David Allen Green

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The legal mythology of the extradition of Julian Assange

Why the “zombie facts” of Assange supporters are wrong.

A poster about Julian Assange outside the Ecuadorian embassy. Photo: Getty Image
A poster about Julian Assange outside the Ecuadorian embassy. Photo: Getty Images

141 comments

hdonuts's picture

The Nordic News Network itself says it was leaked. I did not say it had not been verified I said it appeared authentic.

I was not arguing any of the things in your post. I was just pointing out that a fact that DAG icluded in his article, which he said was important, appeared to be wrong. Unlike some of the people on here I'm interested in the facts.
===========reply======

the fact is there is assange’s DNA on the evidence condom ,it is mitochondrial DNA so the explaination could be the kid washed the condom but the rolling part was eluded ,is this hypothesis appears to be authentic for you ?

hdonuts's picture

Craig Murray mentioned according to his sources in the government that William Hague has been under pressure from the US to get Assange to Sweden. If true, who is calling the shots from the US? Obama, Rumsfeld, Karl Rove...? The British public should be worried. There ought to be a public legal inquiry into both UK's and US's actions against Wikileaks, including having prevented the flow of funding. Banks and governments can be charged alike.
reply ==================================
it will be logical to assume the US govt is calling the shots , assange did steal and publish classified information form US govt , is there any reason binding US govt to forget the audacity and nourish such activities in the future by tolerance? there ought to be public legal inquiries if US govt obediently allowing their classified information to be stolen and published .

Anonymouse's picture

First, believe it or not, a single random on-again off-again politician making radical claims without any supporting evidence does not a scandal make unless you want it to. If you trust everything random politicians say, then you probably think that rape can't lead to pregnancy, either.

Second, Craig Murray does not say that. He said:

"I returned to the UK today to be astonished by private confirmation from within the FCO that the UK government has indeed decided – after immense pressure from the Obama administration – to enter the Ecuadorean Embassy and seize Julian Assange. This will be, beyond any argument, a blatant breach of the Vienna Convention of 1961..."

He at no point clearly confirms the "immense pressure from the Obama administration" (and the "send to Sweden" part is, btw, your imagination). The only part of that sentence that is syntactically unambiguous is that they confirmed the embassy part. Given that the "after ... administration" part is in hyphens, that is most likely his own personal opinion. I once asked him for clarity. He never responded. Nor did he ever follow up to what would be such a radical claim, nor has anyone else reported likewise. You'd think that if he actually got confirmation of US pressure, he'd be trumpetting it daily (whether or not it was true).

Finally, Murray's blog posts are chock full out outright demonstrably false and idiotic statements about the case anyway (even the "why can't they question him here?" nonsense), so I don't know why anyone would listen to him anymore.

hdonuts's picture

Craig Murray mentioned according to his sources in the government that William Hague has been under pressure from the US to get Assange to Sweden. If true, who is calling the shots from the US? Obama, Rumsfeld, Karl Rove...? The British public should be worried. There ought to be a public legal inquiry into both UK's and US's actions against Wikileaks, including having prevented the flow of funding. Banks and governments can be charged alike.
reply ==================================
it will be logical to assume the US govt is calling the shots , assange did steal and publish classified information form US govt , is there any reason binding US govt to forget the audacity and nourish such activities in the future by tolerance? there ought to be public legal inquiries if US govt obediently allowing their classified information to be stolen and published .

hdonuts's picture

giles bradshaw (not verified)

let say assange's extradition case is a international matter under Government's jurisdiction (external sovereignty ), let the british government government rule the case , ask assange to respect british govt's authority ,furthermore ask assange to respect sweden govt's decision about if he is to be extradite to US 

hdonuts's picture

to Malmo
what you mean leaked? could you by any chance mean it's not verified ? something leaked is not equal to something authentic, you can't keep arguing that assange has not been informed his allegations , there are news about assange's case online available for assange&you dated back to 2010 , 2010 ,if you insist that the whole world knew the allegations against assange buy himself , maybe we should ask assange to open his eyes

Malmo's picture

The Nordic News Network itself says it was leaked. I did not say it had not been verified I said it appeared authentic.

I was not arguing any of the things in your post. I was just pointing out that a fact that DAG icluded in his article, which he said was important, appeared to be wrong. Unlike some of the people on here I'm interested in the facts.

Anonymouse's picture

You do realize that the "Nordic News Network" is just the personal website of an American expat (Al Burke), right? It's not actually a news site. There's no review of any sort of what he posts there. He could tell you that Assange rode an elephant into the courtroom and you'd probably take it at face value.

giles bradshaw's picture

I've asked David Allen Green on twitter if he can confirm whether or not he thinks that the US - Sweden Extradition treaty forms part of Swedish domestic law. If it does not then it is clear that the Swedish supreme court cannot rule on it because it's jurisdiction is domestic.

It's quite clear that David Allen Green does not know the answer to this simple question.

He's even gone so far as to block me!

giles bradshaw's picture

That's more than a little ironic because he is making a massive deal about being blocked by Wikileaks.

Malmo's picture

"On 31 August 2010, Assange was questioned about the allegations, which he denied. This interview is important, as it meant that from this stage he knew of the allegations against him. "

Well if it's important then I presume it's important if it didn't happen. The transcript of Assange's interview is freely available in English it having been (either ironically or sinisterly) leaked to Nordic News Network. It appears authentic in that details match those included on the recent Jack of Kent posting. The point is that Assange was only facing one allegation at the time.

hdonuts's picture

to — Arbed (not verified)

let me be clear ,have you seen the evidence firsthanded ? have you actually seen the evidence ? further more are you qualified to identify forensic evidence? do you know what to do with them ? is this condom the only physical evidence ? is there anything like underware or bed sheet ? DNA could be easily removed form condom by washing , assange had good motive to do it , there is mitochondrial none chromosomal DNA because assange only throughly washed the inside of the condom , there is trace of mitochondrial left in the rolling part of the condom ,satisfied ?

ask a rape suspect about sex and condom ,this's clear enough for me , im sure it is clear enough for assange too , since the interrogation is to be conducted by sweden cops ,i think assange should respect the standard procedure of sweden's law ,
i can't emphasize this again , the extradition of assange from britain to sweden is for british govt to decide ,not you ,not me , not any international law , if you feel strong to contradict me , please let assange'extradition case from sweden to US to be decided by international law , quit ask sweden‘ government to offer assange guarantee&immunity

Arthur the Llama's picture

What, Assange takes the used condom, washes it so thoroughly that no trace of DNA remains, then leaves it behind to lay a false forensic trail? Rather than simply disposing of it? And AA leaves the used condom lying around for a week, as you do, then produces it as evidence?

Are you mad?

Of course another possibility, which many would say is more likely, is that when AA took an unused condom and tore it herself. But that is for an investigation to determine.

Anonymouse's picture

The "washing" thing is a pure fiction. There is no claim of that whatsoever in any sort of official source.
The "no trace of DNA" thing is a pure fiction, likewise. They recovered mtDNA, which *is* DNA (also contrary to the NNN claims, it can and has been used for convictions). It persists better in environments that tend to promote the breakdown of DNA (such as moisture) due to its far greater quantities.

As for the "lying around for a week", what world do you live in where condoms magically disappear after usage? The last time I had a guy over was two weeks ago and the condom is still in the trash can in my bedroom. It'll probably be there for a good month more unless I for some reason feel like emptying my bedroom wastebin. Seriously, what are you envisioning when you picture the word "dispose of it"? Did you not even think this through?

The lab work says that the condom appeared to be torn from normal usage in sex. Which contradicts AA, but not in a malicious manner.

Colleen Adams's picture

agreed...absolutely,

Ivan_Ivanovich's picture

There is a detailed and accurate time-line of the legal procedures in this case at the website of the Swedish Prosecutors office, unfortunately I can't post the link (it triggers the spam-filter). Here's the full copy instead:

Chronology
Events concerning Julian Assange in chronological order

Swedish proceedings

20 August 2010
The duty prosecutor orders the arrest of Julian Assange, suspected of rape and sexual molestation.

21 August 2010
The case is transferred to a prosecutor at City Public Prosecution Office in Stockholm.

25 August 2010
The prosecutor takes a decision to terminate the preliminary investigation concerning suspected rape.

27 August 2010
Lawyer Claes Borgström, legal representative of the women who reported Julian Assange, requests a review of the prosecutor's decision to terminate the preliminary investigation concerning rape. The review request is sent to the Prosecution Development Centre in Gothenburg.

1 September 2010
Marianne Ny, Director of Public Prosecution, takes a decision to resume the preliminary investigation concerning the suspected rape. The preliminary investigation on sexual molestation is expanded to cover all the events in the crime reports.

September 2010
The investigation is underway.

September 2010
The arrest of Julian Assange is ordered.

18 November 2010
Marianne Ny orders the arrest of Julian Assange, with probable cause, suspected of rape, three cases of sexual molestation and illegal coercion. This measure is taken as it has been impossible to interview him during the investigation.

Stockholm District Court takes a decision to order the arrest of Julian Assange in accordance with the Prosecutor's request.

In order to execute this decision, the Prosecutor takes a decision to issue an international warrant for the arrest of Julian Assange, a European Arrest Warrant.

22 November 2010
Julian Assange appeals the issue of the District Court arrest warrant to Svea Court of Appeal.

24 November 2010
Svea Court of Appeal refuses the appeal and takes a decision that the arrest warrant is to remain in place, with probable cause, on suspicion of rape (less serious crime), unlawful coercion and two cases of sexual molestation.

The international request and the European Arrest Warrant are confirmed in accordance with the decision of the District Court.

30 November 2010
Julian Assange appeals the arrest warrant issued by Svea Court of Appeal to the Supreme Court.

2 December 2010
The Supreme Court takes a decision not to grant Julian Assange leave to appeal. The decision of the Svea Court of Appeal stands.

On the request of the British police, additional information is added to the European Arrest Warrant concerning the maximum penalty in Sweden for the crimes of sexual molestation and unlawful coercion.

British proceedings

7 december 2010
Julian Assange is arrested by British police.

16 December 2010
At a hearing on detention at Westminster Magistrates Court in London, the Court decides that Julian Assange should be granted bail.

7-8 February 2011
Hearing in London concerning surrender according to the European Arrest Warrant.

24 February 2011

The City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court makes a decision to grant the request for surrender of Mr. Julian Assange to Sweden.

March 2011
Mr Assange appeals the court's decision.

12-13 July 2011
Hearing in High Court in London concerning surrender according to the European Arrest Warrant.

2 November 2011
The High Court dismisses the appeal by Mr. Julian Assange against his extradition to Sweden.

5 December 2011
The Court grants Mr. Assange the right, within 2 weeks, to request leave to appeal to the UK Supreme Court.

16 December 2011
The Supreme Court grants Mr. Assange leave to appeal. The Court will sit on 1 and 2 February 2012.

1-2 February 2012
Hearing in the Supreme Court of Great Britain concerning whether a prosecutor can be considered to have the legal authority to issue a European Arrest Warrant.

30 May 2012
The Supreme Court decides to uphold and grant the request to surrender Julian Assange to Sweden. The Court grants the defence 14 days to make an application to re-open the appeal.

12 June 2012
Assange requests the Supreme Court appeal to be re-opened.

14 June 2012
The Supreme Court dismisses the application to re-open the appeal. The Court also orders that the period for extradition shall not begin for 14 days.

19 june 2012
Mr Assange seeks political asylum at the Ecuadorean embassy in London.

16 august 2012
Ecuador grants Assange asylum.

Yours
Ivan

myouz's picture

What a selective interpretation of the so called facts. The personal invective you show towards Assange belies an underlying paranoia on your part Mr Green. Whatever Mr Assange did or did not do, he is a condemned man in your eyes. By the way your presentation on the Swedish charges are factually incorrect!!!!!!

Anonymouse's picture

He wrote the literal charges from the EAW out. How is it possible for them to be factually incorrect when they're taken straight from his arrest warrant?

myouz's picture

What a selective interpretation of the so called facts. The personal invective you show towards Assange belies an underlying paranoia on your part Mr Green. Whatever Mr Assange did or did not do, he is a condemned man in your eyes. By the way your presentation on the Swedish charges are factually incorrect!!!!!!

myouz's picture

What a selective interpretation of the so called facts. The personal invective you show towards Assange belies an underlying paranoia on your part Mr Green. Whatever Mr Assange did or did not do, he is a condemned man in your eyes. By the way your presentation on the Swedish charges are factually incorrect!!!!!!

myouz's picture

What a selective interpretation of the so called facts. the venom and spite you show towards Assange belies an underlying paranoia on your part Mr Green. Whatever Me Assange did or did not do, he is a condemned man in your eyes. By the way your presentation on the Swedish charges are factually incorrect!!!!!!

myouz's picture

What a selective interpretation of the so called facts. the venom and spite you show towards Assange belies an underlying paranoia on your part Mr Green. Whatever Me Assange did or did not do, he is a condemned man in your eyes. By the way your presentation on the Swedish charges are factually incorrect!!!!!!

Corinthus_Titus's picture

Hello David,
Some interesting points there. However, assuming your argument is correct you say little about how we can actually move forward from the current situation...in other words your bleating is futile as he's already been granted asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy. If, like me, you want the rape allegations to be addressed then shouldn't we direct our belligerence towards the Swedes who could quite easily make the journey to London to determine whether they can charge Assange with something? There are precedents for this and Assange has already agreed to meet under these circumstances. Honestly, it sounds like you're more interested in proving Assange's supporters wrong then actually resolving the allegations.

Colleen Adams's picture

and like the Swedish Government not really interested in the truth....ie interviewing Assange would shift the dialogue...

Ciaran J  Goggins's picture

I think he is well guilty otherwise why would he avoid facing his accusers?

rah111's picture

Your ignorance is astounding. He's already faced his accusers in Sweden and was told he could freely leave the country. He now says he is happy to answer more (supposed) questions in the Ecuador Embassy or even go back to Sweden on the proviso that Sweden isn't simply a pit stop for the US. It is, of course, which is why the Swedes won't come to London. This whole thing is a transparent farce and it beggars belief that people like you and the author of this article can't see it. Ask Bradley Manning about the fair treatment Assange is likely to receive at the hands of the Obama government for whistle-blowing. At the very least his critics should be able to understand Assange's concerns, yet they deal disingenuously in misinformation and character assassination instead, including governments and the media.

Arthur the Llama's picture

He has said he will face the charges, if he is protected from extradition to the US. The article says he is mistaken in fearing this, and Green's argument relies on narrow readings of parts of law which it is suggested offer Assange protection.

However, photographic evidence of police operational instructions outside the embassy shows the involvement of the anti-terrorist unit. This is very obviously not simply about the Swedish charges, and those who dismiss his concerns about the US and the intentions of the UK and Swedish governments are deluding themselves. There is no way this unit would be involved if the matter were simply one of fulfilling an arrest warrant for the Swedish charges.

Colleen Adams's picture

agree..

Arthur the Llama's picture

Photographic evidence of police anti-terrorist involvement here: guardian.co.uk/media/2012/aug/24/julian-assange-arrest-tactics?INTCMP=SRCH

emirjame's picture

He never avoided them and went immediately to the police to make a statement. When he had to go abroad for his work he offered additional testimony in the country where he was (which is common practice and should have been accepted instead of issuing an expensive and unnecessary EAW)

Arbed's picture

Would Mr Green also please comment on the following pieces of testimony from the District Court hearing which found that Assange should be extradited? They are copied word-for-word from live tweets of the proceedings.

Brita Sundberg-Weitman (former Swedish judge): the decision to prosecute can only be taken after the preliminary investigation has closed.

and
Sven-Erik Ahlem (former Swedish chief prosecutor): The last thing that happens as part of the preliminary investigation is that the suspect has a right to see all the material collected and also comment on whether he/she wants to hear more witnesses.
JJ (Assange junior lawyer): The prosecutor cannot make the decision on whether to prosecute until then?
SEA: That's correct, unless there's a risk of prescription (?)

But, as we all know, the basis on which Justice Riddle ruled that the extradition was lawful was that there was a clear intention to prosecute, confirmed in a late statement submitted to the UK court by the Swedish prosecutor, Marianne Ny. This appears to be in direct contravention of Swedish law, which states unambiguously that she is not allowed TO DECIDE to prosecute until ALL questioning (including the questioning about SW's experience, which hasn't happened to date) has been completed and the preliminary investigation is over.

This makes a recent statement by Marianne Ny (more exactly, the Swedish Prosecution Authority on her behalf) reproduced on a Swedish Foreign Office blog last week very interesting:

“Some people are wondering why Mr Assange cannot be questioned at Ecuador’s Embassy in London. It is the Swedish Prosecution Authority that processes matters concerning surrender to Sweden under a European Arrest Warrant. In this case, the Prosecutor has made the assessment that Mr Assange needs to be available in Sweden during the preliminary investigation, hence the arrest warrant. A more detailed account of this can be found on the Swedish Prosecution Authority’s website. In brief, the Swedish Prosecution Authority writes that there is a need, during interviews with Mr Assange, to be able to present, and question him about, the evidence that has emerged in the investigation, and to be able to carry out supplementary interviews with him and other persons involved as the investigation continues.”

"As the investigation continues" - Do you see what she has done there? The process is now back to preliminary investigation, well ahead of any formal charges being laid – to bring it back in line with Swedish law. But an extradition has been achieved which is illegal by anyone’s standards. Note that this latest statement offers no valid reasons why Assange needs to be in Sweden, simply that Ms Ny has decided so. Note also she claims that the EAW was issued for the purposes of a preliminary investigation, although this is completely contrary to one of the fundamental principles of the EU Framework Directive. The EU Framework Directive is quite clear: extradition is NOT for the purposes of furthering an investigation. The Irish Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the EU Framework Directive did not allow for extradition without charge a few months ago, but our UK High Court has allowed it in Assange's case. The UK’s parliament when drafting the UK Extradition Act 2003 specified that a ‘judicial authority’ meant a court or judge – precisely to avoid this kind of scenario where an INVESTIGATING prosecutor orders an extradition – but the UK Supreme Court overruled parliamentary intent (blatantly!). Please do not rely on the UK court rulings in this case as having been fair, proper and impartial – they are all judgments driven by the underlying politically desired outcome.

Marianne Ny should be investigated for her abuse of legal due process. She has deliberately misled the UK courts and lied on the EAW warrant (in at least two different ways) and this EAW, which the courts here relied on in their judgments, should be ruled invalid and the extradition struck out.

hdonuts's picture

this's rather funny one minute Assange‘s extradition is to be decide by sweden govt ,so if the Sweden govt denied Assange's request to f veto sweden high court's decision , you call the sweden govt advanced Investigation blocker , a minute after , when UK govt and high court decided assange is suitable for extradition , you are calling the UK govt & judicial system unfair? UNFAIR ? and you used the word blatantly , DO you have any ideas ? the world is not revolving around you ,

Arbed's picture

Other things DAG's (rather pompous-sounding - sorry, but it reads very badly) article skips over:

DAG claims that Assange's first interrogation is important as it means he is therefore aware of the allegations against him. As someone else has pointed out, this is not true because all bar one of the allegations had been officially dropped at the time. He has in fact never been questioned about the allegations relating to SW, which means the stage which DAG claims has been reached in the Swedish procedure - formal interrogation and then charge - has nowhere near been reached. Also, the 30 August interrogation (this article quotes the date incorrectly) was recorded so there is a full transcript available. At no point does the policeman conducting this interview say what the allegation actually is. He simply asks Assange questions about the sex and the use and disposal of condoms, if I recall correctly (I'm sure someone can correct me on this if I'm wrong).

Second, DAG refers to 'extraneous material' looked at by the High Court judges but only details the allegations as set out on the EAW and the snippets from the police statements based on the women's interviews which relate directly to these. Fair enough. However, the full judgment shows the judges also looked at some of the forensic evidence (paragraph 94 of the judgment) in which the forensic scientists concluded the condom had most likely broken through wear and tear. Unfortunately, they seem to have missed the much larger revelation in the forensic report that this condom - handed in by AA - had no DNA, male or female, on it. Or at least they made no mention of having seen this in their judgment. Care to comment Mr Green on the section of this judgment where the judges look at various English authorities regarding 'rape by deception' in relation to this particular allegation in order to decide whether it meets the dual criminality standard for extradition? Please also bear in mind that the Swedish prosecutor had this forensic report in her possession weeks before she wrote out the EAW.

hdonuts's picture

2 you are not the jury , you have not saw the forensic evidence first handed & actually ,it's not for you to decide if the evidence are valid or not, according to you this condom provided by the AA is DNA free ,what's your point about this ? that NDA settles the case ? every rapist with no DNA evidence should be exonerated?

Arbed's picture

Yes, I've seen the forensic report first-hand. AA handed in this condom which she claims Assange "did something to" to tear it deliberately - it has a tear in the top and looks 'used' (there's a clear photograph of it in the report) - on 25 August 2010 and it was sent to the SKL (Sweden's National Forensics Lab) the same day. The first set of results were that no chromosonal DNA at all - male or female - could be found on it, although a tiny speck of 'something' was on it. The police therefore asked for a second test, which found that this tiny speck contained mitochondrial DNA. Now, mitochondrial DNA, if there is no chromosonal DNA present, can ONLY come from hair or nails. And, of course, any condom used for sex should be awash with chromosonal DNA. The second set of results was returned to police on 25 October, and presumably forwarded to Marianne Ny, the prosecutor, shortly after and in any event well ahead of her approaching the SVEA court for a domestic warrant on 18 November and then issuing an EAW on 29 November 2010.

The lack of DNA on this condom cannot easily be explained away as the result of someone washing the condom before handing it in because the speck of mitochondrial DNA was found. I'm afraid there is a very, very high probability that AA has handed in false evidence by providing a condom that was never used.

Anonymouse's picture

You need to spend less time reading Nordic News Network (note: not actually a news network, just an American expat's personal website) and more time reading *actual* reports like the judicial rulings.

There is no comment with regard to a "spec". That's just you and NNN spinning wildly. Chromosomal DNA was not recovered, mitochondrial was. That says nothing how how much "material" of any kind was present, simply whether there was sufficient *in tact* DNA for analysis. Everything you've written about chromosomal vs. mitochondrial DNA is false. All cells have both chromosomal and mitochondrial DNA, not just hair and nails (in fact, hair itself has no DNA - follicles do, though). DNA decays rapidly out of the body. Mitochondrial DNA persists better because there are vastly more copies of it. The prime criteria for determining how fast DNA degrades is moisture; DNA samples must be dried quickly. In a moist environment, DNA from most samples begins to break down in a matter of hours. The condom was at least a week old., possibly longer. And contrary to your expectation of "awash" in DNA, the very description of the condom from the beginning was that it was empty, meaning only residual semen and skin cells.

The lab results furthermore contradict the claim that the condom was never used. They *do* argue against AA's perception of the event, stating that the tear is not consistant with deliberate cutting, but with damage in normal usage. But note that this also precludes the conspiracy theory argument.

Now, I have to ask you: why do you suddenly consider yourself not just a DNA expert, but one so good that we should just throw out the concept of a fair trial?

Arbed's picture

I have pointed readers above - and I'll repeat again here - to where people can access the original Swedish lab report to decide for themselves what it does or does not say. An easy way to access it is by Googling "Overlooked Evidence in the Assange Trial", the lab report is attached as a pdf to that article.

Yes I am indeed very, very interested in the concept of a fair trial. I am particularly interested personally in reform of the EAW system, as it has to date generated many, many miscarriages of justice. Fair Trials International's website is a good place to start exploring these issues if you are interested. So, I think of myself as someone who is very interested in seeing the application of the law is a fair and just manner. I have therefore personally attended all the UK court hearings in the Assange case. I have therefore seen for myself that Assange has NOT had the benefit of a fair trial so far. Far from it, in fact. How fair do you think a trial about extradition can be - with all its judgments and cut-and-dried pronouncements - if it is BARRED from taking into account any evidence that there is a prima facie case to be answered? If all it can pronounce on is whether a piece of paper from an INVESTIGATING (and by that definition, NOT impartial) prosecutor meets the tick-box criteria of a poorly drafted regime for the quick transfer of suspected terrorists? Tell me that. Given the way his case has proceeded thus far through the UK court system, I am very, very sure that Assange is not headed to a fair trial if he ever reaches Sweden.

hdonuts's picture

1 what you talking about ? almost all of the interrogation to a sexual offender involves details about sex and condom using , those questions are not simple ,what's your point ? if the prosecutors don't ask assange the questions about sex and condom ,what should they do ?ask questions about assange's birthday present ? and who are you to tell which stage the investigation was at? it's not for you to decide for sweden justice department how they should follow the processures ,

Arbed's picture

Instead of making non-sensical knee-jerk comments, please do as I asked in my post and go and read the transcript of Assange's police interview for yourself. When you do you will see for yourself that the police officers do not make it clear to Assange AT ALL what exactly he is being accused of.

And, yes, you are quite right - it is not for me to decide how the Swedish Justice Dept runs their own judicial system within Sweden. However, it is a matter of internationally agreed law that European Arrest Warrants should NOT be used simply to further an investigation, and the Swedish Justice Dept - in going about the international aspects of its business - should follow international law, agreed?

Hans Wurst's picture

Although the production is not the best quality, Craig Murray's video interview about his own experience and predictions on a due legal process for Assange in Sweden contains some interesting facts:
craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2012/09/straight-talk-interview-2/

I posted more information and commentary but the newstateman.com form response returned "Your submission has triggered the profanity filter and will not be accepted until the inappropriate language is removed", yet there was not a single profanity in my message. I've deleted the rest of the message so see if it works....

Anonymouse's picture

As for anyone complaining about the Swedish Judicial system:
worldjusticeproject.org/sites/default/files/Sweden_CP.pdf

Peer-reviewed methodology here:
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?%20abstract_id=1966257

No justice system is perfect. All have their own faults, their own
screwups, their own scandals. But Sweden's is among the best if not the
best in the world. And their biggest deficiency? Letting people off too
easily.

Hans Wurst's picture

As it turns out, the profanity in my post was the 'http' part in the above link.

So I can safely comment further:

Politicians in power are in the business of governance, which for them has worked fine in a corporate media world where the likes of Murdoch are operating more or less within the respective legal jurisdictions. New untamable media such as Wikileaks challenge old media and governments alike. There is new a legal battlefield, from copyright to whistleblowing. To silence and discredit Wikileaks and its founder is an obvious motive by any government wishing to minimize damage and avoid becoming subject to future whistleblowing incidents. Wikileaks makes the process too easy for anyone within any government to reveal their wrongdoings.

Craig Murray mentioned according to his sources in the government that William Hague has been under pressure from the US to get Assange to Sweden. If true, who is calling the shots from the US? Obama, Rumsfeld, Karl Rove...? The British public should be worried. There ought to be a public legal inquiry into both UK's and US's actions against Wikileaks, including having prevented the flow of funding. Banks and governments can be charged alike.

Remember, even if Assange gets only two years in jail in Sweden, the US will have achieved their goal in part. By now they (US) have likely realised that full extradition to the US will backfire in Europe.

This is no longer a potential trial between the two women and Assange but also between the Swedish and UK legal system vs. Assange. including a likely stitch-up. No matter how otherwise well-respected a legal system can be, once a state's actions are put in question, history offers countless examples where courts are the places where justice is as easily disposed of, in a perfectly legal manner of course.

Old woman's picture

Hans Wurst, ho ho ho. As good a pseudonym as old woman.

Hans Wurst's picture

Hans Wurst is for real:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanswurst (without the 'http' bit)

Ann Kittenplan's picture

I wouldn't count myself as an Assange cultist but DAG's wide of the target attacks are turning me into one!

Considering this whole matter as legal, as lawyers may reasonably be expected to, rather than political is surely naive in the extreme?

If the governments involved had behaved impeccably under national and international law then there might be some weight to these arguments, but they haven't, and there isn't.

It's just not just a legal issue.

Duncanm's picture

OK then, what actual proof do you have that there are malign, political forces at work, here, then? I mean, really, you can't make such a claim without having at least some facts to back it up.

And please don't use some crazy website's claim that there's a 'secret grand jury' just waiting to pounce on him the minute that he's blindfolded and extradited from Sweden, because there is zero proof for that.

Ann Kittenplan's picture

I couldn't find any crazy websites so I had to make do with the treatment of Bradley Manning, the deceptions that that led to the Iraq War, torture, rendition, detention without trial, that sort of thing.

JA must be Public Enemy Number 1 in the corridors of power in the US. Top 10 at least. Will they play fair if they want to get their hands on him?

This is not a purely legal issue and to treat it as such is to utterly miss the point. ISTM that this is the fundamental flaw in DAG's position.

How should the charges be heard? That *is* a legal point. And no, I don't have an answer. Maybe someone else does.

emirjame's picture

The facts are that the police standing in front of the Equadorian Embassy belong to the anti-terror unit of the British and that they are even ordered to risk their lives/ the life of Assange would he try to get out by diplomatic car. Google "British arrest plan Assange" (link seems to trigger the profanity filter)
"Assange to be arrested under all circumstandes. If he comes out with diplomatic immunity, in diplomatic bag, (risk to life) in diplomatic verhicle."

Duncanm's picture

Well, of course they're going to arrest him! He skipped bail! he's to be extradited to Sweden! There is no conspiracy here. Unless there's some incredible plan to drive the diplomatic vehicle INTO the building, there will be a time when he's outside in British territory, and therefore the police will have every right to arrest him because of this.

PS if it was the guardian article you were talking about, you appear to have added the words 'risk to life' for dramatic effect; they're not mentioned whatsoever in that article.

emirjame's picture

The facts are that the police standing in front of the Equadorian Embassy belong to the anti-terror unit of the British and that they are even ordered to risk their lives/ the life of Assange would he try to get out by diplomatic car. Google "British arrest plan Assange" (link seems to trigger the profanity filter)
"Assange to be arrested under all circumstandes. If he comes out with diplomatic immunity, in diplomatic bag, (risk to life) in diplomatic verhicle."

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