Jump to content

The Assange/Wikileaks/Manning Thread


Ads

Recommended Posts

17 minutes ago, ml1dch said:

If he's been arrested due to an extradition request to the UK from the USA, doesn't it make a bit of a mockery of earlier claims that he was only going to Sweden because they would send him to the USA?

What it makes a mockery of is all the claims we heard so much about seven years ago that there was no extradition request that would be made when he was in custody, no secret US plan to ship him off to a high security facility, no collaboration between the US, UK and Sweden to facilitate this.

We were seriously being told that it was all just about the allegations that had been made in Sweden, and looking beyond that was a mad conspiracy theory.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, peterms said:

We were seriously being told that it was all just about the allegations that had been made in Sweden, and looking beyond that was a mad conspiracy theory.

It was a mad conspiracy theory.

The claim was that he couldn't possibly go to Sweden to face accusations of rape, because they would obviously just send him to the USA.

The rebuttal to that claim was that an extradition request was no greater a risk in Sweden than it was in the UK. If today's events are linked to a potential extradition to the USA, you'd surely agree that he was actually under no additional risk back when Sweden wanted to talk about sex offences with him, just like many people on this thread claimed at the time?

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Appeared in the dock clutching a copy of Gore Vidal's 'History of the National Security State' apparently.

Plead not guilty to the charge of failing to surrender without reasonable excuse of which he was found guilty

Off to Southwark Crown Court for sentencing on that at a later date.(Max 12 months)

On the second warrant charge

  next to appear via video link on the 2nd of may in the same court it seems.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

53 minutes ago, ml1dch said:

It was a mad conspiracy theory.

The claim was that he couldn't possibly go to Sweden to face accusations of rape, because they would obviously just send him to the USA.

The rebuttal to that claim was that an extradition request was no greater a risk in Sweden than it was in the UK. If today's events are linked to a potential extradition to the USA, you'd surely agree that he was actually under no additional risk back when Sweden wanted to talk about sex offences with him, just like many people on this thread claimed at the time?

What was claimed to be a conspiracy theory was that the US were seeking to get hold of Assange and that the Sweden case was a tool in that.  We were told it wasn't true, there was no charge, he couldn't be extradited.

These claims survived the accidental leak of the existence of a sealed indictment, the existence of a secret grand jury, the fact of Sweden having previously illegally allowed rendition of people who were subsequently tortured.  We were told it was all a fantasy that he would be snatched and shipped off to the US.

We were told he had to be returned to Sweden for questioning because it was legally impossible for him to be questioned abroad, and these claims persisted even after Swedish jurists had explained that this was simply not the case.

It's quite laughable that people were pretending all the time that there was no agenda other than the allegations by the two Swedish women, despite the involvement of the Swedish lawyer and former Minister who approved the rendition request, despite the UK police spending many millions guarding the embassy.

He was at risk in both Sweden and the UK. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, KenjiOgiwara said:

What did he even do in the first place? Show the public files about how their governments violated their privacy? 

That was more attributed to Mr Snowdon. With the Guardian and Washington Post his main outlets.

Among other things like releasing CIA files and Hilary/Podesta emails in recent years, it would seem the charges date back to 2010/11 (the extradition ones) so presumably related to wikileaks exposing US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan in various leaks along with the torture and rendition, contractors using child prostitutes, false reporting of events and so on. 'Cablegate' relating to diplomatic cables followed and then the Guantanamo Bay files leak which obviously was about the prison there. Chelsea Manning being a/the source.

With The Guardian, The New York Times and Der Spiegel as well as the Telegraph all heavily involved in the release of the information. I would imagine the editors of those papers will be watching the outcome of all this with some interest. Along with the editors of all the publications that ran the stories.

Between Cablegate and the Guantanamo Files he applied for Swedish residency and a few days later was accused in Sweden of sexual molestation, rape and coercion. The rape charges were dropped, then he was interviewed by police there on the molestation charges and released. The charge of rape that was dropped was reinstated and then lowered to a lesser degree rape charge. He denied the accusations and skipped the country to the UK. His Swedish residency was denied and a European Arrest Order was issued so he surrendered himself to the police here in the UK, was released on bail and fought it in the courts here for a year or so.

Then when all his appeals were lost he refused to surrender himself to the authorities here and faced that charge (that he was found guilty of today) and went into the bit of our island that is Ecuadorian.

The statute of limitations on the molestation and coercion charges has expired. The lesser rape charge has until the end of 2020 to run. (So like chindie said could be reinstated at any time)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 minutes ago, bickster said:

Thing is... can Trump pardon him?

Theoretically I suppose, yes.

Whether that would seem likely with the re-jailing of Manning (for refusing to testify in front of the grand jury citing it's secrecy mainly and that he would be able to provide nothing other than what has already been disclosed in previous court documents) despite Obama commuting his sentence 2 years ago.....

About as much chance as that swamp getting drained I'd guess.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, VILLAMARV said:

Theoretically I suppose, yes.

Whether that would seem likely with the re-jailing of Manning (for refusing to testify in front of the grand jury citing it's secrecy mainly and that he would be able to provide nothing other than what has already been disclosed in previous court documents) despite Obama commuting his sentence 2 years ago.....

About as much chance as that swamp getting drained I'd guess.

Yes, Trumpy Pumpy seems to have the theoretical right to do so (a very strange notion btw, rather like mediaeval kingship).  In practice, he has to pick his fights against the deep state/neoliberal axis.  He doesn't want a helicopter accident, or a crazed lone gunman somehow getting through the security cordon.  We have seen how Bolton and Pompeo have completely reversed his stated policies, and he seems to feel unable to put them back in their box.

This may not be a fight he wants, right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, peterms said:

Yes, Trumpy Pumpy seems to have the theoretical right to do so (a very strange notion btw, rather like mediaeval kingship).  In practice, he has to pick his fights against the deep state/neoliberal axis.  He doesn't want a helicopter accident, or a crazed lone gunman somehow getting through the security cordon.  We have seen how Bolton and Pompeo have completely reversed his stated policies, and he seems to feel unable to put them back in their box.

This may not be a fight he wants, right now.

I was thinking more along the lines that he may have to, otherwise, beans may be spilt. In some respect its better he doesn't as there's more chance Farage may get pulled into the US judicial mess

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...
Â