When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

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Isgrimnur
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Isgrimnur »

I don't get the assertion about US/Canadian law. He's in the UK fighting extradition to Sweden for questioning there.

CNN
Assange has been fighting for a year and a half against being sent to Sweden for questioning about accusations of sexual abuse. Two women accused him in August 2010 of sexually assaulting them during a visit to Sweden in connection with a WikiLeaks release of internal U.S. military documents.

WikiLeaks' work is not at issue in the extradition matter or the Swedish allegations against Assange.

Assange has not been charged with a crime, but Swedish prosecutors want to question him about allegations of "unlawful coercion and sexual misconduct including rape," according to a Supreme Court document.
...
Assange has been under house arrest in Britain since December 2010.
...
Two women Assange had sexual relations with in Sweden in August 2010 subsequently went to police, who took down their complaints, according the Britain's Supreme Court. Police then interviewed Assange.

The WikiLeaks founder left Sweden "in ignorance of the fact that a domestic arrest warrant had been issued for him," according to the UK high court. A Swedish court granted a warrant for his "detention for interrogation," and Swedish prosecutors issued the European Arrest Warrant for his detention in Britain.
Did people and governments attempt to smear him? I have no doubt of that fact. But that doesn't mean that this man, who is, by a lot of accounts, supremely impressed with himself, did not behave in a manner that was illegal. Having powerful enemies (that you've deliberately gone out of your way to make) doesn't mean you're pure as the driven snow.

If he were so afraid of the US getting their hands on him, why is he in the UK? I would figure that it would be much easier to get the UK to extradite him to us for whatever crimes that we wanted to charge him with rather than engage in some back water dealing that involves "laundering" him through Sweden.

It certainly hasn't stopped us from spending time and energy going after NASA hacker Gary McKinnon.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by AWS260 »

GreenGoo wrote:I'm not going back over the history of the reporting of this, but the basic gist that I recall, was that the original complaints were dropped, the complaints themselves were of a strange nature of which neither Canadian nor US law covers (something like trying to pick up a woman is a crime if she says it is), and that the charges were only raised a year (or two? I don't recall details) after the original complaints were made, at the behest of the US government (this could be conspiracy theory, again, I'm not tracking down the sources, I'm only reporting what I remember from the time). The woman (women) involved were not a part of the newly issued charges and were told originally that they they didn't have a case.
LMGTFY.
Wikipedia wrote:On 20 August 2010, two women came to Swedish police inquiring whether it was possible to require that Julian Assange be submitted to an HIV-test. Within the filed report, the police officers found signs of sexual misconduct. In response, the police opened an investigation. The women involved were a 26-year-old in Enköping and a 31-year-old in Stockholm.

In answer to questions surrounding the incidents, the following day, Chief Prosecutor Eva Finné declared, "I don't think there is reason to suspect that he has committed rape." However, Karin Rosander, from the Swedish Prosecution Authority, said Assange remained suspected of molestation. Police gave no further comment at that time, but continued to investigate.

After learning of the investigation, Assange said, "The charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing."

On 30 August, he was questioned by the Stockholm police. He denied the allegations, saying he had consensual sexual encounters with the two women.

Claes Borgström, the attorney who represents the two women, appealed against the decision to drop part of the investigation. On 1 September 2010, Swedish Director of Public Prosecution Marianne Ny decided to resume the preliminary investigation concerning all of the original allegations.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Isgrimnur »

MSNBC has a timeline about the complaints. Of note are August 17th and 18th.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by GreenGoo »

AWS260 wrote:
GreenGoo wrote:I'm not going back over the history of the reporting of this, but the basic gist that I recall, was that the original complaints were dropped, the complaints themselves were of a strange nature of which neither Canadian nor US law covers (something like trying to pick up a woman is a crime if she says it is), and that the charges were only raised a year (or two? I don't recall details) after the original complaints were made, at the behest of the US government (this could be conspiracy theory, again, I'm not tracking down the sources, I'm only reporting what I remember from the time). The woman (women) involved were not a part of the newly issued charges and were told originally that they they didn't have a case.
LMGTFY.
Wikipedia wrote:On 20 August 2010, two women came to Swedish police inquiring whether it was possible to require that Julian Assange be submitted to an HIV-test. Within the filed report, the police officers found signs of sexual misconduct. In response, the police opened an investigation. The women involved were a 26-year-old in Enköping and a 31-year-old in Stockholm.

In answer to questions surrounding the incidents, the following day, Chief Prosecutor Eva Finné declared, "I don't think there is reason to suspect that he has committed rape." However, Karin Rosander, from the Swedish Prosecution Authority, said Assange remained suspected of molestation. Police gave no further comment at that time, but continued to investigate.

After learning of the investigation, Assange said, "The charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing."

On 30 August, he was questioned by the Stockholm police. He denied the allegations, saying he had consensual sexual encounters with the two women.

Claes Borgström, the attorney who represents the two women, appealed against the decision to drop part of the investigation. On 1 September 2010, Swedish Director of Public Prosecution Marianne Ny decided to resume the preliminary investigation concerning all of the original allegations.
That's wiki, not google, fyi.

I started a response but then started playing Diablo. I'll probably finish the response later. For the record I never meant that the women were involved in a conspiracy, only that the decision to re-open a case that was originally decided to have no merit, was. The charges didn't appear out of thin air, but they had gone away, only to magically reappear right in the middle of the controversy.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by GreenGoo »

Isgrimnur wrote:MSNBC has a timeline about the complaints. Of note are August 17th and 18th.
What's particularly interesting about those dates?
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Isgrimnur »

They detail the meat of the complaint from the women. But their complaints seem to get whitewashed in the conspiracy theories.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by GreenGoo »

Isgrimnur wrote:They detail the meat of the complaint from the women. But their complaints seem to get whitewashed in the conspiracy theories.
What meat? Molested in such a way as to violate her sexual integrity? I don't even know what that means. Days after he apparently had consensual/non-consensual sex?

You don't find it suspicious that they didn't even report a crime at first, only whether Assange could be made to submit to an HIV test? You don't find it strange that the charges were never filed and the case was dropped, only to re-appear months (year+?) later in the middle of Assange being vilified by the American government (and others)?

You don't find anything unusual about the whole thing? It seems on the up and up at face value?

Let's get our cards on the table Izzy. I don't care for Assange. He could be a womanizing dickhead, I don't know. I like the work wikileaks does. I think it's necessary and important. I believe your position is the opposite.

So, which one of us is letting our bias get the better of us? Were you paying attention during the wikileaks scandal? Did you not see how the stories about Assange kept changing until they finally got one to stick, sort of? I was embarrassed for the United States, not because of the leaks (which were bad enough in places) but because of the abysmal smear campaign they waged. Rather than deal with the documents, they tried to turn public opinion against the man via whatever they could think of.

You know why they (the swedes) dropped the charges? How do you prove consensual sex turned into non-consensual sex half way through? unless there was violence, it's completely unprovable. Whether Assange is guilty or not we will NEVER KNOW, unless he himself confesses. The trial, if there is one, will be he said/she said. What an untenable situation for a prosecutor. Who in their right mind would go forward with such a case, with no physical evidence whatsoever? The other alleged victim claimed he had sex with her while she slept. Could luck proving that one too. It could be true, I guess. It might not be. The point is both alleged crimes are both unprovable, and not even reported until a later date, after their first contact with the police. You don't find it strange that they refused to charge him when they had him in their grasp, but now that he's out of the country and the whistleblower in the middle of an international scandal they are willing to extradite him for a case they can't win, barring corruption or a seriously delusional jury which isn't too concerned about provable facts to make a judgment?

For the record, in my other response I was crafting, I noted that Assange admitted to having intercourse with both of them, which was either after I stopped paying attention originally or something I missed the first time around. My mistake.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Victoria Raverna »

Aug. 14: The woman, identified by Swedish officials only as Miss A, returns to Stockholm, 24 hours earlier than planned. The two go out for dinner, return to the apartment and have sex during which a condom breaks. She would later tell police that Assange used his body weight to hold her down during sex and that she was a victim of "unlawful coercion."
Video: Wikileaks arrest: Assange in custody (on this page)
Aug. 15: Assange delivers his seminar speech and meets another woman who tags along for lunch with friends, the Mail reported, adding that the two then go to a movie where the woman suggests they were "intimate."
That evening, Miss A hosts a party for Assange at her home, afterward reportedly tweeting this to friends: "Sitting outside ... nearly freezing, with the world’s coolest people. It’s pretty amazing!"
Aug. 16: The second woman, identified only as Miss W by Swedish officials, calls Assange and they meet in Stockholm. They go by train to her hometown and to her apartment, where they have sex. According to her testimony to police, Assange wore a condom.
Aug. 17: Miss W later tells police that Assange that morning had unprotected sex with her while she was still asleep.
Aug. 18: Assange is alleged on this day to have "deliberately molested" Miss A "in a way designed to violate her sexual integrity."
Miss A:
At Aug 14 had consesual sex then became a victim of "unlawful coercion"
At Aug 15 hosted a party for Assange at her home.
At Aug 18 became a victim of "deliberately molestation in a way to violate her sexual integrity"? (Any guess what this is?)

Miss W:
At Aug 16 Called Assange and invited him to her apartment to have consensual sex
At Aug 17 Raped by Assange?
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Isgrimnur »

Saying yes once does not give blanket consent for every treatment afterwards.

And yes, I think Assange is an ass and a threat to the security of not only the U.S, but the security of a great number of our allies. He doesn't give a crap about exposing just the abuses of power and the things that are secret that shouldn't be. He's willing to embarrass nations because he can. He's willing to put people's lives on the line to satisfy his own ego.

And I think that if the Swedish government sees fit to request his extradition so that he can be questioned regarding the possibility of a crime and those women can have their days in court, then he should be extradited. I don't care what the political maneuvering is in Sweden. Interpol issued a notice as well.

If he never ends up in a US court, I don't really care. But he's shown himself to have a complete disregard for the rule of law and a persecution complex that everyone is out to get him. And he's using that to try and get out of ever having to face consequences for his actions ever again. I'm sure if he gets so much as a parking ticket, he and his lackeys will tout that out as another example of the grand cabal's activity against him.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by GreenGoo »

Isgrimnur wrote:Saying yes once does not give blanket consent for every treatment afterwards.

And yes, I think Assange is an ass and a threat to the security of not only the U.S, but the security of a great number of our allies. He doesn't give a crap about exposing just the abuses of power and the things that are secret that shouldn't be. He's willing to embarrass nations because he can. He's willing to put people's lives on the line to satisfy his own ego.

And I think that if the Swedish government sees fit to request his extradition so that he can be questioned regarding the possibility of a crime and those women can have their days in court, then he should be extradited. I don't care what the political maneuvering is in Sweden. Interpol issued a notice as well.

If he never ends up in a US court, I don't really care. But he's shown himself to have a complete disregard for the rule of law and a persecution complex that everyone is out to get him. And he's using that to try and get out of ever having to face consequences for his actions ever again. I'm sure if he gets so much as a parking ticket, he and his lackeys will tout that out as another example of the grand cabal's activity against him.
Ok, just so we're clear.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Isgrimnur »

Ecuador grants asylum.
Ecuador said Thursday that it was granting asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a decision that thrilled supporters but will do little to defuse the standoff at the Latin American nation’s London embassy, where the Australian ex-hacker has been holed up for almost two months.

Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said Ecuador believed Assange faced a real threat of political persecution — including the prospect of extradition to the United States, where Patino said the head of the secret-spilling website would not get a fair trial.
...
Britain’s Foreign Office said it was disappointed by the decision, but that it still plans to fulfill its legal obligation to extradite Assange to Sweden, where he faces sexual assault allegations.
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This definition of "fighting" must be some obscure one with which I am not familiar.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

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From the NY Times article on the granting of asylum, regarding Mr. Assange's stay in the Ecuadorian embassy in London:
The WikiLeaks founder sleeps on an air mattress in a small office that has been converted to a bedroom, according to accounts of those who have visited him. He has access to a computer and continues to oversee WikiLeaks, his lieutenants have said. Reporters outside the building have seen food being delivered from nearby restaurants.

His presence is a challenge for employees of the embassy. One British government official, citing a conversation with a member of the embassy staff, said that the situation was surreal.

Mr. Assange, who previously lived a nomadic existence staying in the homes of friends, has developed a reputation as a unique houseguest.

Daniel Domscheit-Berg, who ran WikiLeaks with Mr. Assange until the two had a falling-out in 2010, accused Mr. Assange in a memoir of staying for several months, uninvited, and of abusing his cat.

In an interview with The New York Times in early 2011, Mr. Domscheit-Berg added that Mr. Assange had refused to flush the toilet during his entire stay.
:shock:

He should be extradited for that, at least.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/17/world ... sy.html?hp" target="_blank
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Toe »

In an interview with The New York Times in early 2011, Mr. Domscheit-Berg added that Mr. Assange had refused to flush the toilet during his entire stay.
He was afraid of icky leaks? :|
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Isgrimnur »

UK: he's not leaving.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Thursday that the U.K. will not allow WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange safe passage out of the country.

The announcement came hours after Ecuador granted Assange political asylum, a decision that thrilled supporters but did not defuse the standoff at the Latin American nation's London embassy, where he has been holed up for almost two months.

Now the standoff between the two nations centers on an inviolable diplomatic principle: British law and the British police cannot reach inside the embassy of a foreign country.

Ecuador said British officials have threatened to march in and grab Assange from its London embassy, where he has been holed up in a bid to escape extradition to Sweden over sex crimes allegations.
...
Hague said Thursday that Britain would not grant Assange safe passage because "there is no legal basis for us to do so."
...
Under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, diplomatic posts are treated as the territory of the foreign nation.

However, in a letter to Ecuadorean officials, Britain cited a little-known law, the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act of 1987, which it said would allow the arrest Assange within the embassy premises.

The law gives Britain the power to revoke the status of a diplomatic mission if the state in question "ceases to use land for the purposes of its mission or exclusively for the purposes of a consular post" — but only if such a move is "permissible under international law."
...
The law was passed after the 1984 siege of the Libyan embassy in London, which was sparked when someone inside the building fatally shot a British police officer, Yvonne Fletcher. An 11-day standoff ended with Britain severing diplomatic relations with Libya and expelling all its diplomats.

The Associated Press could find no record of the law ever being used to justify forcible entry into an embassy.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

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Awesome post El Guapo.

Does anyone else find the level of effort the English are putting into extradicting this guy amusing? Swat teams? 24 hour survelliance? He is being extradicted because he is wanted for questioning. On paper this makes no sense. But of course the real story isn't on paper.

UK's refusal to allow Ecuador to grant him asylum has me wondering about all the other historical defections and such that have happened over the years. I never paid any attention to it. I guess it was always on the hush-hush and the host countries didn't know as much as the UK does in this instance. i.e. other asylums must have involved sneaking the subject out of the country rather than simply slapping a diplomatic immunity sticker on his forehead.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Isgrimnur »

President Correa: There's no hypocrisy here.
For President Rafael Correa, there's no hypocrisy in his defense of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on free speech grounds and the harsh restrictions he imposes on the press in Ecuador.

President Correa says the Latin American press is corrupt and so needs a different set of rules to apply. “Don’t let yourself by fooled by what’s going on,” he told foreign journalists in Ecuador’s second city, Guayaquil, on Monday. “There is this image of the media as being about Woodward and Bernstein and the struggle for freedom of expression, but that’s not the case here. The press in Latin America is totally corrupt.”

Granting asylum to Mr. Assange, the founder of the anti-secrecy group that has released thousands of US diplomatic cables, is part of what he calls a “David and Goliath” battle against big powers; a battle in which Ecuador “will not back down, no matter how long it takes.”
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According to its own numbers, the Ecuadorian government has shut down 14 media outlets since the beginning of the year. In most of these instances the government claimed the stations had violated licensing laws and owed minimal fines, to which it responded by seizing all equipment and shutting them down without warning. When asked last night if this treatment was fair, President Correa responded, “Yes.”
...
At Monday’s press conference, Correa said many journalists in Latin America were mediocre and liars. “What hasn’t been understood is that the press in Latin America is lies,” he said. “If it were the US it wouldn’t be allowed, what we are asking for is quality.”
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Ecuador is digging its heels, insisting it will bring the case before the International Criminal Court if the UK refuses to budge. Ecuadorian political analyst Hernan Reyes says, “Ecuador feels support after the weekend and is going to hold strong and continue the campaign to try and garner support against “imperialist powers.”
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by GreenGoo »

Shrug.

Ecuador was specifically chosen because of it's sympathies for wikileaks and some personal relationship with Assange prior to this event, not because it is a glowing example free speech. At least that has been my perception of the situation.

Ecuador is willing to grant asylum not for any idealistic reasons, rather because it will piss off some first world countries while (in their mind) making Ecuador appear to be in the morally right while attempting to colour those first world countries as morally wrong.

I never for one moment thought the asylum was about facts.

So I guess it never entered my mind that he was a hypocrite, because I never questioned the thought that it was about fucking with Britain, Sweden and possibly the US.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Isgrimnur »

Some charges dropped
Swedish prosecutors on Thursday dropped two of four parts of their sexual assault investigation into WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange because the statute of limitations expired.

An investigation into a third suspected sexual molestation incident will expire Aug. 18.

The statute of limitations involving an incident of suspected rape involving the Australian national, 44, does not expire before 2020.

The withdrawal of some parts of the investigation does not mean Assange can leave Ecuador's Embassy in London where he has been holed up for the past three years.

“Julian Assange, on his own accord, has evaded prosecution by seeking refuge in the Embassy of Ecuador. As the statute of limitation has run on some of the crimes, I am compelled to discontinue the investigation with respect to these crimes," Marianne Nye, Sweden's director of public prosecution, said in a statement Thursday.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by JSHAW »

One question I have about Assange and his current status is this --- Who pays for this man's meals?
Does the embassy charge him for staying under their roof? OK, it was two questions.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by El Guapo »

JSHAW wrote:One question I have about Assange and his current status is this --- Who pays for this man's meals?
Does the embassy charge him for staying under their roof? OK, it was two questions.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Paingod »

JSHAW wrote:One question I have about Assange and his current status is this --- Who pays for this man's meals?
Does the embassy charge him for staying under their roof? OK, it was two questions.
So far England seems to have paid over £11m to sit and watch the doors, waiting for him to come out.

I had read previously that he had favor with at least one 'wealthy benefactor', in addition to support from Ecuador's government, and I'm sure it's not crazy-costly to let someone stay in what amounts to a hotel you own. I doubt he's throwing lavish parties and probably spends a lot of time in World of Warcraft.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by GreenGoo »

Paingod wrote:
JSHAW wrote:One question I have about Assange and his current status is this --- Who pays for this man's meals?
Does the embassy charge him for staying under their roof? OK, it was two questions.
So far England seems to have paid over £11m to sit and watch the doors, waiting for him to come out.
Yes, this actually makes me insanely gleeful. The UK should hit up Sweden to support some of the costs, and Sweden needs to decide if these charges are valid enough to warrant the cost. If they are, cool. Justice is expensive. If they aren't, well, enjoy lighting money on fire.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Isgrimnur »

Ecuador wants a day pass.
Ecuadoran officials have asked the United Kingdom to let WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leave his asylum at country's embassy in London briefly for medical checks. Britain responded Thursday by saying he could have medical care but would be arrested if he leaves the embassy.

Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said that Assange needs an MRI for a pain in his shoulder that began three months ago.
...
Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement that Britain would not "in any way seek to impede Mr. Assange receiving medical advice or care. We have made this clear to the government of Ecuador."
...
Patino said an option would be for another country or the Red Cross to bring a portable MRI machine to the embassy.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Isgrimnur »

BBC
Sweden has decided to drop the rape investigation into Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

Top prosecutor Marianne Ny said his arrest warrant was being revoked as it was impossible to serve him notice.
...
Ecuador has called on the UK to allow him safe passage out of the country.

However, police in London said they would still be obliged to arrest him if he left.

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) said Mr Assange still faced the lesser charge of failing to surrender to a court, an offence punishable by up to a year in prison or a fine.

But the UK has not commented on whether it has received an extradition request from the US, where Mr Assange could face trial over the leaking of hundreds of thousands of secret US military and diplomatic documents.

Mr Assange's Swedish lawyer, Per Samuelson, said the prosecutor's decision on Friday represented "a total victory" for his client.

But the Wikileaks founder responded angrily in a tweet: "Detained for 7 years without charge... while my children grew up and my name was slandered. I do not forgive or forget."
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Holman »

Um, holed up in foreign territory to avoid arrest is not "detained."
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Isgrimnur »

I had to stop myself from posting :roll: at the end for exactly that reason.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Paingod »

Holman wrote:Um, holed up in foreign territory to avoid arrest is not "detained."
Functionally he has. He's been held prisoner by guards outside the building waiting to bring him to a stricter prison. Detaining isn't just about arresting, it's also preventing them from leaving.

Originally I sided with him and felt that he was being unjustly prosecuted, but in recent times it seems that his angle is less about freedom of information and more about being a clearinghouse for Russian hackers to dribble bits of stolen information for the world to see at opportune times. I admit that I'm not fully up to speed on Wikileaks, though, so my perception derived from reports of recent events and not my own research.

I like living in an age where a government's nasty, dirty, and/or illegal secrets can be exposed easily. I like to think it keeps them a little more honest. That's probably wishful thinking, though.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Holman »

He could have faced the court at any time and fought to prove his innocence.

If I'm wanted for robbery in the U.S. and I go abroad for years to avoid arrest, have I been exiled from my country? Or have I simply refused to return and face charges?
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Isgrimnur »

Ah, the Roman Polanski Conundrum.
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LordMortis
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by LordMortis »

I agree, not being detained is distinction without a difference.

However, not being charged was his choice. He chose his form of detention. All he had to do was step out and he would have been charged, I'm sure.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Paingod »

LordMortis wrote:All he had to do was step out and he would have been charged, I'm sure.
Given how horny some people were to get their hands on him, he probably justifiably felt that he would have been "disappeared" in short order. The US might have decided to label him an enemy combatant and stick him in Guantanamo or something.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Max Peck »

Paingod wrote:
LordMortis wrote:All he had to do was step out and he would have been charged, I'm sure.
Given how horny some people were to get their hands on him, he probably justifiably felt that he would have been "disappeared" in short order. The US might have decided to label him an enemy combatant and stick him in Guantanamo or something.
But why would Big Brother America go to the trouble of getting him to Sweden when he was walking around in the UK, 'Merica's closest ally? The whole idea that the Swedish charges were a ruse to get him into Sweden so that the Americans could extradite him makes no sense. There was no need for that sort of subterfuge when he was already accessible.

Also, now that Manning walks among us, isn't Assange supposed to be hopping on a plane to the US now?
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by GreenGoo »

Max Peck wrote: But why would Big Brother America go to the trouble of getting him to Sweden when he was walking around in the UK, 'Merica's closest ally? The whole idea that the Swedish charges were a ruse to get him into Sweden so that the Americans could extradite him makes no sense. There was no need for that sort of subterfuge when he was already accessible.

Also, now that Manning walks among us, isn't Assange supposed to be hopping on a plane to the US now?
I don't have an answer for you and I agree it's a good question. That said, reading the history of the sexual assault/rape case in Sweden, it was pretty clear that the current charges against him were reinstated for reasons other than justice for the women involved.

Assange almost immediately backed out of his promise to turn himself in after Obama let Manning out. His excuses were transparent and clearly his word is worthless.

Having defended Wikileaks in the past as a valuable resource, I'd just like to go on record and state that I no longer feel that way. Clearly they are not acting in a non-partisan manner, and worse yet, are weaponizing any info they have. So fuck them. While many won't agree with me, I feel that Wikileaks was not always a force for badness in the world, and that the tone and behaviour has changed over the years, resulting in the current troublemaker.

Assange was always a crappy person, but even crappy people can be railroaded, and I feel he was. Whether he's the driving force behind Wikileaks today I don't know, but if he is, I'm perfectly happy with him facing the consequences.

In short, I am no longer a fan of Wikileaks. I was never a fan of Assange, even as I defending him.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Holman »

GreenGoo wrote:Having defended Wikileaks in the past as a valuable resource, I'd just like to go on record and state that I no longer feel that way. Clearly they are not acting in a non-partisan manner, and worse yet, are weaponizing any info they have. So fuck them. While many won't agree with me, I feel that Wikileaks was not always a force for badness in the world, and that the tone and behaviour has changed over the years, resulting in the current troublemaker.
Assange didn't start WikiLeaks alone. There was a definite time--IIRC it was 2012 or 2013--when he seized control and the other principle leaders left or were forced out. That's about the point when WL became less of a wildcat transparency operation and much more aligned with Russian interests.

It's now thought that the WL servers are actually in Russia and are controlled by hacker-types affiliated with the Russian spy agencies.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by GreenGoo »

Holman wrote: It's now thought that the WL servers are actually in Russia and are controlled by hacker-types affiliated with the Russian spy agencies.
I doubt that would surprise anyone.
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Isgrimnur »

NPR
Ecuador says it has granted citizenship to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, as officials try to find a way for him to leave the Ecuadorean embassy in London without risking legal action.
...
The original case against him has been dropped, but Assange remains inside the embassy. "He is still subject to arrest in Britain for jumping bail," The Associated Press notes. "He also fears a possible U.S. extradition request based on his leaking of classified State Department documents."
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Paingod »

Can't they just put a dummy with white hair in an upper window, and sneak him out the back with a fake mustache on?
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Rip »

Paingod wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2018 8:29 am Can't they just put a dummy with white hair in an upper window, and sneak him out the back with a fake mustache on?
Apparently they are able to track him by smell.

8-)
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Re: When Wikileaks leaks leaks, leaks get leaky.

Post by Isgrimnur »

The Intercept
Twitter messages obtained by The Intercept provide an unfiltered window into WikiLeaks’ political goals before it dove into the white-hot center of the presidential election. The messages also reveal a running theme of sexism and misogyny, contain hints of anti-Semitism, and underline Assange’s well-documented obsession with his public image.

The chats are from a direct message group between WikiLeaks and about 10 of its online boosters, described as a “low security channel for some very long term and reliable supporters who are on twitter.” Perhaps because of the “low security” designation, the chats do not shed much light on the most sensitive questions surrounding WikiLeaks and the 2016 election.
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