Julian Assange to be extradited, says UK court

[Maxine]

Adam Bandt just made a comment re the exhibitionist seeking asylum, wtte the govt not doing enough.

Had not realised what a total wanker Bandt is, even more than most Greens!

[mellie]

What a fucking wanker that guy is! A real egotistical attention seeker.

Meanwhile, the real hero, Bradley Manning, is facing trial and a long time in gaol.

Howard left Hicks rotting in Guatanamo Bay for, what was it, five or seven years? Only doing something when it got embarrassing for the Rodent in the 2007 election campaign.

Hicks was caught cavorting and training with terrorists, Assange's only crime was he told the truth, and unlike other UN dictated media corps they couldn't control the spill so decided to declare him a danger to society instead, even if this meant falsely fitting him up for rape.

You know it, and I know it. We all know it.

So stop cock-stroking your Labor flap-jacks Maxine, it's not a good look.



Ps--Bradley Edward Manning was a United States Army soldier, not an Australian, so do try to keep on topic in an Australian political forum.

Chalk/cheese

Bump

[mellie]

For those interested in supporting Assange, the following was sent to me via email today.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Friends of Wikileaks issue this urgent statement of support for Julian Assange's request for asylum with the Ecuadorian Embassy.


The context of Julian Assange’s house arrest and, now, extradition to Sweden cannot be disassociated from the backlash that been created by

his important and radical work with WikiLeaks. There are a numerous inconsistencies in this case that deserve our attention (http://www.justice4assange.com). Inconsistencies in due process relating to the issue of the EAW and Red Notice, the release by the Swedish Police of selective witness statements to tabloid press, the re-opening of the case by a second prosecutor in Sweden after a first prosecutor threw the case off, etc etc; all actions that permeate political interference and intent and which we believe are a reaction against WikiLeaks' work in promoting transparency and human rights through radical, independent, heroic journalism.


Swedish media are trying to assert that the reason Mr. Assange must be extradited now is because Swedish law dictates that someone must be on Swedish soil in order for formal charges to be laid. But it is also true under Swedish law that a prosecutor cannot take the decision to charge until the preliminary investigation and all questioning therein has been completed. In having already taken the decision to charge Mr. Assange, Marianne Ny is breaking Swedish law. It is intolerable that in a case such as this an investigating prosecutor would decide to charge before even hearing one side's version of events and is a contradiction of intent on behalf of the investigating prosecutor.


Some Mainstream Media have been expressing prejudicial intent. For example even today Tom McCarthy at the Guardian live Blog states "Julian Assange, who was to be extradited from UK to Sweden to face sexual crime charges, seeks asylum under UN charter" http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/ju ... sfeed=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. But the fact is that Julian Assange has not been charged, and we have to ask the question why this inaccuracy in reporting persists if there is no intent to prejudice. There are hundreds of articles that mention the same. Even the UK Supreme Court had to correct its own statement: paragraph 83 of the judgment refers to offences of which Mr Assange “stands charged”. This is not accurate as charges have not been brought against Mr Assange. The judgment will be corrected to read “offences in respect of which his extradition is sought”."http://www.supremecourt.gov.uk/news/jul ... ority.html. How can this allow for a fair trial where his basic human rights are safeguarded?


If he is extradited to Sweden, we know that he awaits incommunicado detention for an indefinite amount of time. For a man who has not been charged with any crime in any country, FoWL consider this arbitrary and unlawful detention and thus a violation of European Convention on Human Rights. Moreover, once he is extradited to Sweden, the danger of his further extradition to the USA looms. It has emerged through the release of internal emails by the US private intelligence service Stratfor that the USA have issued a sealed indictment against Mr. Assange over a year ago. There is also a secret Grand Jury against WikiLeaks going on at the moment, attempting to charge Mr. Assange under the Espionage Act, and his death has been called for by key US officials.

The situation deserves to be read in its entirety- a media organisation providing the means for the publication of whistle-blower media and an award-winning journalist with an ethos deeply anchored in human rights activism are being attacked for serving one of the most important functions in a democratic society - that of mapping the terrain so that we, as active and engaged citizens, can navigate democracy.


We have seen in the WikiLeaks revelations how international politics and diplomacy work. One story for the public, but the reality is very different. We understand this case as politicized and we see that Governments in Australia, Sweden, US as well in the UK, are hiding behind "judicial proceedings" trying in public to "wash their hands off" any responsibility but are acting in a political manner. Behind closed doors they plan, negotiate and agree on a political and diplomatic level the fate of a man whose work they view as damaging to their perceived interests. Bradley Manning's treatment is evident for all to see, his freedom taken his human right trampled upon. We bring forward into the open the claim that this is a political issue however it is disguised. Freedom for Information requests come back with very little information in most of the countries involved. We want this to stop. We want transparency in government dealings regarding this case.


To the Ecuadorian Embassy we say, we welcome your consideration of Mr. Assange's asylum request and urge you to accept. We appreciate the bravery your country will show in standing up to defend his human rights. The UK Government has failed to take a clear position on the plight of Julian Assange, despite there being clear concerns about the manner in which the European Arrest Warrant has been issued and executed and despite there being room for the UK Government to overturn the UK Supreme Court decision. We believe it is most imperative that the safety of Julian Assange and the vital work he engages in are protected.


Yours faithfully,


the Global FoWL (Friends of WikiLeaks)

(Disclaimer: FoWL are an independent collective of WikiLeaks supporters. Please note that we are not affiliated with WikiLeaks and consequently WikiLeaks cannot be held accountable for any of FoWL's statements or actions.)


(This is a copy of the original letter posted here: http://www.wikileaks-forum.com/index.ph ... l#msg35644 )

To unsubscribe from these announcements, login to the forum and uncheck "Receive forum announcements and important notifications by email." in your profile.

You can view the full announcement by following this link:
http://www.wikileaks-forum.com/index.php?topic=12256.0

Regards,
The The Official WikiLeaks Forum Team.

http://www.wikileaks-forum.com/index.ph ... l#msg35644

http://www.wikileaks.ch/Chat.html

[AnimalMother]

I don't like Assange at all.I think he's an egotistical, self-serving, arrogant prick. And the stuff he chooses to release has a political slant which is less than honest.

However, I have to give him points for "doing his job". He wants to spread information that was previously secret, he's dedicated to doing it, and he has at least partially succeeded in that. Dislike his politics as I might, I have to concede that he's reasonably honest and consistent about what he does, and ought to be protected on the grounds of free speech.

My anger and contempt is reserved for Bradley Manning. This scumbag gave a promise and a sworn undertaking to guard certain confidential information. He freely volunteered to do that. Then, because of some petty personal issues, he decided to violate his word of honour. Nothing he revealed was worthy of breaking that.

Assange should be ignored and left alone. Manning should be tried for treason.

[mellie]

AM, I am inclined to agree with you on the Assange personality issue, as there are things that irk me about this colourful chap also.
For starters, he's a horrible dancer....he dances like a burning spastic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNqd4hW98sQ
(Sorry Julian)

Though I don't think Assange should be ignored, as his work is too important to be ignored.

Love him or hate him, he's dedicated to the good-work he does, and I think during times where we as a society via our MSM are becoming increasingly censored 'nannied' he plays an important role in delivering much needed truth.

Sometimes the truth hurts, but it can also be rather humbling.

His ego aside, the way he dances, his quirky personality also... I admire his work.



Ps- And I agree with you re- the Manning case also, the parallels between Manning and Assange are like Chalk and cheese, just no comparison.

[AiA in Atlanta]

ASYLUM ... GRANTED.

[Super Nova]

UK treatening to go in and get him under some little known law.

It is going to get interesting.

[mantra]

He'll be holed up in the embassy for a long time to come. The US and UK are determined to get him the second he walks out that door. He must feel like a trapped animal.

[Rorschach]

If the US wanted him they could have extradited him from the UK.
I think he is just trying to duck the sexual assault charges in Sweden which considering his ego and womanising ways were probably going to be upheld.
He's a legend in his own mind and apparently has some here fooled as well.

[Rorschach]

'Julian Assange is showing a pathetic inability to face up to the consequences of his own actions.'