A British judge ordered Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to be extradited to the People’s Republic of Sweden, the socialist paradise where hook ups are a crime: read the judgement here.
29 thoughts on “The Fix is In: Assange to be Extradited to Sweden”
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Extradition to Sweden? Mmm Hmm…Who wants to bet his next stop is a black site?
Its actually easier to extradite to USA from Britain than from Sweden. Assange is thus safer in Swedish custody than almost anywhere else. If you want to claim the Swedish courts are politically motivated in their attempt to gain custody, you should therefore conclude that Sweden's goal is to protect him from politically motivated prosecution in the USA.
However, if you want to examine the facts of the case, you might just discover that the case against him has merits and the arrest warrant is justified not only under Swedish law but the laws of almost any western nation. Sex without consent, even if consentual sex was hadon previous occasions, is still considered rape. A sleeping woman cannot give consent, therefore by law it is rape if this occured as alleged. Sweden is not a banana republic. The courts will give Assange due process and adjudicate on evidence. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty. But there are sufficient grounds for prosecution.
Sweden may not be a banana republic but in recent years it has become unhealthily close to the United States in its reactions to international relations. It is far from clear why the Swedes cannot telephone his lawyer, make an appointment and question him to see if a prosecution is justified.
The case will inevitably be his word against the lady accusers of this rather esoteric rape.
The Swedish government may not, after all the fuss, simply hand him over but they have done an excellent job of smearing him.
The bribes are in already. It doesn't even matter if Assange is not guilty of a broken condom after all. Isn't this what its all about, the USG bribing an Swedish CIA operative to charge Assange for using a broken condom. In any event, he will be renditioned under the pretense of extradition to the USG gulag system.
If you read the judgement, you will see that the Swedish prosecutors did indeed contact Assange's lawyer requesting the interview on Sep 21 and numerous occasions preceeding Assanges leaving the country. All of Assanges expert witnesses therefore based their testimony on incorrect information provided by Hurtig (Assanges lawyer) that the Swedish prosecutor had not attempted and failed to obtain such an interview.
Whatever else you want to say… fleeing the country (and cancelling an Oct6 speaking egagement) and refusing to be interviewed and provide DNA sample does not instill in me confidence that Assange believes himself to be entirely innocent of all charges.
As for being his word against hers, we don't know because he has not been interviewed. There is some hearsay that his story related to colleague is essentially identical to the story given by the women. Upon which his lawyer probably should have advised him that these are considered criminal acts.
Well on the upside, Assange won't have to stomach the Swede-landia for very long. Nope. Won't be more than a day or so and Mr. Julian will be seated most uncomfortably on one of those spiffy keen CIA transports and a on his way to Guantanamo. Because and after all, "extradition" is merely code for "rendition."
Madam SecState Schoolmarm Clinton must be drooling all over her kippers this fine morning. She'll gets her "revenge" on Mr. Julian for making the stupid cow look undiplomatic.
You really think so Skulz? Man I hope not but if they do that then what will world opinion be of the US government? I think they'd be making a martyr out of him and martyrdoms always produce more followers.
Hi JLS:
I think it is entirely possible that Assange will be renditioned to the US. The whole Swede-landia prosecution (persecution?) is mostly smoke and mirrors. Cheap lighting and tricks to boot.
I'm firmly of the opinion that Wikileaks embarrassed any number of US diplomatic asshats and their fool-headed idiocy that passes for 'diplomacy'.
Madam SecState Schoolmarm Clinton is one vengeful wraith on a non-eventful day. After Wikileaks did their 'leaking' move on State, the entire planet got to see what an ugly collection of utter morons and scabrous cretins work in US government. Yeah and, all those nifty empirical outposts strung hither and yon around our under seige planet at present.
Oh my, sorry for being verbose.
hahaha…it was nice verbosity!
The west continues its downspiral into lawlessness. I don't see how this ruling is legal under any circumstance. How can the judge "dismiss" the notion that he won't receive a fair trial when it's quite obvious he won't? Most disturbing, is the fact that he hasn't even been charged with anything!? This proves that there's no rule of law if you piss off the powerful. This proves you simply can't win by playing by their rules.
Another US banana Republic(Kingdom).
The US is intent again on shooting itself in the foot by making a martyr out of Assange. (Who is in line to replace Assange as Wikileaks figurehead Editor/Publisher?)
The US is, of course, still dangerous.. But it is clear how truly weak and insecure it is on the World stage. Now it must openly attack the livelyhood, job security, retirement security and future hopes of its own Citizens in order to maintain and grow the Empire and maintain the facade of a Republic.
Will a critical mass of American Citizens soon become convinced it is time to take action and drive a stake in the heart of the Empire Beast? The odds are against it, in my opinion. But stay tuned…..
Dave Boyer
USMC,1970-73
Salem, Oregon
Assange is a victim of feminism run amok, now codified as law in Sweden. These type of alleged sexual indescretions are not crimes in other countries, so this is akin to a weird "progressive" version of feminist shiria law being imposed upon visiting strangers.
Assange wouldn't have been vulnerable had he be less of a selfish tomcat, but like most tourists he presumably was ignorant of this laughable cateory of crime, "minor rape."
He won't be extradited. Just embarassed.
At least feminist shiria law doesn't demand stoning to death.
Now why did you have to go and mess up a perfectly good reply by dragging a reference to shari'a law into it? I know the point you're trying to make, but associating shari'a law with this farce of a legal case is missing the mark. The use of shari'a law isn't a bad thing unto itself, only the application of it is misguided in some instances- but no more so than the existing legal systems of many Western countries. Good judges, bad judges- all systems have them.
The US is about to make a really huge mistake. All Assange did was expose bad behaviour.
If the US screws with him to try and find his sources or otherwise neutralize him they
will experience the same blow-back Ghaddfi is experiencing. The US has to understand
that the paradigm has shifted. With the internet they are now accountable and there is
nothing they can do about it, nothing. It will be like beating back the ocean. They more
they beat it bad the more the tide will come in.
Raimondo the deluded wrote: "Sweden, the socialist paradise".
It is unclear whether you are being ironic or not, but given you are American I will assume not.
Stop living in the past. Sweden is ruled by an American placeman, who gets advice from Karl Rove.
Once more, how will the Libertarians handle the socialist US freeway system should they get to power?
Not clear what the interstate highway system — a relic of cold war central planning — has to do with anything. Suffice it say that we are all under a regime of global corporatism.
You seriously can't tell irony when everyone else on can? Oh, you must be American. Or you've never read anyhing by Mr Raimondo before. Or you are being deliberately obfuscational. Or you're just an idiot who doesn't get that the point of this site is to oppose WAR, from whatever ideological standpoint. As johnc said, WTF has a freeway system got to do with ANYTHING? You sound like Walter from The Big Lebowski. Go soak your head for a about 10 minutes.
I can't believe the U.S. would be so stupid as to try to extradite Assange. But the U.S. is certainly not lacking in stupidity.
How they can arrest Assange while Cheney and Bush are free shows just how debased our legal system has become.
what would happen in your opinion if they did extradite Assange?
My heart sank somewhat today when I heard the news. It is terrible the way the media at least here in the UK keep referring to the allegations of 'rape' (when the allegation itself is described in terms so far from rape as to make this an obvious case of malicious prosecution). As for the second allegation, FFS, codoms break. How on earth can any prosecutor in the world think he can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Assange broke it deliberately (never mind that this constitutes some form of assault, in the context of consensual sex)?
Until this year, I had never heard of people being extradited for questioning. I still don't see why the Swedes cannot simply ask the man some questions over the phone, never mind a video link. But I suppose if you can be subpoenaed to give evidence at trial–but wait, there's no trial because there's no charge (hell, there's no crime when you come down to it, as an earlier prosecutor decided).
Look the bribes to rendition Assange are enormous. Also, the threat of a hitman visit by the CIA if the bribes aren't excepted may be an inducement to rendition Assange under the pretense of extradition.
People wonder that the US is willing to make a martyr out of this man. Why not? There are a hundred thousand more between here and Kabul, just most of them not in the public eye. Clearly the calculation has been made. This man must be got and made an example of. The fate of journalism itself is in the hands of those who will decide whether to send him on to the USA from Sweden. Because it will be the single worst precedent in legal history: telling the truth is a crime, shooting the messenger is a patriotic duty.
And all this against a backdrop of wave after wave of protest and revolution against tyranny across North Africa and the Middle East! Truly, Nero is playing while Rome burns…
Who knows what kind of embarrassment, criminality and just plain dirt is waiting in government's and officials' private computers for Assange's hacker buddies to uncover in retaliation for this extradition? The powers that be don't understand that they too are standing naked in the age of the internet.
Sweden has the highest rate of rape in the world. Shows how liberalism can backfire. EU then extradites people for a boken condoms and he said she said stories. Sad! Swedish law is out of countrol setup for man haters to play games, or to be used to make a political kills. Dirty trick I hope he gets out of it. Seems to me that if Assange is turned over to US, that might end poorly for politicians. Seems more likely that they will try to make it stick in Sweden to scare would be leakers.
Norwegians! Here's your chance to annoy Sweden once again! Grant Assange asylum!
If they bring him here or Gitmo as (enemy combatant) I want to take to the streets on his behalf. I'm sick of this proto-fascist empire I live in. When are we going to get up and say enough is enough…When will we stop enabling the immoral american empire by sitting still and being quiet?
I bet so many who consider themselves to be patriots are so much pleased with this ruling.The UK is now a US colony.
He's a CIA/Mossad disinfo artist. Let him rot…