Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils - Hector Berlioz
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Assange is locked up to make a point
WIKILEAKS FRONT MAN and founder Julian Assange is likely to be seen as the UK's first political prisoner since Mahatma Gandhi, now that he is in custody on dubious charges of rape and molestation under an Interpol arrest alert based upon an extradition warrant issued by Sweden, a country that apparently might have its own reasons to want to silence Wikileaks.
Despite having been in the UK for some time, having employed a UK lawyer, having been in contact with the police for months and having the money to pay for a substantial bail bond plus sureties offered by others, the court has taken a hard line and disallowed bail. Where there are rape allegations bail is rarely given and this is one reason that is said to be behind the lack of bail having been granted in this case.
According to The Guardian, the Swedish prosecutor claims that the investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by Assange are not part of a plot to silence Wikileaks, but the question remains, if that is so then why was nothing done for months?
Extraditing Assange will not be just a formality, because in August Swedish prosecutors had cancelled an arrest warrant for Assange relating to two accusations of rape and molestation, saying at the time that he was no longer suspected of a criminal offence. Then, they later resurrected the charges after the intervention of a right-wing Swedish politician.
On the BBC's Newsnight programme, Assange's laywer Mark Stephens said that they had been in contact with the Swedish authorities since August to try to get clarification about what the allegations were so Assange could answer questions. They had no success, Stephens said.
It is only after the damaging leaks of secret US State Department cables that have shown, among other things, that US diplomats were ordered to spy on other United Nations members, that the Swedish government has acted.
With only a few hundred cables having been released so far out of around 250,000, the Swedish government is probably getting worried because it has 500 troops stationed in Afghanistan.
Cables have already shown that US and Afghan officials thought the British army's performance in Afghanistan's Helmand province was woeful. British forces' effectiveness in Afghanistan was no doubt undermined by the former Labour government's inadequate provisions of equipment, supply and intelligence resources. As far as Tony Blair was probably concerned, it was simply enough to just send some troops.
Is this ludicrous manhunt coordinated by a worldwide ruling cabal that orchestrates world events for its own ends? No, sadly these are merely the stupid self-serving actions of a handful of politicians who think that going after Assange will silence Wikileaks and all of the people who are supporting the organisation. We think that they will soon find out that they are very much mistaken.
After the public relations disaster that has been the so-called War on Terror, the Assange extradition fiasco is going to give authoritarian regimes the world over an excuse to say, look, the West is really just like us, too. And the worst thing is that they will be correct. µ
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If he is innocent shouldnt he just face a trial and be aquitted like normalpeople
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rape is definitely not ok. but i think its safe to assume that if he was a normal person the already dropped charges would never have been reinstated on the insistence of some right wing christian politician.
in this case we obviously dont know what happened, only that the original prosecutor thought the charges were weak. since then you have had people making the accussation trying to delete evidence (twitters celebrating a relationship with assange after the alleged events took place in the case of 'A') - someone who wrote an internet article called something like 'seven steps to legal revenge' for cheating boyfriends (assange was found to have cheated with the photographer). for a 'normalperson' this probably doesnt make what the prosecution lawyer himself describes as a '50/50' case significantly stronger.
but that is another matter, and the real issue is this - when you leak the name of the uncharged defendant in violation of swedish law, dont write the name of the charge on the extradition application and dont inform the defendant of the nature of the charges in a language in which he is conversant, refuse applications for interviews and then state the defendant has fled, then you have showed little respect for the defendants constitutional rights, legal process, and even minimal standards ot judicial competence.
so i think that if people are to demand that julain asssange respect the legal process and 'face a trial', surely expecting the prosecution to do the same is not too much to ask!
Now will someone please unencrypte or pass the key around so I can view the non copyrighted material in the privacy of my own home.
And how long will they keep him locked? And what do they hope to achieve? The encrypted files are already on the torrents...
@yeah, 07 Dec: It seems the only accusation they could come up with was that... his condom broke... Twice(!).
@Potwalloper, 07 Dec: You're totally right. About 3/4 of US citizens and half the world population are imbeciles.
@Culture Counter, 08 Dec: Wikileaks is way larger & stronger than just Assange. Poor govt idiots don't realize that trying to silence him will only make the rest (and the sane half of the world population) mad... and even more active. Truth can't be stopped now.
So the poop WILL hit the fan, I have no doubt about that.
Considering the UK's "special relationship" with the US, and its propensity to extradite suspects to the US, surely Assange would be better off agreeing to be sent to Sweden. Or is he trying to avoid that for some other reason?
Looking at all the comments above it seems we've all made our minds up who is behind all this. Everyone, burning pitchforks at the ready. Chaaaaarge!
After all, the rumours must be 100% true, they came from the internets!
"why was nothing done for months?"
Because Assange recently announced that his next big release would involve the banking/finance sectors(in other words, the real global power brokers, not their string puppets).
THAT'S about when the poop hit the fan!
This Wikileaks affair showcases both insincerity being at the helm of governments, excused as diplomacy, whilst confirming that most humans are stupid and dumb, stupidity being the alterego of dumbness, but the biggest tell-all is the near silence on the flawed rape charges indicative of the complicity of that organised gangster outfit, The Mass Media - effectively owned and manipulated by The Chosen Lot, oka The Bookie whilst not fogetting that a bookie/commissioner profits/exists though disagreements. This facilitator of gambles does not care who does the killing or dying, whoring or pimping, Communing or Capitalising, for or against, and so forth, this joker merely sits back and Count de Money, both literally and metaphorically and the biggest utility he has is Insincerity, oka having a price stamped across others’ forehead. Realise too that an utility has no ownership/attachment issues whereas weaponry is all about ownership issues - that is how entrenched The Bookie is, being able to turn his wickedness into an utility and not a weaponry. The Bookie does not own, unlike humanity, he merely performs his duty without a heart/heartbeat.
It would be benevolent to realised that the majority do not really care about anything other than their love of their Fame, Fortune & Immortality, oka one’s vested interest, not even “National/Patriotic Interests”, such is the nature of Insincerity, although almost all will hypocritically declare that they are acting to defend “National Interests”. Afterall, when insincerity is at the root, all other expressions/abortions thereafter will be of hypocrisy. Why is the majority of humans so stupid-cum-dumb? Not because they are ignorant nor desirous of sophistry but because they are insincere and when it comes to insincerity, you have to be insincere to yourself first before being able to unleashing it onto others. Without a single exception and that is why most humans are either stupid or dumb - ‘finking that they’ve got away with eet. You shore have sweetie had you not been soo stoopid or was it plain ole dumbness.
Wikileaks is not about Assange, a tinge of narcissism notwithstanding, expose is merely a mirror/innocence for one’s introspection, oka conscience. Just look at the stupid and dumb ones who stood up to be counted, exposing their lack of sincerity/conscience through constantly fiddling with their intellect or conditioning, oka the bankruptcies of their reality. Why is it always the stupid and dumb ones who get to destroy and then having a laugh at their lack of intelligence? Because they have yet to realised how hypocritical-insincere they have become, especially the bit where they’ve rationalised that they are right and others are wrong - The Bookie’s favourite hymn - God is on my side.
Assange wasn't locked up to make a point or because of his political views. He was locked up for numerous sex related crimes. His other sordid activities are still up for grabs.
Actually he probably could beat a charge of espionage if the USA chose to make such a charge. Assange didn't steal any information, the USA already have the guy that did that - An American. All Assange did was publish it.
The worrying thing is the USA have a nasty habit of breaking all the rules when they feel like it. Get charged with terrorism and you'll see all your basic rights such as right to a phone call, legal representation, and a speedy trial all go straight out of the window.
Prosecuting him for publishing is a little tricky, there is no current law against publishing secret stuff. In fact the US 1st amendment pretty much protects your right to print anything you like as long as it is true.
BB: the USA did this crap http://www.collateralmurder.com/ you should check wikileaks before trying to understand. ok I missed the joke english it's not my native language sorry.
THE INTERESTING THING IS THAT ASSANGE TURNED HIMSELF IN.
I DONT THINK HE'LL BE ABLE TO CONTROL HOW THE TRIAL IS CONDUCTED THOUGH.
IT WILL BE NICE FOR THE USA TO CHARGE HIM WITH ESPIONAGE, GET THAT BALL ROLLING.
FROM WHAT YOU GUYS ARE SAYING, HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO BEAT BOTH CHARGES EASY.
IT'LL BE FUN TO WATCH!
Let due process determine this guys fate. I suspect he is guilty of a lot more than he is being charged?
Charges are bull and a humiliation to so called democracy and women.
This flawed man failed to use or intentionally did not use protection during sex with two women, both women consented to sex. Later both women tried to contact him to warn him he needed to be tested for an STD in the weeks after said events, when unsuccessful because of his secretive roaming lifestyle or just the fact he ignored them they sought help/ satisfaction through local police.
The police were going to speak to him - charge him- not- then again maybe for what seems like ages? Then the UK arrests and detains him in jail until extradition!
Now this man may be an annoying international vagrant Kn0b who wants to cause as much carnage to democracy as possible and he is no doubt in need of a swift size 10 to the stones. But I find the charges are very timely, and frankly bogus.
Why didn’t the USA just follow the Russians example and kill him using radioactive poison.
Instead we have the US insulting the intelligence of the rest of the world yet again with bogus charges backed by Britain, Sweden and the EU not at all looking like the spineless Yankee stooges.
End of story
"British forces' effectiveness in Afghanistan was no doubt undermined by the former Labour government's inadequate provisions of equipment, supply and intelligence resources."
Whereas the current Con-Lib government is massively increasing the supplies budget for the Afghanistan theatre ... not.
The US did *what* crap? Every single leak so far has merely *confirmed* what everyone already knew, but didn't *say* at official levels. If you're about to cite Clinton instructing UN diplomats to spy on other UN diplomats, don't bother; no other country is outraged because they all do the same thing.
Oh, and by the way "GO AMERICA's" post is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but I guess the joke flew over your head by a mile.
Go america:
if for protect us you mean "kill civil people" then you are right you protect us all the time, and your comment just speaks for itself, it's sad but you're what you are and that is exaclty what I said in my last comment.
I would argue that at this point in time, the only persons who know if rape took place are Assange and these two (quick-to-consent-to-banging-a-Legolas-Greenleaf-lookalike) ladies. Who are any of you to instantly declare these charges "obviously" false? Loudly declaring his guilt or innocence either way seems awfully myopic and "Kool-Aidy" to me at this stage of events.
ROFL @ Freddy's link - "It is Swedish protocol not to release the names of people accused of rape until after a conviction. The Swedish prosecutors office claims they have 'no idea' how Assange's name was leaked."
Dear oh dear - What a outrage! Private, sensitive, and easily judged-in-public information being leaked to the world like this! The nerve! The outrage! I wonder if Assange is deeply bothered by such an abominable drip!
Black-helicopter CIA conspiracy plot or simply karma? Are the betting shops taking odds on this? ^__^
@yeah
So if you are parroting 'rape' you drank the kool-aid.
http://www.businessinsider.com/julian-assange-sex-crimes-2010-12
So do you want to explain why he's a 'egotistical creep'. I mean he may be egotistical - but why creep? Did you read that in the same article that had rape in it?
If you value free-speech you should value Assange and wiki-leaks. The frame job is so weak it's embarrassing. The sad thing is people are repeating this stuff. The contents of the leaks and free speech surely _dwarf_ the whole Assange thing (which is likely bogus) and yet we've been distracted into that being the discussion - not the contents of the message. It's madness.
so it's not wrong that the USA did all that crap , it's assange fault for showing us all, right ?? americans are so easily deceive by his own media that really scares the crap out of me, and obviuosly he didn't rape anyone just some americans trying to rule the world, as we all know anyway. I'm with you assange.
Links have now been found between one of the so-called rape victims and a notorious CIA funded activist.
Anyone who believes that these rape charges are not politically motivated is an imbecile.
What a weird world we live in when it is ok to treat women like objects if you happen to have recieved a few stolen documents.
In this fantasy that people have about Assange the women are simply stooges for the Americans. The only proof that we have that they were setting up Assange is the word of Assange.
If he is innocent shouldnt he just face a trial and be aquitted like normalpeople? Clearly his antics suggest he is not innocent and he knows he is going to get into trouble.
Let us not forget that Assange has said that if he is arrested he will release the documents uncensored and thus sentence to death countless Afgan informers. This is not the actions of someone worth supporting.
It is a shame really because Wikileaks was a good idea, it just took an egotistical creep like Assange to spoil it. I am in favour of the leaks, I am not in favour of someone like Assange having control of them. Now it looks like more people will be his victims.
IF THE VICTIMS WERE TO BE 'SILENCED' THEN THERE WOULDNT BE ANY MORE RAPE CASE, NOW WOULD THERE.