Sweden U-turn on Assange questioning

'Swedish prosecutors have offered to travel to London to question Wikileaks founder Julian Assange over sex assault allegations.

...

A Swedish prosecutor explained the change of strategy by saying potential charges against Mr Assange would expire under the statute of limitations in August.'


BBC News - Julian Assange case: Sweden U-turn on questioning


I have no idea if he did it or not...my guess is the whole thing was overblown. But again, I do not know.
Either way, I do feel for the guy being stuck in captivity for all this time for fear of becoming by deported to America.

And I do think this guy is good for the world (outside of these charges).

DA60 said:

'Swedish prosecutors have offered to travel to London to question Wikileaks founder Julian Assange over sex assault allegations.

...

A Swedish prosecutor explained the change of strategy by saying potential charges against Mr Assange would expire under the statute of limitations in August.'


BBC News - Julian Assange case: Sweden U-turn on questioning


I have no idea if he did it or not...my guess is the whole thing was overblown. But again, I do not know.
Either way, I do feel for the guy being stuck in captivity for all this time for fear of becoming by deported to America.

And I do think this guy is good for the world (outside of these charges).

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By the law of many lands the charges were rather overblown. That will happen between jurisdictions. In Sweden, however, what he has been accused of by the women is rape. But the Idea that the Swedes would deport him, while the UK would not is rather odd. Also I never quite understood why he would be wanted in the US. He was acting as a reporter in quite the Anglo Saxon tradition. We have lots of reporters that are not in jail although they published stolen evidence of government wrong doing. Usually we do not shoot the messenger.

joG said:

By the law of many lands the charges were rather overblown. That will happen between jurisdictions. In Sweden, however, what he has been accused of by the women is rape. But the Idea that the Swedes would deport him, while the UK would not is rather odd. Also I never quite understood why he would be wanted in the US. He was acting as a reporter in quite the Anglo Saxon tradition. We have lots of reporters that are not in jail although they published stolen evidence of government wrong doing. Usually we do not shoot the messenger.

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I will admit that I thought Assange seemed like he was being a tad paranoid about the deportation.

However, America could have helped by saying publicly that they had no plans whatsoever to ask Sweden for deportation. And given America's recent history at grabbing people and sending them wherever they want without notice, I would be more then a little concerned were I Assange as well.

DA60 said:

I will admit that I thought Assange seemed like he was being a tad paranoid about the deportation.

However, America could have helped by saying publicly that they had no plans whatsoever to ask Sweden for deportation. And given America's recent history at grabbing people and sending them wherever they want without notice, I would be more then a little concerned were I Assange as well.

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I think maybe there was a low level statement. But I believe you are absolutely right. It would have called for a very up front and visible statement, that the US was not interested in prosecution.

DA60 said:

'Swedish prosecutors have offered to travel to London to question Wikileaks founder Julian Assange over sex assault allegations.
A Swedish prosecutor explained the change of strategy by saying potential charges against Mr Assange would expire under the statute of limitations in August.'
BBC News - Julian Assange case: Sweden U-turn on questioning
I have no idea if he did it or not...my guess is the whole thing was overblown. But again, I do not know.
Either way, I do feel for the guy being stuck in captivity for all this time for fear of becoming by deported to America.

And I do think this guy is good for the world (outside of these charges).

Click to expand...

I don't know about his guilt in the "rape" case, but from what I read it was extremely sketchy at best, and considering the obvious motivation for others to pin it on him, I highly doubt that he actually did it.

joG said:

By the law of many lands the charges were rather overblown. That will happen between jurisdictions. In Sweden, however, what he has been accused of by the women is rape. But the Idea that the Swedes would deport him, while the UK would not is rather odd. Also I never quite understood why he would be wanted in the US. He was acting as a reporter in quite the Anglo Saxon tradition. We have lots of reporters that are not in jail although they published stolen evidence of government wrong doing. Usually we do not shoot the messenger.

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That's been kind of the unfortunate trend over the last decade or so. When major illegal and or objectionable acts are brought to light by reporters, the government simply goes after the reporters. It's easier than having to explain themselves to the public. I think it's a very dangerous trend.

Looks like Julian Assange not only outsmarted the Swedes but the US state department too. I wonder how long will it take for him to get wikileaks up and running again now that this ordeal appears to be over for him. Whats even more important is which country will he be residing in the future?

RabidAlpaca said:

I don't know about his guilt in the "rape" case, but from what I read it was extremely sketchy at best, and considering the obvious motivation for others to pin it on him, I highly doubt that he actually did it.



That's been kind of the unfortunate trend over the last decade or so. When major illegal and or objectionable acts are brought to light by reporters, the government simply goes after the reporters. It's easier than having to explain themselves to the public. I think it's a very dangerous trend.

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I had derived more the impression that the government went after the person that illegally divulged the info and let the reporter off. There have been other cases, but in general that has been my observation. Anything else would be really bad.

PoS said:

Looks like Julian Assange not only outsmarted the Swedes but the US state department too. I wonder how long will it take for him to get wikileaks up and running again now that this ordeal appears to be over for him. Whats even more important is which country will he be residing in the future?

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You think so? My take would be that he had a real problem having committed rape (as defined in Sweden). That could have landed him in jail for a couple of years. But as far as I can tell, he had nothing much to fear from the US. Greenwald and the other reporters are all okay, from what I read.

joG said:

I had derived more the impression that the government went after the person that illegally divulged the info and let the reporter off. There have been other cases, but in general that has been my observation. Anything else would be really bad.

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You must've not been paying attention when the first big WikiLeaks happened. Just about every politician on Capitol Hill was screaming bloody murder and that Assange must be extradited and tried for "treason" in the US. You know, because Assad is an American. This was one of the few bipartisan consensuses of our generation.

RabidAlpaca said:

You must've not been paying attention when the first big WikiLeaks happened. Just about every politician on Capitol Hill was screaming bloody murder and that Assange must be extradited and tried for "treason" in the US. You know, because Assad is an American. This was one of the few bipartisan consensuses of our generation.

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Yep. There was a lot of jumping up and down and making asses of themselves. There are a lot of idiots around, you know.
But it calmed down and reason prevailed. Assange didn't, after all, do the harm. I am not even aware that he broke an American law. So why should he be afraid of being extradited. Going to jail on a rape charge would be unpleasant, but the Americans were not after him, I don't think.
Maybe I will be proven wrong, but I believe that that was all about people believing their own propaganda.

RabidAlpaca said:

I don't know about his guilt in the "rape" case, but from what I read it was extremely sketchy at best, and considering the obvious motivation for others to pin it on him, I highly doubt that he actually did it.



That's been kind of the unfortunate trend over the last decade or so. When major illegal and or objectionable acts are brought to light by reporters, the government simply goes after the reporters. It's easier than having to explain themselves to the public. I think it's a very dangerous trend.

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I'm reminded of the reporter for the San Jose Mercury News who blew the lid off of the Iran Contra scandal who was found in his apartment, shot in the head twice, and it was ruled suicide!

DA60 said:

'Swedish prosecutors have offered to travel to London to question Wikileaks founder Julian Assange over sex assault allegations.

...

A Swedish prosecutor explained the change of strategy by saying potential charges against Mr Assange would expire under the statute of limitations in August.'


BBC News - Julian Assange case: Sweden U-turn on questioning


I have no idea if he did it or not...my guess is the whole thing was overblown. But again, I do not know.
Either way, I do feel for the guy being stuck in captivity for all this time for fear of becoming by deported to America.

And I do think this guy is good for the world (outside of these charges).

Click to expand...

The whole case has become political big time. He did not rape anyone. Had he had sex with these women in any other country on the planet then there would be no case. But because it is in Sweden then there is laws that can make it a case if the prosecutor wants to.. and that is exactly what happened.

Assange had sex with 2 women.. unprotected sex. This last part is the important part, because that is essentially illegal in Sweden, especially if the prosecutor thinks that he used some sort of "unlawful coercion".. being famous for example is enough. The women went to the police to get help tracking him down so he could be forced to get an STD screening. The police said they did not do that but the case was passed to the public prosecutor any ways. SHE, then opened up a case for rape and molestation against him. This case was later dropped, reopened and dropped and reopened again by various prosecutors. Assange was interviewed in Sweden and denied the accusations. Assanged applied for work and residence permission but was denied so he left Sweden. Now the Swedes claim that he left to avoid detention.. well that may be, but they did also deny him permission to be there.. so.. what is he to do.. stay illegally?

Then after he left Sweden, the prosecutors wanted to interview him again for some reason and since he had left Sweden then they issued an European Arrest Warrant for him.. something that the system was NEVER designed for. The arrest warrant system was designed to get people extradited from country to country quickly provided that there was an actual crime to be charged with or they had run from a conviction. Assange had never been charged at the time.. but the Swedes still used the EAW to try to get him to Sweden for questioning.

Now the kicker here is.. normal procedure is to go where the accused is, meaning that for such an interview the prosecutor would go to London and interview him.. what is happening now. That is normal.. happens all the time, but not in this case... strange no? It would have saved a hell of a lot of money for the UK and Sweden and Assange has always stated that he was willing to be interviewed in London.

Then there is context. All this was happening just before, during and after Wikileaks. The government in Sweden was right wing and allied with the US. The prosecutors involved in the whole case were all females and most of them with political links to the ruling party. It smells a bit... yea it sounds a bit conspiracy theory like, but considering the facts of the case, that the women never accused him of rape, and the fact that the case had been dropped and reopened several times.. and a lot of other strange things, then .. well it does not smell right.

DA60 said:

I will admit that I thought Assange seemed like he was being a tad paranoid about the deportation.

However, America could have helped by saying publicly that they had no plans whatsoever to ask Sweden for deportation. And given America's recent history at grabbing people and sending them wherever they want without notice, I would be more then a little concerned were I Assange as well.

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Does this mean that when the US government makes public statements you believe them?

I think somebody in the government DID say something to the effect that they had no schemes against Assange. In light of all I know about the government's mendacity, I don't blame Assange for a minute in being very cautious and skeptical.

As I recall, the charges were once dropped by the first prosecutor, as there was not much to the charges. They were brought back again, with a new prosecutor. Suspicious indeed.

joG said:

You think so? My take would be that he had a real problem having committed rape (as defined in Sweden). That could have landed him in jail for a couple of years. But as far as I can tell, he had nothing much to fear from the US. Greenwald and the other reporters are all okay, from what I read.

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Assange made repeated statements that he feared for his life should he have to go to Sweden because he felt the Swedes would have extradited him to the US and face charges not of rape but of espionage and be thrown into a hole where no one would ever hear from him again. Its sort of the same situation Snowden faces if he returns as well.

Henry David said:

Does this mean that when the US government makes public statements you believe them?

I think somebody in the government DID say something to the effect that they had no schemes against Assange. In light of all I know about the government's mendacity, I don't blame Assange for a minute in being very cautious and skeptical.

As I recall, the charges were once dropped by the first prosecutor, as there was not much to the charges. They were brought back again, with a new prosecutor. Suspicious indeed.

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True, I would not believe them.

Henry David said:

Does this mean that when the US government makes public statements you believe them?

I think somebody in the government DID say something to the effect that they had no schemes against Assange. In light of all I know about the government's mendacity, I don't blame Assange for a minute in being very cautious and skeptical.

As I recall, the charges were once dropped by the first prosecutor, as there was not much to the charges. They were brought back again, with a new prosecutor. Suspicious indeed.

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It has been dropped several times and taken up several times by different prosecutors... it is beyond suspicious. And when you link this cases dates to the dates of Wikileaks releases you start to see a pattern of tit for tat (no pun intended) between wikileaks revelations and the rape case being bumped up and expanded. Might just be totally random, but one wonders if the two women involved were in fact honeypots..

DA60 said:

True, I would not believe them.

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Yeah, if there were too many public statements that he wouldn't be arrested here, then I suppose he'd shoot himself in the head twice.

DA60 said:

True, I would not believe them.

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I think that is rather general. And in its generality it is quite unknowlegeable.

Why would Assange believe any word that comes from the Obama administration? Obama's all out attack on whistleblowers in his two terms in office has been unprecedented and the word of the most transparent administration in the history of the republic can't be trusted. Better for Assange to stay put until there is a new President in office in two short years.

Obama's abuse of the Espionage Act is modern-day McCarthyism | John Kiriakou | Comment is free | The Guardian

CanadaJohn said:

Why would Assange believe any word that comes from the Obama administration? Obama's all out attack on whistleblowers in his two terms in office has been unprecedented and the word of the most transparent administration in the history of the republic can't be trusted. Better for Assange to stay put until there is a new President in office in two short years.

Obama's abuse of the Espionage Act is modern-day McCarthyism | John Kiriakou | Comment is free | The Guardian

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I would not think that in something like this even Obama would u turn. After all Assange is not a whistle blower. He is a reporter and to my knowledge broke no law.

PoS said:

Assange made repeated statements that he feared for his life should he have to go to Sweden because he felt the Swedes would have extradited him to the US and face charges not of rape but of espionage and be thrown into a hole where no one would ever hear from him again. Its sort of the same situation Snowden faces if he returns as well.

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Assange made repeated statements? Why woulhe do that? The Occam answer to ththat question is obvious. He doesn't want to go to jail in Sweden.

And why should the Americans want the man to stand court. He did nothing Greenwald didn't do. Nothing criminal to my knowledge. What did he do?

joG said:

Assange made repeated statements? Why woulhe do that? The Occam answer to ththat question is obvious. He doesn't want to go to jail in Sweden.

And why should the Americans want the man to stand court. He did nothing Greenwald didn't do. Nothing criminal to my knowledge. What did he do?

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Does Greenwald travel to the US or any country where the US has an extradition treaty?

joG said:

I think that is rather general. And in its generality it is quite unknowlegeable.

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How so. I believe he was speaking specifically to any US assurances not to prosecute Assagne? But we'll see what he says.

CanadaJohn said:

Does Greenwald travel to the US or any country where the US has an extradition treaty?

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I really do not know. I do know that he has been to a number that have extradition agreements with the US and are friendly enough to extradite, if the US were really interested.

Montecresto said:

How so. I believe he was speaking specifically to any US assurances not to prosecute Assagne? But we'll see what he says.

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Even so. I would have no doubt that the US would maintain a position held out officially on such a matter. It would not after all be inconsequential to renegotiate. You are right, though. Obama is a lawyer and as trustworthy as one thus expect.