WikiLeader
Dec. 9th, 2010 09:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fredxmertzI wasn't prepared to entirely dismiss the charge against Assange, even though it sounded like a flimsy excuse to nail him.
So supposedly the 'molestation charges' against Julian Assange arose from 'consensual' acts that involved a prophylactic device. And supposedly the Swiss charge against him is 'Sex by surprise', according to the Huffington Post, he is not being charged with rape. WTF is 'sex by surprise'? well the fine for sex by surprise is 5,000 KRONER, or about $715.
I've heard that this charge was not used to prevent him from leaving Sweden, and that authorities had ample chance to detain him at other times. That makes it sound very much like a Witch Hunt to me.
From AOLNEWS:
"Whatever 'sex by surprise' is, it's only a offense in Sweden -- not in the U.K. or the U.S. or even Ibiza," Stephens said. "I feel as if I'm in a surreal Swedish movie being threatened by bizarre trolls. The prosecutor has not asked to see Julian, never asked to interview him, and he hasn't been charged with anything. He's been told he's wanted for questioning, but he doesn't know the nature of the allegations against him."
The strange tale of Assange's brief flings with two Swedish women during a three-day period in mid-August -- and decisions by three different prosecutors to first dismiss rape allegations made by the women and then re-open the case -- has more twists, turns and conspiracy theories than any of Stieg Larsson's best-sellers.
True, one of Assange's accusers sounds tailor-made for those who think Assange is being set up in Sweden by dark CIA-backed operatives who want him smeared or silenced for his document dumping with WikiLeaks. She's a 31-year-old blond academic and member of the Social Democratic Party who's known for her radical feminist views, once wrote a treatise on how to take revenge against men and was once thrown out of Cuba for subversive activities.
<lj-cut text="MORE ON ASSANGE CHARGES">
Assange arrived in Sweden on Aug. 11 to speak at a weekend seminar sponsored by the Social Democratic Party and arranged to stay at a Stockholm apartment belonging to the event organizer, a member of the branch of the party who would become one of Assange's two accusers.
According to a police report obtained by the Daily Mail in August, she and Assange had sex, and at some point the condom broke. While she was apparently not happy about the condom breaking, the two were seen the next day at the seminar, and nothing appeared amiss.
Another woman at the seminar, a 27-year-old art photographer, said in her police statement that she'd come to hear Assange's lecture because of her fascination with him and his work. She can be seen in video footage on the Internet sitting in the front row during Assange's lecture, wearing a pink sweater and snapping pictures of him.
According to the police report, the woman managed to get an invitation to go out for lunch with Assange and his entourage after the seminar. They spent time together before he went back to stay at the event organizer's apartment.
Two days later, on Aug. 16, they reconnected by phone and the woman invited him to her apartment, more than 40 miles outside Stockholm. She paid for the ticket since Assange apparently had no cash and doesn't like to use credit cards because they could be traced.
She complained in her police statement that during the train ride to her hometown, "he paid more attention to his computer rather than me." She also said that by the time they arrived at her apartment, "the passion and excitement seemed to have disappeared."
The woman and Assange also reportedly had sex. According to the Daily Mail account, Assange did not use a condom at least one time during their sexual activity. The New York Times today quoted accounts given by the women to police and friends as saying Assange "did not comply with her appeals to stop when (the condom) was no longer in use."
According to the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet, the photographer contacted the other woman two days after her assignation with Assange, and the two apparently had a conversation in which it became clear they had both had sex with Assange. The photographer was worried about having had unprotected sex and decided she wanted to go to the police.
The other woman accompanied her to the police station on Aug. 20 just to support her but then told the investigating officer on duty that she, too, had had sex with Assange, Aftonbladet reported.
Based on what was said to police, the on-call prosecutor, Marie Kjellstrand, decided to issue an arrest warrant on charges of rape and molestation, and the next day the story hit the Swedish paper Expressen and newspapers all over the world.
Kjellstrand's decision was overruled the following day by a higher-level prosecutor, Eva Finne, who withdrew the arrest warrant and said she did not see any evidence for rape allegations.
Then, on Sept. 1, a third prosecutor, Ny, re-opened the rape investigation, implying that she had new information in the case.
On Nov. 18, Swedish judicial officials approved a prosecutorial request that Assange be detained for questioning for alleged sex crimes, and on Nov. 30 Interpol issued a "red notice" against Assange for alleged sex crimes in Sweden. Despite what has happened, the woman who organized the event and had Assange stay at her apartment told Aftonbladet that she never intended that Assange be charged with rape.
</lj-cut>
I guess I had been trying to imagine the guy as a kind of White Knight. He appears to be a bit of a cocksman.
So supposedly the 'molestation charges' against Julian Assange arose from 'consensual' acts that involved a prophylactic device. And supposedly the Swiss charge against him is 'Sex by surprise', according to the Huffington Post, he is not being charged with rape. WTF is 'sex by surprise'? well the fine for sex by surprise is 5,000 KRONER, or about $715.
I've heard that this charge was not used to prevent him from leaving Sweden, and that authorities had ample chance to detain him at other times. That makes it sound very much like a Witch Hunt to me.
From AOLNEWS:
"Whatever 'sex by surprise' is, it's only a offense in Sweden -- not in the U.K. or the U.S. or even Ibiza," Stephens said. "I feel as if I'm in a surreal Swedish movie being threatened by bizarre trolls. The prosecutor has not asked to see Julian, never asked to interview him, and he hasn't been charged with anything. He's been told he's wanted for questioning, but he doesn't know the nature of the allegations against him."
The strange tale of Assange's brief flings with two Swedish women during a three-day period in mid-August -- and decisions by three different prosecutors to first dismiss rape allegations made by the women and then re-open the case -- has more twists, turns and conspiracy theories than any of Stieg Larsson's best-sellers.
True, one of Assange's accusers sounds tailor-made for those who think Assange is being set up in Sweden by dark CIA-backed operatives who want him smeared or silenced for his document dumping with WikiLeaks. She's a 31-year-old blond academic and member of the Social Democratic Party who's known for her radical feminist views, once wrote a treatise on how to take revenge against men and was once thrown out of Cuba for subversive activities.
<lj-cut text="MORE ON ASSANGE CHARGES">
Assange arrived in Sweden on Aug. 11 to speak at a weekend seminar sponsored by the Social Democratic Party and arranged to stay at a Stockholm apartment belonging to the event organizer, a member of the branch of the party who would become one of Assange's two accusers.
According to a police report obtained by the Daily Mail in August, she and Assange had sex, and at some point the condom broke. While she was apparently not happy about the condom breaking, the two were seen the next day at the seminar, and nothing appeared amiss.
Another woman at the seminar, a 27-year-old art photographer, said in her police statement that she'd come to hear Assange's lecture because of her fascination with him and his work. She can be seen in video footage on the Internet sitting in the front row during Assange's lecture, wearing a pink sweater and snapping pictures of him.
According to the police report, the woman managed to get an invitation to go out for lunch with Assange and his entourage after the seminar. They spent time together before he went back to stay at the event organizer's apartment.
Two days later, on Aug. 16, they reconnected by phone and the woman invited him to her apartment, more than 40 miles outside Stockholm. She paid for the ticket since Assange apparently had no cash and doesn't like to use credit cards because they could be traced.
She complained in her police statement that during the train ride to her hometown, "he paid more attention to his computer rather than me." She also said that by the time they arrived at her apartment, "the passion and excitement seemed to have disappeared."
The woman and Assange also reportedly had sex. According to the Daily Mail account, Assange did not use a condom at least one time during their sexual activity. The New York Times today quoted accounts given by the women to police and friends as saying Assange "did not comply with her appeals to stop when (the condom) was no longer in use."
According to the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet, the photographer contacted the other woman two days after her assignation with Assange, and the two apparently had a conversation in which it became clear they had both had sex with Assange. The photographer was worried about having had unprotected sex and decided she wanted to go to the police.
The other woman accompanied her to the police station on Aug. 20 just to support her but then told the investigating officer on duty that she, too, had had sex with Assange, Aftonbladet reported.
Based on what was said to police, the on-call prosecutor, Marie Kjellstrand, decided to issue an arrest warrant on charges of rape and molestation, and the next day the story hit the Swedish paper Expressen and newspapers all over the world.
Kjellstrand's decision was overruled the following day by a higher-level prosecutor, Eva Finne, who withdrew the arrest warrant and said she did not see any evidence for rape allegations.
Then, on Sept. 1, a third prosecutor, Ny, re-opened the rape investigation, implying that she had new information in the case.
On Nov. 18, Swedish judicial officials approved a prosecutorial request that Assange be detained for questioning for alleged sex crimes, and on Nov. 30 Interpol issued a "red notice" against Assange for alleged sex crimes in Sweden. Despite what has happened, the woman who organized the event and had Assange stay at her apartment told Aftonbladet that she never intended that Assange be charged with rape.
</lj-cut>
I guess I had been trying to imagine the guy as a kind of White Knight. He appears to be a bit of a cocksman.
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no subject
Date: 2010-12-10 08:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-11 03:41 pm (UTC)As somebody who has worked at a D.A.s office I can tell you: They are busy. Super busy. They don't like rape charges for a variety of reasons, their own discomfort because they are aware of the poor convictions rates, the fact that every case which is questionable will jeopardize the next one which isn't etc.
May I also point out that the justice systems in most countries (I am a comapartive lawyer after all) differs VASTLY from waht you see in Law and order. In my country for example your pratice of making deals and prosecuting on a whim of teh D.A. is considered shamefully bad. We have the system where a D.A. is FORCED to take action when there is a suspicion that the law was broken.
That all being said: I do agree, that Mr.Assange shouldn't be prosecuted in the United states unless he goes there volutarily. what I find odd, is that he went to the Brits to give himself up (way too long after the fact, had he presented himself to the police when he was first asked, the charges could have been dismissed right there and then (according to onw of my newspaper sources) however, he chose to flee a country that had given him a haven for a while. a country he is doing business in, and thus he has an obligation to adherr to their laws, not the american laws...there are some rules in international cases and the issue of national souvereignty is rather touchy.
Wikileaks is NOT Julian Assange, and never has been. and if teh chrages are bogus and he was just too stoopid to figh tthat there and then, that is sad in soo many ways...
but the fact remains that nobody gets to be in a country work and live there and tehn gets to say: OHHHH I didn't know that tricking ladies into unsafe sex is a sexual assault, taht si just ridiculous...! And - sadly enough that attitude is rather prevelent on crimes relating to women and children....in Germany the big issuewas for a while: I didn't KNOW that I wasn't allowed to mutilate the genitals of my girls..I thought you have religous freedoom.....
Sigh
That being said: I also am not exactly unbiased here. There is an assumption of innocence. and tehre is always potential of abuse in any system...I just find it much harder to believe than all my male and all my non lawyer friends... that this is one of those cases and the contempt with which is talked about these women makes me really angry. Just like with children: it is hardly ever made up...that is the execption BUT the much *better story* so those get told, rather than the depressing statistics, which sahow about 50% of women having had to endure at least one sexual assault in their liev in the US and about 40% in Germany...and that doesn't even cover harrasment... It doesn't mean it never happens...but...I find it abhorrend that it is always assuemd first (though I totally acknoledge that you didn't )
some good points
Date: 2010-12-12 10:19 pm (UTC)He seems to have a problem with rubbers breaking &/or falling off. That APPEARS to be the source of the trouble...
but I still have suspicions that its a witch hunt. I think they had ample chances to nab him earlier.
no subject
Date: 2010-12-13 01:32 pm (UTC)"Creative Legal Territory"
Date: 2010-12-21 07:24 pm (UTC)I understand why they would want to go after him, but I don't think they're going to get very far with it.
I expect the HACKTIVISM level will increase exponentially.