Julian Assange: Wikileaks founder may walk free from London hide-out

[webfact]

Julian Assange: Wikileaks founder may walk free from London hide-out

LONDON: -- FUGITIVE Wikileaks founder Julian Assange could walk free from his diplomatic bolt-hole hide-out in London as early as next week with sexual assault allegations made against him set to expire.

The 44-year-old Australian has been holed up at the Ecuadorean embassy in central London since June 2012 and was later granted political asylum there against extradition to Sweden to face questioning on three counts of sexual assault and one of rape alleged by two women.

He has remained in a back room of the embassy, next door to the Harrods department store loading dock, since then with British police armed with arrest warrants posted outside the building 24 hours a day at a cost so far of more than AUD$25 million.

But Swedish authorities have now confirmed that next week three of the four charges against him will reach their five-year expiry date under Sweden’s statute of limitations and Assange will be automatically cleared.

Full story: http://www.news.com.au/world/europe/julian-assange-wikileaks-founder-may-walk-free-from-london-hide-out/story-fnh81p7g-1227480846409


-- News.com.au 2015-08-12

[Linky]

They want to interview him in the embassy now. They refused to do that before saying there is no policy that allows them to do that. Well tough titties, you had the chance to question him, he agreed to it early on but you refused.

Now saying they need agreement from Ecuador to enter the Embassy to interview him? Even if Ecuador agree it is actually up to Assange if he wants to be interviewed. You cannot insist a person answer questions. After the stupidity in the way the Swedish officials have dealt with this case Assange should just tell them to naff off.

A warrant issued for questioning is the stupidest thing I have heard in a long time. Arresting a person to be questioned only goes against all the rights that should be afforded in a just society.

Assange was in Sweden for quite some time, he asked officials if they needed him for questioning, they said no, so off he went.

He should stand his ground and tell them to shove it.

Edited August 13, 2015 by Scott

[Chicog]

The Swedish need to learn not to be puppets, everyone knows what they were trying to do.

A statement Ecuador's embassy on Monday said: "The Embassy of Ecuador to the United Kingdom clarifies that on no occasion has any representative of the Kingdom of Sweden presented themselves at the embassy in relation to the Assange matter."

[hgma]

What an awful situation, apart from the guilty or politically motivated stuff, if someone is indicted for rape, you walk free if they can't get you in a court of law before hand?

or do i miss something?

[krisb]

Fascinating story about a guy who knows too much.

[Somtamnication]

He is more in danger walking out that door and inside. Snowden I hate, but Assange is simply a messenger.

[dexterm]

What an awful situation, apart from the guilty or politically motivated stuff, if someone is indicted for rape, you walk free if they can't get you in a court of law before hand?

or do i miss something?

Yes, you missed something.

Trumped up charges to get Assange to Sweden.

http://johnpilger.com/articles/the-siege-of-julian-assange-is-a-farce-a-special-investigation

Edited August 12, 2015 by dexterm

[Linky]

What an awful situation, apart from the guilty or politically motivated stuff, if someone is indicted for rape, you walk free if they can't get you in a court of law before hand?

or do i miss something?

Yes you missed something. He has not been indicted on anything. He has never been charged. All they want to do is question him. But apparently it was too difficult to question him outside Sweeden. Must be something in the water there.

[SheungWan]

What an awful situation, apart from the guilty or politically motivated stuff, if someone is indicted for rape, you walk free if they can't get you in a court of law before hand?

or do i miss something?

Yes, you missed something.

Trumped up charges to get Assange to Sweden.

http://johnpilger.com/articles/the-siege-of-julian-assange-is-a-farce-a-special-investigation

Assange is a nasty piece of work and Pilger has his own fish to fry.

[Linky]

What an awful situation, apart from the guilty or politically motivated stuff, if someone is indicted for rape, you walk free if they can't get you in a court of law before hand?

or do i miss something?

Yes, you missed something.

Trumped up charges to get Assange to Sweden.

http://johnpilger.com/articles/the-siege-of-julian-assange-is-a-farce-a-special-investigation

Assange is a nasty piece of work and Pilger has his own fish to fry.

I dont care if Assange is Atilla The Hun or Mother Theresa. It doesnt change the information he exposed. What people think of him is irrelevent.

[Briggsy]

The Yanks ain't gonna give up so easy. They will not let him be till they have him one way or another.

[Frank James]

He's in great danger as soon as he walks out that door. The US is out to bury him.

[impulse]

I give him 2 minutes of freedom before he's locked up for something else, and <12 hours in the UK before he's on a plane to the USA in cuffs.

It's a trap.

[SheungWan]

What an awful situation, apart from the guilty or politically motivated stuff, if someone is indicted for rape, you walk free if they can't get you in a court of law before hand?

or do i miss something?

Yes, you missed something.

Trumped up charges to get Assange to Sweden.

http://johnpilger.com/articles/the-siege-of-julian-assange-is-a-farce-a-special-investigation

Assange is a nasty piece of work and Pilger has his own fish to fry.

I dont care if Assange is Atilla The Hun or Mother Theresa. It doesnt change the information he exposed. What people think of him is irrelevent.

I dont care if Assange is Atilla The Hun or Mother Theresa. a rapist. It doesnt change the information he exposed. What people think of him is irrelevent.

What they are really saying.

Edited August 12, 2015 by SheungWan

[dexterm]

I correct my own post.:"trumped up charges" ......trumped up allegations.

Have you read the original allegations that the two women weren't even bothered about pursuing...just wanted Assange to take an AIDS test originally...., until pressed to lay a formal complaint by the Swedish authorities. It wasn't rape as we know it, just bad manners..nothing like the connotations forceful rape implies.

Assange volunteered himself for interview and the case was dropped. then another prosecutor took over with a hidden agenda, and hasn't attempted to interview him in person in the Ecuadorian embassy or via video link re the allegations since. Methinks it was all just a ploy to get Assange into Sweden for onward travel.

He did what any of us would do in the circumstances to avoid a setup.

Edited August 12, 2015 by dexterm

[SheungWan]

I correct my own post.:"trumped up charges" ......trumped up allegations.

Have you read the original allegations that the two women weren't even bothered about pursuing...just wanted Assange to take an AIDS test originally...., until pressed to lay a formal complaint by the Swedish authorities. It wasn't rape as we know it, just bad manners..nothing like the connotations forceful rape implies.

Assange volunteered himself for interview and the case was dropped. then another prosecutor took over with a hidden agenda, and hasn't attempted to interview him in person in the Ecuadorian embassy or via video link re the allegations since. Methinks it was all just a ploy to get Assange into Sweden for onward travel.

He did what any of us would do in the circumstances to avoid a setup.

All the excuses and evasions offered up by Assange and his supporters shot down in the British courts. Not that the supporters stop repeating their junk. Assange is just a grubby little rapist on the run, no existential hero he.

[Briggsy]

I correct my own post.:"trumped up charges" ......trumped up allegations.

Have you read the original allegations that the two women weren't even bothered about pursuing...just wanted Assange to take an AIDS test originally...., until pressed to lay a formal complaint by the Swedish authorities. It wasn't rape as we know it, just bad manners..nothing like the connotations forceful rape implies.

Assange volunteered himself for interview and the case was dropped. then another prosecutor took over with a hidden agenda, and hasn't attempted to interview him in person in the Ecuadorian embassy or via video link re the allegations since. Methinks it was all just a ploy to get Assange into Sweden for onward travel.

He did what any of us would do in the circumstances to avoid a setup.

All the excuses and evasions offered up by Assange and his supporters shot down in the British courts. Not that the supporters stop repeating their junk. Assange is just a grubby little rapist on the run, no existential hero he.

Your post is far, far removed from facts.

British courts simply judged on the European arrest warrant and not the allegations.

[Seastallion]

I correct my own post.:"trumped up charges" ......trumped up allegations.

Have you read the original allegations that the two women weren't even bothered about pursuing...just wanted Assange to take an AIDS test originally...., until pressed to lay a formal complaint by the Swedish authorities. It wasn't rape as we know it, just bad manners..nothing like the connotations forceful rape implies.

Assange volunteered himself for interview and the case was dropped. then another prosecutor took over with a hidden agenda, and hasn't attempted to interview him in person in the Ecuadorian embassy or via video link re the allegations since. Methinks it was all just a ploy to get Assange into Sweden for onward travel.

He did what any of us would do in the circumstances to avoid a setup.

He did what most of us would have found difficult to avoid on the night in question.

Present company excluded, of course.

[ezzra]

He is more in danger walking out that door and inside. Snowden I hate, but Assange is simply a messenger.

Snowden is a hero. He exposed the corrupt American government for what it is, which is why they made Sweden frame him. Would you rather none of the crimes of the government came out? Ignorance is bliss, or so they say.

25 million to keep the plod outside. The British govt need a kick in the goolies for that. However, that's what they get for being America's poodle.

Agreed Assange will be in physical danger if he leaves.

Hero my ass... Imagine someone splash your most hidden secrets and financial details

on the net for all to see and take advantage of.... this Is why they called secretes!!!

there's an order to this things, you want them to be revealed, go thru the proper channels...

[Scott]

Off-topic posts and replies removed.

[Seastallion]

He is more in danger walking out that door and inside. Snowden I hate, but Assange is simply a messenger.

Snowden is a hero. He exposed the corrupt American government for what it is, which is why they made Sweden frame him. Would you rather none of the crimes of the government came out? Ignorance is bliss, or so they say.

25 million to keep the plod outside. The British govt need a kick in the goolies for that. However, that's what they get for being America's poodle.

Agreed Assange will be in physical danger if he leaves.

Hero my ass... Imagine someone splash your most hidden secrets and financial details

on the net for all to see and take advantage of.... this Is why they called secretes!!!

there's an order to this things, you want them to be revealed, go thru the proper channels...

So, you find out your boss is breaking the law in myriad atrocious ways....and you either keep quiet, or go to the HR department with a letter asking them to do something about it?

There is a HUGE difference between whistle-blowing and posting a photo on the internet of your neighbour having kinky sex. HUGE.

It took courage and it was a public service. He is a hero.

[Scott]

Don't the British have some reason to arrest him? Didn't he skip bail?

[kovaltech]

He is more in danger walking out that door and inside. Snowden I hate, but Assange is simply a messenger.

Snowden is a hero. He exposed the corrupt American government for what it is, which is why they made Sweden frame him. Would you rather none of the crimes of the government came out? Ignorance is bliss, or so they say.

25 million to keep the plod outside. The British govt need a kick in the goolies for that. However, that's what they get for being America's poodle.

Agreed Assange will be in physical danger if he leaves.

Hero my ass... Imagine someone splash your most hidden secrets and financial details

on the net for all to see and take advantage of.... this Is why they called secretes!!!

there's an order to this things, you want them to be revealed, go thru the proper channels...

So, you find out your boss is breaking the law in myriad atrocious ways....and you either keep quiet, or go to the HR department with a letter asking them to do something about it?

There is a HUGE difference between whistle-blowing and posting a photo on the internet of your neighbour having kinky sex. HUGE.

It took courage and it was a public service. He is a hero.

why would you try to silence a whistlle blower unless the whistlle blower reveals the truth?

Did Assange hide his name whilst blowing the whissle?

Did Snowden hide?

The question... did they tell lies?

[Ulic]

I support Assange %100 but I find it amusing he is using the wealthy Thai strategy. Make yourself unavailable until the statute of limitations makes the problem disappear.

Edited August 13, 2015 by Ulic

[Seastallion]

I support Assange %100 but I find it amusing he is using the wealthy Thai strategy. Make yourself unavailable until the statute of limitations makes the problem disappear.

Not the same thing.

On the one hand it is a guilty person evading justice, on the other hand it is an innocent person avoiding persecution.

[Scott]

No, the thread is about Julian Assange, it's not about Snowden and it is about Assange going free.

[Oziex1]

Assange and Snowden are heroes they have shown our governments for what they are and what we have always suspected, liars and hypocrites all of them.

Has what they revealed compromised the safety of our men and women fighting for the oil overseas, no! Flawed foreign policy and the bumbling incompetence of government can do that without help from others.

Will our governments learn from the activities of these people, maybe or will they just become more devious and pull back more of our rights in their quest to support their corporate backers and cling to their own power.

[sammygood]

so in sweden, you just have to run away & hide for 5 years and you are clear ?

[oxo1947]

so in sweden, you just have to run away & hide for 5 years and you are clear ?

The USA--Sweden & many other countries have a sun-set clause in their law ----(doesn't apply to all crimes , Murder etc)

In the UK of course you can be persecuted prosecuted for pinching some girls behind 45 years ago.....(if your rich that is) .............

Edited August 13, 2015 by oxo1947

[HerbalEd]

He is more in danger walking out that door and inside. Snowden I hate, but Assange is simply a messenger.

Snowden is a hero. He exposed the corrupt American government for what it is, which is why they made Sweden frame him. Would you rather none of the crimes of the government came out? Ignorance is bliss, or so they say.

25 million to keep the plod outside. The British govt need a kick in the goolies for that. However, that's what they get for being America's poodle.

Agreed Assange will be in physical danger if he leaves.

Hero my ass... Imagine someone splash your most hidden secrets and financial details

on the net for all to see and take advantage of.... this Is why they called secretes!!!

there's an order to this things, you want them to be revealed, go thru the proper channels...

Going through "proper channels" works, does it? Are you really that naive?