Assange to leave embassy 'when UK agrees'

[webfact]

Assange to leave embassy 'when UK agrees'
Julian Drape, AAP London Correspondent

LONDON: -- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is not about to leave the Ecuadorean embassy in London despite media reports he was considering surrendering to British police due to health concerns.

The Australian looked in good health when he held a press conference in the embassy on Monday morning with Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino.

Assange told journalists "I can confirm I will be leaving the embassy soon" but did not elaborate.

Afterwards WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson made clear the rumours of Assange's imminent departure weren't true.

"The world is not coming to an end," he told reporters inside the embassy.

"The plan (as always) is to leave as soon as the UK government decides to honour its obligations in relation to international agreements."

Mr Hrafnsson said he didn't know where the rumours reported in the British media had come from.

Full story: http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-world/assange-to-leave-embassy-when-uk-agrees-20140818-3dwsy.html


-- The Age 2014-08-18

[midas]

What a disgraceful waste of £7 million ($12.6 million) that could have been spent for the benefit of UK taxpayers not simply kow towing to the needs of another country

Julian Assange plans to leave Ecuadorian embassy a free man after changes to UK laws

In an exclusive subsequent interview with Fairfax Media however, Mr Assange clarified his remarks by referring to what he described as “a range of important legal developments in the United Kingdom,” especially the British government’s decision to opt out of the European Arrest Warrant system under which Sweden sought his extradition to be questioned about sexual assault and rape allegations first raised in August 2010.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/julian-assange-plans-to-leave-ecuadorian-embassy-a-free-man-after-changes-to-uk-laws-20140818-105kqu.html

[sgtsabai]

He better hope his security and intel is better than the US plan, dead man walking.

[3NUMBAS]

CIA will drop him at some time in the future

[Credo]

The world has moved on and Wikileaks has moved on. He's yesterdays news and all he will be able to do is write his memoirs and keep looking over his shoulder because they will get it. 1 year, 10 years, 20 years, but they will get him.

[midas]

CIA will drop him at some time in the future

Which will only reconfirm what many of us have now learned from the likes of Assange and Edward Snowden about the so-called " justice "system in USA

[kimamey]

Does anyone know what the UK government's obligations in relation to international agreements are that his spokesman talks about? It seems like it's something he thinks sounds good but there's nothing to back it up so he says nothing.

[Basil B]

"The plan (as always) is to leave as soon as the UK government decides to honour its obligations in relation to international agreements."

The only international agreements that I see the UK has with regards to this individual are international expedition agreements and treaties.

[Ulysses G.]

He is not going anywhere, so why the announcement?

[kimamey]

"The plan (as always) is to leave as soon as the UK government decides to honour its obligations in relation to international agreements."

The only international agreements that I see the UK has with regards to this individual are international expedition agreements and treaties.

I've just been reading the link given by midas which gives a bit more information but not much. I've not heard anything about the UK changing the extradition laws but maybe I missed it. It doesn't really make much difference though. He's wanted in Sweden on sexual assault charges but he claims if he's extradited the USA might then try to get him extradited to the US. If they want that I would thought that was just as likely to happen in the UK but I've not heard anything about the US attempting that.

[midas]

"The plan (as always) is to leave as soon as the UK government decides to honour its obligations in relation to international agreements."

The only international agreements that I see the UK has with regards to this individual are international expedition agreements and treaties.

I've just been reading the link given by midas which gives a bit more information but not much. I've not heard anything about the UK changing the extradition laws but maybe I missed it. It doesn't really make much difference though. He's wanted in Sweden on sexual assault charges but he claims if he's extradited the USA might then try to get him extradited to the US. If they want that I would thought that was just as likely to happen in the UK but I've not heard anything about the US attempting that.

The UK Extradition Act is being amended to ensure people can only be extradited if the country seeking them has made a decision to charge and try them. Sweden has never had enough evidence to do so ( as shown in the ABC Four Corners documentary ) or they would have done it ages ago.

It was always a stepping stone just to allow US to get him to a super max jail in a cell next to Bradley Manning

[sgtsabai]

Wanna' bet Sweden will now file formal charges? That whole case is bull and at least one of the women has CIA connections. While he may end up in a super max, my bet is dissappeared/dead.

[kimamey]

"The plan (as always) is to leave as soon as the UK government decides to honour its obligations in relation to international agreements."

The only international agreements that I see the UK has with regards to this individual are international expedition agreements and treaties.

I've just been reading the link given by midas which gives a bit more information but not much. I've not heard anything about the UK changing the extradition laws but maybe I missed it. It doesn't really make much difference though. He's wanted in Sweden on sexual assault charges but he claims if he's extradited the USA might then try to get him extradited to the US. If they want that I would thought that was just as likely to happen in the UK but I've not heard anything about the US attempting that.

The UK Extradition Act is being amended to ensure people can only be extradited if the country seeking them has made a decision to charge and try them. Sweden has never had enough evidence to do so ( as shown in the ABC Four Corners documentary ) or they would have done it ages ago.

It was always a stepping stone just to allow US to get him to a super max jail in a cell next to Bradley Manning

Is Sweden more likely than the UK to extradite him to the US?

From what I've read since it's not retrospective so it wouldn't help in this case.

[Eliot Rosewater]

CIA will drop him at some time in the future

Which will only reconfirm what many of us have now learned from the likes of Assange and Edward Snowden about the so-called " justice "system in USA

I think it says a lot about the UK

As obie wan said "who is more fool? The fool, or he who follows the fool....

[Credo]

I believe he violated the conditions of his release in the UK and so the UK will arrest him for that violation.

[midas]

"The plan (as always) is to leave as soon as the UK government decides to honour its obligations in relation to international agreements."

The only international agreements that I see the UK has with regards to this individual are international expedition agreements and treaties.

I've just been reading the link given by midas which gives a bit more information but not much. I've not heard anything about the UK changing the extradition laws but maybe I missed it. It doesn't really make much difference though. He's wanted in Sweden on sexual assault charges but he claims if he's extradited the USA might then try to get him extradited to the US. If they want that I would thought that was just as likely to happen in the UK but I've not heard anything about the US attempting that.

The UK Extradition Act is being amended to ensure people can only be extradited if the country seeking them has made a decision to charge and try them. Sweden has never had enough evidence to do so ( as shown in the ABC Four Corners documentary ) or they would have done it ages ago.

It was always a stepping stone just to allow US to get him to a super max jail in a cell next to Bradley Manning

Is Sweden more likely than the UK to extradite him to the US?

From what I've read since it's not retrospective so it wouldn't help in this case.

This was all covered very extensively in earlier threads.

Bottomline is that US and Sweden have a special and unique supplement to the extradition treaty. Listen to what this lawyer says after 1.12 minutes as he explains it.

If the USA could get him there, under this alternative scenario, he could be locked away without being charged for a very long time under the Patriot act or something similar. He would never get proper justice.

[midas]

I believe he violated the conditions of his release in the UK and so the UK will arrest him for that violation.

nah too many UK and Australian politicians have woken up to this sham

[Ulysses G.]

nah too many UK and Australian politicians have woken up to this sham

That is why he hasn't come out for two years.

[bendejo]

He is not going anywhere, so why the announcement?

Narcissism.

He should have his reality show.

[JesseFrank]

nah too many UK and Australian politicians have woken up to this sham

That is why he hasn't come out for two years.

He has been digging a tunnel for the past 2 years. They expect him to come above surface in Russia, next to Snowdens place, anytime soon.

[sgtsabai]

He will have to get out of England first, the US will be waiting and the rest of the world will be wondering years from now what ever happened to that dude named Assange.

[Basil B]

He is not going anywhere, so why the announcement?

Because people are forgetting him, may be a no news day...

A bit pointless really, the UK Gov are not going to back down, so he is never coming out of there a free man.

[bendejo]

Whenever he hears the name 'Snowden' he bristles with envy.

I think he's used up all he's got, otherwise he'd still be using it.

Here's a good article about him, getting past the person in the headlines

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v36/n05/andrew-ohagan/ghosting

Pleeeeeease don't pass me byyyyyyyyyyyyy ......

[simple1]

I believe he violated the conditions of his release in the UK and so the UK will arrest him for that violation.

nah too many UK and Australian politicians have woken up to this sham

What sham? he jumped bail, that usually means up to a one year prison sentence in the UK - also no statute of limitation.

[muffy]

Let him stay in that fancy jail for life .

[klauskunkel]

This is the usual sequence:

book deal - movie deal - leave embassy

[sandrabbit]

What a disgraceful waste of £7 million ($12.6 million) that could have been spent for the benefit of UK taxpayers not simply kow towing to the needs of another country

Julian Assange plans to leave Ecuadorian embassy a free man after changes to UK laws

In an exclusive subsequent interview with Fairfax Media however, Mr Assange clarified his remarks by referring to what he described as “a range of important legal developments in the United Kingdom,” especially the British government’s decision to opt out of the European Arrest Warrant system under which Sweden sought his extradition to be questioned about sexual assault and rape allegations first raised in August 2010.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/julian-assange-plans-to-leave-ecuadorian-embassy-a-free-man-after-changes-to-uk-laws-20140818-105kqu.html

They're not kow towing, I would like to see the response of British people if the boot was on the other foot and we were trying to extradite someone from Sweden with the same result. He's wasted enough taxpayer money, we should hand him over either to Sweden or his own Australian government and let them waste their tax payers money.

[Suradit69]

Assange told journalists "I can confirm I will be leaving the embassy soon" but did not elaborate.

Mr Hrafnsson said he didn't know where the rumours reported in the British media had come from.

So when "leaving the embassy soon" is announced at a press conference and comes from the horse's mouth, that's a "rumour" about his imminent departure?

[Scott]

If he is wanted by the UK for skipping bail, would that charge automatically go away if the law is changed?

[Suradit69]

If he is wanted by the UK for skipping bail, would that charge automatically go away if the law is changed?

TiUK. Anything is possible.

Soft justice shame of criminals who walk free from courts JUST as the Liberal Democrats are neither liberal nor democratic, so Britain's so-called justice system is a gross misnomer. Morally bankrupt, utterly enfeebled and hopelessly incompetent, our criminal courts fail spectacularly to provide justice for the public. In this twisted judicial world of warped values and perverse decisions, victims of crime are constantly betrayed rather than supported. The entire ramshackle, expensive system is now geared towards upholding the rights of criminals rather than the needs of civilised society.

http://www.express.co.uk/comment/columnists/leo-mckinstry/452833/Soft-justice-shame-of-criminals-who-walk-free-from-courts