors added, “that 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, still consummated unprotected sexual intercourse with her.”
The second alleged victim is Anna Ardin. She told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet in 2010 that the complaints were “not orchestrated by the Pentagon” but the result of actions by “a man who has a twisted attitude toward women and a problem taking no for an answer.”
The Swedish prosecution authority says that the investigation could be reopened as the statute of limitations for the suspected crime of rape is 10 years and the offence was allegedly committed in mid-August 2010.
The Swedish authorities will come under considerable pressure to proceed with the case. This is entirely right and proper.
If the authorities in the UK look to extradite Assange to the US ahead of Sweden, it will send the message, yet again, that rape is a trivial matter.
This point has been made by 70 British Parliamentarians, who have written to Home Secretary Sajid Javid asking for due process to be followed and the accusations of sexual assault not to be minimised.
Sarah Green, co-director of End Violence Against Women, claims Assange’s portrayal by some as a victim was an affront to rape survivors.
“He’s always benefited from his cult hero status, painting himself as a victim and being very righteous. Yet this is about rape, it’s what he is accused of. It’s extremely serious.”
Green adds that the rape allegations were being smothered by the wider debate on Assange.
“The constant downplaying of rape that lies at the centre of this is undignified. This is serious – the harm rape does, even the impact it has when people dangle it around in the news as though it’s a trivial part of the story,”.
The Guardian’s Owen Jones also makes this point in an excellent opinion piece:
“You cannot be a progressive if your response to someone making an accusation of rape is to dismiss her simply because you admire the man who is accused – worse, to portray a woman as a lying, Machiavellian schemer trying to bring down a great man is misogyny.”
As usual, Jeremy Corbyn fluffed his lines, failing to mention the possible Swedish case, while calling for Assange to be protected from extradition to the US. The Labour leader quickly realised his mistake and offered a ‘clarification’, saying“Sweden must come up with proposals on this, and I do think he should answer those questions,” .
Corbyn might be slow off the mark, but he got there eventually.
However, the question remains for other Assange supporters whose uncritical hero worship is blinding themselves to their unwitting support of rape culture.
It’s going to be embarrassing for many when Assange’s defence team decides to swallow a dead rat and accept that his best option to avoid life in an American prison is to finally accept he has a case to answer in Sweden.
Post Brexit is just fanciful nonsense, as Britain is deeply embedded in 5 eyes. No one else in Europe is anything like that. Why is it so much post Brexit speculation based on fantasy
Charges could well have been laid by the US before the events in Sweden, and Assange’s extradition sort. The US did not have to rely on an indictment of Assange by Sweden. To confuse the two matters is obfuscation of the worst kind.
23 July 2018 at 11:20 am
23 July 2018 at 1:29 pm
http://johnpilger.com/articles/the-assange-arrest-is-a-warning-from-history
Laugh at the offensiveness of it all ( the world ) … not the comedian
The Al1en 6.1
16 April 2019 at 7:53 pm
At least you’re admitting my quotes above are correct.
As you can see, at no time has ‘ ‘Yup … you were rude to me.’ been put in quotes themselves, just included in quotes you made in posts above.
16 April 2019 at 8:25 pm
Well I might have to use it because the allegation that “The Al1en however did use exact quote marks” ” …. claiming I was quoting you ver batum. ….. was he being dishonest? … probably .” is just more bull shit.
14 April 2019 at 3:41 pm
“I asked TRP if he was going to let that stand …… his reply ‘Yup … you were rude to me.”
That’s a lie, isn’t it?
14 April 2019 at 4:14 pm
I’ve quoted directly from the thread. No argument from me. It’s black and white.
14 April 2019 at 5:02 pm
Find your own thread. I did. Maybe you can too. But I can tell you for sure there’s no “I asked TRP if he was going to let that stand …… his reply ‘Yup … you were rude to me.” in there.
I wouldn’t be claiming leaving out a line that is separated from the text I was quoting as a win, but I can see why you would. lol
There are already plenty enough reasons to show how you’ve been proved incorrect and motive mischievous in this thread without even trying to discredit your latest smears.
Staying in it only adds fuel to your flame war.
Every point answered, everything above board and legit.
TA.
https://www.rt.com › Shows › CrossTalk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Dore
April 11th, 2019
TRP
47.1.2
“I think it’s kinda ironic that Assange was rudely awakened yesterday to find he was fucked without protection.”
Blair making secret deals for his release.
Reagan chomping at the bit to offer him asylum as a special guest…
We are talking about a NARCISSIST, someone who doesn”t see to the kitty litter, someone who skateboards and attempts to block the cameras surveilling him FOR HIS OWN DAMN SAFETY mind you
Someone who’s careless with condoms, and that TRUMPS torture and any minor spot of murder that Pinochet might have got up to
Straighten up and get your priorities right
Beneath you TRP, first to make the stupid joke ..snigger ..snigger, secondly to
attempt a weaselly way out
Keep it up.
Akin to Judith Collins and the way she could wave off concerns with double bunking
I have come to understand that victim blaming is wrong.
A lot to do with power imbalances.
Surely though with that provocation is an obligation to keep the shit-stirring cheerleaders in check.
I am not aware of the history between reason and Al1en, clearly there was pain being expressed. Everything goes downhill when provocateurs lob their wee grenades into the thread.
Or would that fall under misogyny or just ‘dumb enough to fuck the fucker and thus getting what she deserves? Cause when you fuck a fucker you deserve all you get, right? I mean what was she thinking fucking J.A. – a nice night followed by a decent breakfast?
they just want to fuck about any which way they like as is their god given right?
“he ignored her wishes to the use of a condom and actually risked impregnating her (what a riot fathering children willy nilly the planet over ), risking sexual transmitted diseases (a hoot too cause hey everyone loves a bout of gonorrhea or such) and essentially disregarding the clauses under which consent was given.”
wouldn’t you say the Swedish authorities sorely abrogated their duties in not charging Assange when he voluntarily met with such authorities to answer their questions?