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Thread: Has Julian Assange lost all credibility?

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    Administrator CatInASuit's avatar
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    Default Has Julian Assange lost all credibility?

    From leading the Wikileaks revolution to hiding in a consol.

    A few weeks ago, Julian Assange lost his case for extradition to Sweden to answer to charges of rape. He has always claimed that if he was to be sent there, he would be extradited to the USA and face the death penalty. To prevent this, he walked into the Ecuador embassy and is claiming asylum.

    Ecuador has one of the worst reputations for fair and honest journalism and reporting. Free speech is a pipe dream and not a reality for the country.

    So, someone who said that deep secrets should be revealed is now asking for help from someone who routinely suppresses information.

    Is Assange right to do this, to avoid extradition as a political refugee or has he set himself up as more important than his ideals?
    In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.

  2. #2
    Oliphaunt Rube E. Tewesday's avatar
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    I'm still wrestling with the idea of Sweden extraditing him to face the death penalty.

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    Oliphaunt
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    Assange had credibility to lose?

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    Elen síla lumenn' omentielvo What Exit?'s avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by Orual View post
    Assange had credibility to lose?
    This was my thought. Also, what death penalty is this numbnuts facing?

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    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    The U.S. wouldn't - and couldn't - execute him for revealing classified information. The death penalty here is available only for the various flavors of murder.

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    Administrator CatInASuit's avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by Elendil's Heir View post
    The U.S. wouldn't - and couldn't - execute him for revealing classified information. The death penalty here is available only for the various flavors of murder.
    His legal team were saying there was a potential prosecution for espionage carrying a life sentence or death penalty if convicted. Is that true?
    In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.

  7. #7
    Oliphaunt
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    lolwut

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    Elen síla lumenn' omentielvo What Exit?'s avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by CatInASuit View post
    Quote Originally posted by Elendil's Heir View post
    The U.S. wouldn't - and couldn't - execute him for revealing classified information. The death penalty here is available only for the various flavors of murder.
    His legal team were saying there was a potential prosecution for espionage carrying a life sentence or death penalty if convicted. Is that true?
    No, not at all. His legal team is doing their job and making stuff up to try an protect him.

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    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    Life sentence? Possible but unlikely. Death sentence? Almost certainly not: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_v._Louisiana

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    The Queen Zuul's avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by Rube E. Tewesday View post
    I'm still wrestling with the idea of Sweden extraditing him to face the death penalty.
    Quote Originally posted by Elendil's Heir View post
    The U.S. wouldn't - and couldn't - execute him for revealing classified information. The death penalty here is available only for the various flavors of murder.
    Yeah, it's an absurd argument all around.
    So now they are just dirt-covered English people in fur pelts with credit cards.

  11. #11
    Elephant Myglaren's avatar
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    Sweden would be highly unlikely to hand him over to America if there was any risk of capital punishment being involved.

    I hate to say it but he does seem rather creepy.
    Lightly Seared On The Reality Grill

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    Administrator CatInASuit's avatar
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    Well, Assange has just been granted asylum by Ecuador.

    Who knows what is going to happen next. The Foreign Office is refusing to give safe passage for him out of the country and are saying they will enter the embassy (given the appropriate notice) to retrieve him and extradite him to Sweden.

    International Politics can be such fun.
    In the land of the blind, the one-arm man is king.

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    Elen síla lumenn' omentielvo What Exit?'s avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by CatInASuit View post
    Well, Assange has just been granted asylum by Ecuador.

    Who knows what is going to happen next. The Foreign Office is refusing to give safe passage for him out of the country and are saying they will enter the embassy (given the appropriate notice) to retrieve him and extradite him to Sweden.

    International Politics can be such fun.
    I would hope they don't actually go into Ecuador's embassy. That is just far too wrong a move and a far worse crime with greater consequences than anything Assange did. They can wait until he leaves the embassy. Just keep a long watch on the bastard and eventually get him. In a way this is a form of imprisonment, just in a gilded cage I suppose.

  14. #14
    Oliphaunt
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    What does Ecuador gain by this? Did Assange bribe somebody, or what?

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    Oliphaunt The Original An Gadaí's avatar
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    Quote Originally posted by Orual View post
    What does Ecuador gain by this? Did Assange bribe somebody, or what?
    Maybe showing ill-thought-out international clout. "Hey look Britain can't do anything about it!" Or there may be senior Ecuadorian officials who are uncomfortable about Assange's treatment. but i go with the former.

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    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    The President of Ecuador is generally anti-American, and applauded Wikileaks's work in embarrassing the State Dept. and Pentagon. Stickin' it to The Man has timeless appeal: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-18518464

    Assange was only allowed to remain on the streets of London while his extradition case was working its way through the British courts because he agreed to stay in the same apartment every night. It's no wonder Her Majesty's Government is a bit peeved over his Ecuadorian gambit. I agree it would be a huge mistake for the British to storm Ecuador's (rather small) embassy. Far better to wait Assange out, or even declare the Ecuadorian ambassador persona non grata, order the embassy closed, and nab Assange on his way out. But they should certainly remain vigilant.
    Last edited by Elendil's Heir; 16 Aug 2012 at 09:19 PM.

  17. #17
    Oliphaunt
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    Wow, I had no idea U.S. relations with Ecuador were so sour.

    Also I will never stop laughing at these claims that Sweden will send Assange to the U.S. to FACE THE DEATH PENALTY. It is the funniest.
    Last edited by Orual; 17 Aug 2012 at 11:32 AM.

  18. #18
    Porosity Caster parzival's avatar
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    There is nothing legally barring the US from applying the death penalty for espionage. From the Supreme Court itself:
    Our concern here is limited to crimes against individual persons. We do not address, for example, crimes defining and punishing treason, espionage, terrorism, and drug kingpin activity, which are offenses against the State. As it relates to crimes against individuals, though, the death penalty should not be expanded to instances where the victim’s life was not taken.
    Would the US try to do this? Not a chance in hell. Julius & Ethel Rosenberg were the only civilians ever executed for espionage, and then the stakes were considered much higher. I'd expect that if we did get a hold of him, we'd lock him up somewhere quiet and hope people forget about him.

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    Elephant Myglaren's avatar
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    Lightly Seared On The Reality Grill

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    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    Love it!

  21. #21
    Oliphaunt
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    They forgot the air holes!

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    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    Heh heh. "Forgot."

    A good essay on the "legal myths" of the Assange case: http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/da...ge-extradition

  23. #23
    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    What is it about these Internet bad boys and Sweden, anyway?: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...n_1850895.html

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    Elephant Myglaren's avatar
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    Rape warrant cancelled.
    Lightly Seared On The Reality Grill

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    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    John Cusack, who should know better, sticks up for Assange: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-c...b_2317824.html

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    Default Has Julian Assange lost all credibility

    Assange has got so many big boys pissed off with all these leaks, so Im sure theyll pay back this way or another.

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    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    Bumped.

    Assange is now officially the worst. houseguest. EVER: https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/19/uk/ju...ntl/index.html

  28. #28
    Yes, I'm a cat. What's it to you? Muffin's avatar
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    Anyone who does not take care of one's cat is either bat shit insane or a bad person or both.

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    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    An update - Ecuador has withdrawn asylum, and Assange has been arrested by British police and carried from the Ecuadorian embassy: https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/11/uk/ju...ntl/index.html

    Obligatory Monty Python link:

  30. #30
    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    Assange sentenced by a British judge to almost a year in prison for skipping bail: https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/01/uk/ju...ntl/index.html

    I'm guessing Her Majesty's prison officials will not let him have a cat.

  31. #31
    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    No surprise here - looks like Assange was up to his old tricks even while a guest of the Ecuadorians: https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/15/polit...nts/index.html

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    Elen síla lumenn' omentielvo What Exit?'s avatar
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    How long will extradition to the US take? 2-3 years or can Assange drag it out even longer?

  33. #33
    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    British judge denies US request to extradite Assange: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/04/uk/ju...ntl/index.html

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    Member Elendil's Heir's avatar
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    Wow, I wouldn't have guessed this: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...?ocid=msedgntp

    ETA: That article erroneously says Assange "gave himself up in 2019." He did not. He was arrested and removed when Ecuador withdrew its asylum offer and permitted London police to enter the embassy.

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