Sweden drops Assange rape charge

[whoputthecatout]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-39973864

Quelle surprise!

No details yet......

It's certainly true, though, that he's never faced up to justice and instead hidden behind supposed concerns over extradition rather than go to Sweden to address the complaint of rape.

What do you think he has to do to 'face up to justice' though? He was interviewed in Sweden and subsequently given permission to leave the country. He has always stated that he would go to Sweden if the government would provide a guarantee that he would not be extradited from there to the US. When no guarantee was forthcoming he offered to be questioned at any time in the UK. It seems a bit tight to say that he's avoided justice doesn't it?

Fliptophead

I think the rape charge was fabricated by the US/Sweden to allow for his "legal" transfer into US custody.

I expect that this is just a change in tactics by the US, before long he will disappear, probably to a CIA black site

Tend to agree with Kursk. Just like Dr David Kelly "commited suicide".
Rather too convenient.

I think that the biggest problem for the Prosecutor is that the charges that were probably most likely to succeed (sexual assault and sexual coercion) are now prescribed by Sweden's statute of limitations.

Assange has now spent longer under house arrest than he would ever have served even if convicted of the highest crime as Sweden's sentences for sexual crimes are very low.

Ironically I would guess that Assange extradition-wise has much more to fear from the UK with Trump and May's "special post- Brexit relationship" than the socialist government in Sweden

Yes Lass, there is a remote possibility that he might have been a victim of extraordinary rendition, I say remote because he is far too high profile for them to do that. There is no capital in them doing that.

Having said that, he lacks the courage to step outside the embassy and it would be diplomatic suicide for the US to enter without permission and so will remain, festering in his room, believing himself to be important in his self imposed exile.

deydododatdodontdeydo

Yes David Kelly, like crap was that a suicide

He has always stated that he would go to Sweden if the government would provide a guarantee that he would not be extradited from there to the US. When no guarantee was forthcoming he offered to be questioned at any time in the UK. It seems a bit tight to say that he's avoided justice doesn't it?

No. He doesn't (or rather shouldn't) get to decide under what circumstances he's interrogated in Sweden. He's been accused of a terrible crime.

"...No. He doesn't (or rather shouldn't) get to decide under what circumstances he's interrogated in Sweden..."

Well, so long as he won't just hand himself over to them, and the country he is in won't extradite him, yes he does get to decide. That's what the rule of law (International Law in this case) is for.... or do we not respect International Law when it happens to be inconvenient?

Also, they can "interrogate" where he is.

The problem with the US charges are that they aren't quite legal.

But regarding the allegations in Sweden, I think they should have held him when the first charges were brought. He was clearly planning to leave the country.

Again, no charges were brought. He asked if he could leave the country after being questioned and was told there would be no problem.

As I understand it there are no US charges that have been brought yet so no comment can be made on their legality. The suggestion is that behind the scenes the DOJ are exploring what they could charge him with.

I don't think there's any question of whether he did what did is there?
I think the only hiccup was whether on not it's rape to have sex with a sleeping woman without a condom after she repeatedly said no to condomless sex.

Even those on his side such as George Galloway just called it 'bad sexual etiquette'. I'd agree that the only reason anyone suddenly gave a fuck was political though. Rape on its own isn't that interesting to most government unfortunately.

Is that what George Galloway said? What a twat.

Hopefully all women will consider themselves warned and give definitely not a convicted rapist Assange a very, very wide berth.

Well, the DoJ can charge him with bail violations. For which there is a long standing warrant for his arrest.

I think we can safely say the wider community is going to be safe from JA for some time.

Yes, in the U.K. he can be kept detained using the bail violation charge. It's the US that is working to find grounds for criminal charges.

Well, I'll give them a hint.

Espionage.

And that's just for starters.

Just for starters? What else? There was some talk that they'd try to charge him using the early 20th century Espionage Act. It's hard to see what sort of charge they can bring though which won't have implications for press freedom. He has, after all, only published material that has been passed to him by a source.

Once they get their hands on him we'll find out.

Well, I for one hope they throw the book at him.

I realise this is all just a big joke to some but for others it wasn't. You're one of the people who thinks it's amusing, obviously. I'm not.

No, I don't find it in the least amusing. You've got that horribly wrong.

Again, no charges were brought. He asked if he could leave the country after being questioned and was told there would be no problem.

I am not disputing this at all.

Here is my understanding of the timeline:

• One of the reported victims visited the police station and asked if Julien could be required to take an HIV test. I believe the police said no. But opened a file.

• The reported victim heard that Julien had stayed with another woman and made contact. Upon speaking they both went back to the police and gave evidence, as the second woman had concerns.

• The police brought Julien in and questioned him. He was released.

• Julien contacted the police and was told he could leave the country.

• Julien leaves Sweden.

• The chief prosecutor decides further questioning is needed.

Now I am not saying Julien is guilty or innocent. Just that the Swedish authorities had two complaints with them at the time they gave him permission to leave the country.

In hind sight it would seem that it would have been better for them to have kept him in the country at that time. They had two women right in front of them, on record making complaints.

Perhaps Swedish law makes it hard to keep someone in the country under these circumstances. I don't know.

Yes, I think that's broadly correct.

I'm also not making any comment about whether he's innocent or guilty. I don't know. I wouldn't have any great difficulty in believing he's an odious shit in his personal life. What bugs me about the case is the manipulation of rape allegations by people that you know don't give a shit about rape or violence against women, but are all too keen to use it if it suits a political agenda. That's what pisses me off, the fact that all the righteous trumpeting in the media is not motivated by any desire for justice for the two women involved. They're just something that they can use.

Well we know he's guilty because of his statement to the court in the UK which contained the admission that he had unprotected rape of a sleeping woman.

Not rape. Consensual sex with a sleeping woman.

He's not a convicted rapist, as we are all fully aware. Definitely not.