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Julian Assange hits back at Sweden over rape case
WikiLeaks editor says Swedish authorities’ behaviour ‘is not a prosecution, but a persecution’
Julian Assange, the editor-in-chief of whistleblower site WikiLeaks, has hit back at Swedish authorities following the issuing of an arrest warrant on charges of rape and sexual molestation.
Assange's lawyer, Mark Stephens, has released a statement via Twitter, in which he criticises the actions of the Sweden's director of prosecutions, Marianne Ny, which have led to a situation in which one in ten instances of the word 'rape' on the internet also include his name.
This, he says, is the result of blanket media coverage of allegations which he is yet to be informed of in writing - despite numerous demands over the past three months. Stephens points out that this is a breach of EU law.
In applying successfully for an arrest warrant yesterday, Ny claimed she had been unable to persuade him to submit to an interview voluntarily: "The reason for my request is that we need to interrogate him. So far, we have not been able to meet with him to accomplish the interrogations."
Stephens says that, on the contrary, Assange offered to make himself available for interview in Sweden before he left in August, and again in the UK either by videophone, phone or email.
"All of these offers have been flatly refused by a prosecutor who is abusing her powers by insisting that he return to Sweden at his own expense to be subjected to another media circus that she will orchestrate," the statement reads. "This behavior is not a prosecution, but a persecution."
An arrest warrant relating to the allegations, which Assange denies, was issued in August before being dropped, but the case was later reopened and Ny assigned to it. The charges all relate to alleged incidents in and around Stockholm between August 13 and 18.
Assange's whereabouts are currently unknown - a sensible state of affairs for a man who has done much to upset Western intelligence services and armed forces.
In July, his whistleblowing website published more than 90,000 classified documents relating to the war in Afghanistan and last month it perpetrated the biggest leak of classified documents in history when it published 400,000 files relating to the Iraq war.
Assange has in the past suggested the Swedish charges, which were brought just a few weeks after the Afghan war leaks, are part of a smear campaign against him conducted by enemies of WikiLeaks.
Sweden is one of the countries where WikiLeaks' servers are based, and Assange has praised the country for offering legal protection to disclosures made on his website. But it looks like his love affair with Stockholm could be over.
Now that the arrest warrant has been granted, Sweden will be yet another country on a fast expanding no-go list for Assange. The US is reportedly building a case aimed at prosecuting Assange for "encouraging theft of government property" and even his native Australia has expressed interest in prosecuting him should any of his leaks endanger members of its armed forces.
So where now? Earlier this month, Assange told Swiss TV station TSR he is considering applying for asylum in Switzerland and moving WikiLeaks' servers there. ·
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What about some prosecutions for war crimes on the 400k CIA documents? Nobody has even hinted that that evidence is in any way flawed. If the Human Rights courts could process those grave documents which so far nobody has even hinted are untrue then they might have the moral authority for testing the bedroom antic of Wikileaks staff. As it is, it all looks like a red herring for the Nobel Peace Prize comittee, also based in Scandanavia, to back off the obvious nomination of Julian Assange.
Saw a cartoon picture on the net depicting a cowering Sweden in the shadow of American missiles with the caption "Get Assange or else!" Sort of sums it up. I hope he has a secure safe haven for all our sakes.
As Barbara says, we do need to know the truth. Strange is it not that all this interest in arresting him comes up after he leaks these documents? I think the pro USA governments who condone these actions need to smell what they are shovelling! Does everyone obey what the USA wants in all things?
Read wikileaks twitter. Assange-his lawyers say in writing-tried several times to get the Swedish authorities to interview him-to find out the details of any potential action against him-no details are given to date. (he has two lawyers-one Swedish one English) Refusing details in a stated time-frame is illegal in both Swedish and International laws. He agreed that he had two affairs in one week, and only after they found out about each other did these two women, now working together, cry foul. Both women stated they were not raped. But Swedish female prosecutors with a history of ludicrous charges against men-the history is great comedy-grabbed onto this with blind glee. Six days after the "supposed" rapes. What woman waits for six days. I read this as a case of female vindictiveness in an admittedly feminist dominated society. One of the original prosecutors (a woman) is being investigated by police (I read) for having broken the laws herself by maliciously releasing Assange's name prior to when she was permitted by law- to harm Assange. My understanding is Assange has recently threatened to sue the Swedish authorities for defamation and presumably for a lot of money, and now they are running scared, hence this latest fiasco. Maybe they will come to a deal-both sides drop all charges-what a way for legal authorities to act. Swedes are pathetic.
We need to know the truth, someone brave enough to do it.
Will this guy be silenced? A very frightening thought.