Julian Assange called on the US on Sunday to cease its war on whistleblowers. He also blasted Russia for imposing a 2-year sentence on three members of the punk rock band Pussy Riot for their protest song in an Eastern Orthodox cathedral.
Here is Assange’s statement from the Ecuadorian embassy in London:
Two informed sources on Assange’s predicament in Sweden and in Australia. Australian FOI request that would reveal internal legal deliberations over Assange’s extradition to the United States. Link to AG response here [large PDF file].
I thought Assange spoke well there. He correctly posed the question of the role of the US. It is up to Sweden to respond.
I entirely agree that Assange should answer questions about his sexual relationship with the women concerned. Swedish practice allows for investigators to question people outside Sweden, so why not here? Why the insistance on return to Sweden?
Myself I would say, settle the matter in London, with the Swedish investigators. If Assange did wrong under Swedish law, which could be, it’s an offence very close to what is legal, even in Sweden.
A sentence of imprisonment would not be justified.
So hold the trial even in his absence. Award the fine, or the sentence of community service, to be parlayed by a fine. He will pay it.
So is it not really about extradition to the US?
The specific form of questioning that Sweden wants him for is roughly equivalent to a Committal hearing. It is the point at which formal charges are brought, so really has to be conducted with Assange in Swedish custody. Swedish court procedures occur in a slightly different order than they do in a Common Law jurisdiction. During his court case regarding the extradition request the High Court found that the Swedish process has reached the stage of criminal proceedings, which would be equivalent to having been charged under English process. The Supreme Court upheld this decision.
The Supreme Court ruling Assange v The Swedish Prosecution Authority (Rev 1) [2012] UKSC 22 (30 May 2012) can be read at link to bailii.org
The offences which he is accused include having sex with a women while she was asleep, this is rape under English Law as he did not have consent and did not reasonably believe he had consent. The maximum penalty in the UK for this is life imprisonment (the average is four years, which implies two years imprisonment and two years released on licence). Had he committed these acts in the UK he would be facing a significant prison sentence.
Thank you for posting this. What is really interesting is that there seems to be a rather large audience, judging by the noise they are generating. It would have been nice if RT swung their camera around to show the crowd.
Why Assange believes that the US government is in a war against whistleblowers? because it jailed the official that released the info?
A democratic government cannot do that? Government officials cannot be prosecuted for releasing clasified documents?
I salute you Julian and am with you in spirit.With the media in total control by the corporations,we are so fortunate to have brave individuals like your goodself to tells us about
what these low down people are doing to the people on this earth and envirnoment.
Dead man walking.
The Powerful cannot abide such insubordination.
How would YOU like it if he exposed YOUR crimes and failures ?
Calling anyone who gets in trouble for releasing anything a whistleblower demeans the term.
Bradley Manning blindly stole half a million documents. He had no idea what was in 99% of them, but boy would it really be a problem for the United States to release them, so he did.
And now, thank God, we know that John Kerry thought that the Syrians were almost ready to make peace with Israel. Thank God Assange blew the lid of that one!