Ecuadorian government grants Wikileaks' Julian Assange diplomatic asylum

[TJGeezer]

Ok let me get this straight. He's wanted for rape and molestation in Sweden and treason in the US. Why hasn't this man been slammed into jail. Why is he free roaming the streets? I know he fears death from the US for the treason, and well he should.

Wait - you mean he's a U.S. citizen? If he's not, how can he be accused of treason?

For that matter, has he ever been accused (outside of Sweden, anyway) of doing anything worse than embarrassing diplomats, corporations, noncombatant military pogues and politicians? As I heard it, he was careful never to actually release info with any military strategic or tactical value. To officials and others who got embarrassed, all I can say is, cockroaches hate the light too but you don't kill someone for shining a light on them.

 

[ramonsterns]

Ramon...
its not a fallacy. Its a simple truth.

How you can go on your self-righteous ramblings and still sleep at night is beyond me.

Either way, UK can't touch Assange without trampling over a dozen international laws. Sadly, the UK is just the US in 20 years, a stinking police state filled with minorities demanding privileges left and right. In the end, forget nuclear wars, the next world war will be won over who has the biggest herd of sheep.

 

[Guest]

Innocent until proven guilty is a fundamental in English law, and thus has always been part of US law. The French don't have that principle and indeed it is not a universal principle.

Assange may be an arrogant, self-serving ****, but who here would have the balls to take on the US gov't, knowing they are gonna come after you with everything they have, all their dirty bag of tricks, to get revenge ? Look at the cruel abuse heaped on Bradley Manning; it's not punishment for a crime, it's state-sanctioned torture.

Essentially, this whole thing comes down to which you love more, your "freedom" or your "country". You can love both, but which one more than the other ?

For me, I think countries are simply lines drawn on a map several hundred years ago, and most gov'ts are bad in one way or another, so for me, I choose "freedom".

 

[Guest]

Tygerstrike spews his usually wrong and always stupid rhetoric again.

Anyway, I recommend people who are interested in facts take a look here.
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2012/07/19/3549280.htm

The big question now is whether the UK is going to compromise it's international diplomatic service by violating Ecuador's international rights and European law. Not only does the case not pass the smell test, but if they really want Assange then the oligarchs in power will have to out themselves to do it. That's the real service the Ecuadorians have provided the international community.

 

[Doctor John]

if they really want Assange then the oligarchs in power will have to out themselves to do it. That's the real service the Ecuadorians have provided the international community

Three things - a) you seem to be completely adrift from reality (no oligarchs in power in UK!), b) "They" don't want Assange, the Swedish judicial do, for criminal offences, and c) if you will spout this nonsense, at least have the courage to sign in!

 

[Zoltan Head]

Tygerstrike spews his usually wrong and always stupid rhetoric again.

No, he is reflecting the view of sane, moral people. Of course piracy amounts to theft. Of course rhetoric isn't a synonym for "words one disagrees with".

Three things - a) you seem to be completely adrift from reality (no oligarchs in power in UK!), b) "They" don't want Assange, the Swedish judicial do, for criminal offences, and c) if you will spout this nonsense, at least have the courage to sign in!

Seconded. (y)

 

[gwailo247]

Tygerstrike spews his usually wrong and always stupid rhetoric again.

Anyway, I recommend people who are interested in facts take a look here.
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2012/07/19/3549280.htm

The big question now is whether the UK is going to compromise it's international diplomatic service by violating Ecuador's international rights and European law. Not only does the case not pass the smell test, but if they really want Assange then the oligarchs in power will have to out themselves to do it. That's the real service the Ecuadorians have provided the international community.

That interview was a good read, thanks for posting it.

One other thing to keep in mind is that he is on bail in the UK. Being in the Ecuadorian embassy and then trying to leave the country is a violation of that bail. Now, whether or not that is a violation of international laws is something to leave for lawyers and diplomats, but from what I've read on a few threads on Reddit, the UK actually has several valid legal ways to detain him.

I thought that detaining him would be illegal too, but the people quoted several lengthy passages of both UK and international law showing the purported legality of these actions. In any case, this should be interesting.

 

[Benny26]

The law that the UK can enact to legally grab him is called "The Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987", which basically gives the UK the right to decide what land is considered 'Diplomatic'.

It was brought in following the killing of a police officer in 1984 (PC Yvonne Fletcher by a gunman hidden in the Libyan embassy, in which created a siege situation. In the end nobody has ever been brought to trial over it.

Personally I can't see the UK using this law though, the repercussions around the world could be pretty bad.

 

[Guest]

Perhaps the SAS should swing in through the windows and shoot everyone, it would be rude not to.

 

[gwailo247]

Personally I can't see the UK using this law though, the repercussions around the world could be pretty bad.

Its very true that there would be repercussions, but I also think that this has to do with the UK's own position. They granted Assange bail and he's basically going to ignore them and thumb his nose at them.

I know that everyone is saying that the US is going to extradite him as soon as he steps foot in Sweden, but whether or not it happens, we'll never know until he actually is in Sweden, and then is extradited. Right now everyone is just using this as a boogeyman. Assange is using it to justify everything he does, and his supporters are using it to justify supporting him.

While the US may feel this need to punish him, if they end up taking him from Sweden, then it will really cause a massive black eye to the governments of the UK, but especially Sweden. The UK may be America's little buddy ever since Churchill proclaimed himself FDR's "ardent lieutenant", but Sweden does not have that reputation in the international community. If they allowed it to happen they would really show themselves to be America's *****.

So if this thing plays out like everyone expects it to, Sweden and the UK will suffer a tremendous loss of respect in the international community. In some ways it probably would be much easier for the US to snatch him out of Ecuador, I'm sure people there are as much if not more amenable to cash based incentivising.

 

[Tygerstrike]

Since the UK has said they will fight him leaving, does that mean the UK has Bail Agents?
In the US a Bail Agent has a lot more freedom to apprehend their target then even the police do. As most Bail Agents are private companies, does that mean that if the Equadorian govt attempts to remove him from the UK, would private agents be able to apprehend him without causing a international inncident.

 

[gingerbill]

Innocent until proven guilty is a fundamental in English law, and thus has always been part of US law. The French don't have that principle and indeed it is not a universal principle.

Assange may be an arrogant, self-serving ****, but who here would have the balls to take on the US gov't, knowing they are gonna come after you with everything they have, all their dirty bag of tricks, to get revenge ? Look at the cruel abuse heaped on Bradley Manning; it's not punishment for a crime, it's state-sanctioned torture.

Essentially, this whole thing comes down to which you love more, your "freedom" or your "country". You can love both, but which one more than the other ?

For me, I think countries are simply lines drawn on a map several hundred years ago, and most gov'ts are bad in one way or another, so for me, I choose "freedom".

great post . Anyone who can't see Assange is being stitched up regarding the sexual charges to me is an ***** , it's so blatantly obvious. Always be suspicous of anyone being accused of a crime by a goverment who then suddenly has sexual charges against them , thats the 1st page of the CIA handbook , to be honest I find it insulting they made it so obvious , its like they feel so omnipotent now they arent even trying .

 

[DAOWAce]

Stay safe, Assange.

 

[gwailo247]

great post . Anyone who can't see Assange is being stitched up regarding the sexual charges to me is an ***** , it's so blatantly obvious. Always be suspicous of anyone being accused of a crime by a goverment who then suddenly has sexual charges against them , thats the 1st page of the CIA handbook , to be honest I find it insulting they made it so obvious , its like they feel so omnipotent now they arent even trying .

You're acting like they recruited Angelina Jolie and Jessica Alba and threw them at him, and despite his protestations he was unable to resist, and finally fell for this devious plot that took years to plan.

He was staying with one woman, who apparently worked for the CIA (much good those leaks did you Julian) and then started sleeping with another one. At the same time. Boy, that's crazy. Not like a NBA groupie can come up with that one. You'd probably get the girls trying to get back at you even if you aren't some international power broker.

I find it insulting that anyone would fall for something so obvious. Well, anyone without a god complex.

The reality here is that his ego was so out of whack that the possibility that he'd be set up a week after giving the US a black eye did not even cross his mind. "He looked at me". Yeah, that's all it takes to set him up.

Frankly anyone who can't see this man is an ***** is an *****.

 

[Guest]

gwailo247, if you were as non-sexy as Assange, I'd bet you would have given them the pork swordsman too mate. Does that mean you have a god complex ? or just horny ? I think we get that you don't like him. But it's a shame you can't respect his courage. Would you risk life in a blacked out solitary cell too small to sit down in for your beliefs ?

 

[ramonsterns]

No, he is reflecting the view of sane, moral people.

Sadly, your definition of sane, moral people is that of naive, ignorant people who can't tell they're being taken advantage of.

 

[gwailo247]

gwailo247, if you were as non-sexy as Assange, I'd bet you would have given them the pork swordsman too mate. Does that mean you have a god complex ? or just horny ? I think we get that you don't like him. But it's a shame you can't respect his courage. Would you risk life in a blacked out solitary cell too small to sit down in for your beliefs ?

I'll skip the lame ad hominem attack. Project much?

But you illustrate my point nicely. You, and most of the internet, thinks he's doing this because he believes in WL, or in any sort of cause. He's a megalomeniac. He doesn't give a **** about WL, about people. He's just doing this for fame and power and to get laid.

If he really cared about this, he would have gone about it so much differently. Seriously, read what all the former WL people who actually started the site and ran the site, and then left the cause have to say about him. Why would these "nobodies" who are not giving TV interviews left and right saying this?

I'll say it again, he does not give a rat's *** about this cause. That's what makes me not like him. Its just a means to an end for him. If he cared about what he was doing, this information would all be out there already, either in the wild, or in the hands of respectable news organizations worldwide who have a legal and moral obligation to edit out information that would result in harm to people.

Instead he keeps it all to himself, parcels it out in little driblets designed to maximize news coverage for himself. He actually told his staff they would be financially liable for releasing any stuff without his permission. FINANCIALLY LIABLE. So you tell me what his motive is?

 

[Doctor John]

Sadly, your definition of sane, moral people is that of naive, ignorant people who can't tell they're being taken advantage of.

No, he didn't say that, you must be illiterate.

 

[Zoltan Head]

No, he didn't say that, you must be illiterate.

Nice one, bud!

 

[Tygerstrike]

Its all a moot point anyways. Even if the US doesnt get him through Sweden, They will just chopper into Equador and snatch him up that way. And lets face it. No other country out there wants to actually go toe to toe with the US.
So basically The US will eventually get what its govt wants and everyone else will be sitting there stomping their feet and crying foul while Julian ends up in jail or dead.
Lets face it.....No country is going to get into a physical confrontation with America, especially over one person who is esentually a nobody. Hes not royalty, hes not a elected official.

 

[Guest]

as treason is [FONT=arial]The crime of betraying one's country, esp. by attempting to kill the sovereign or overthrow the government and Assange is an Australian national, America has no right to charge him with it. [/FONT]

 

[Doctor John]

as treason is [FONT=arial]The crime of betraying one's country, esp. by attempting to kill the sovereign or overthrow the government and Assange is an Australian national, America has no right to charge him with it. [/FONT]

So what? The USA (or any part of America) hasn't charged him with treason, where did you pull that from?

 

[Guest]

Treason can only be applied when you sell out your own country. He IS NOT an American citizen so he can't be charged with treason in the first place. As to the sex charges, true or false, I don't care. If a woman doesn't report a sex crime the same day it happened I don't believe a crime happened and if it did, and it wasn't reported she got what she deserved.

 

[Nirmal Mohan K]

ASSANGE is a free thinker and he wants to bring out all the crapshit that happens in this f'n world....for the first time I would extend my hand to the ecuadarian govt for providing him asylum....and of the rape and molestation cases its nothing but made up and how many hookers do you want in US or for that matter anywhere in this world to say things against someone for money....so dont tell me has raped or molested anyone...so cheap...

 

[Doctor John]

Treason can only be applied when you sell out your own country. He IS NOT an American citizen so he can't be charged with treason in the first place.

Can someone PLEASE answer my question, who is accusing whom of treason? I'm only aware of some assault allegations in Sweden, who decided to inject the word treason into the debate?