Now we'll see: whether the accusations of Assange's former Wikileaks colleagues that he effectively raped them will be dismissed, or will stand up.

What also may be on trial will be the assumption that 'one of us' either can't possibly be guilty of raping women, OR that even if he did, well, he's standing up against some sort of forces of evil, and so he should get off. His accusers should let it go.

So, inevitably, what ELSE is on trial is the rights of women not to be raped, 'even' by colleagues after a hard day.

Not to mention the morality of the pseudo-Left. We'll see.

Joe

I think we can be confident in saying all Australians have the phrase "Je suis Julian" on their minds.

The UK deserves international condemnation for believing UK laws on bail-skipping can apply to the Christ of our Age. The greatness of his acts place him above the laws that govern us.

Julian therefore deserves Sovereign Immunity* from prosecution that befits a Head of State. Julian, after all, is a highly international citizen who has attained more stardom than most Heads of State.

Je suis Julian!

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_immunity

Hi Pete,

I'm pretty slow today, but I suspect that you're having a lend of us. 'The greatness of his acts place him above the laws that govern us'? 'the Christ of our Age' ? 'Sovereign Immunity' ?

Immunity from what ? From rape charges. What other offences can he commit and be immune from ? Anything at all because, after all, he's one of 'ours' ?

On the other hand, if he is innocent of the charges brought by his former Wikileaks colleagues, then of course he walks. He could be a free man.

We'll see. Peut-etre je ne serai jamais Julian.

Joe

And if the case stacks up? What then? Assange will still be in a foreign embassy and untouchable as Mother Teresa.

Assange will still remain a criminal who jumped bail rather than face the Swedish judiciary!

And no matter how it's spun, not the actions of a truly innocent man.

And what if the Swedish Authorities decide it's pointless to proceed; will Assange no longer facing rape charges; leave his place of refuge, or suddenly find that it's even easier for the Brits to extradite him to the USA, where he faces far sterner charges!

My bet is he will whimp it at the eleventh hour, finding yet another lame duck excuse to fail to man up!

And why should anyone take pity on this man, whose current isolation is and remains entirely self imposed!

And were it entirely down to me, this self imposed isolation (escaping justice) wouldn't count for anything whatsoever, and he would do the maximum time for jumping bail; the criminal act of a criminal coward, rather than some champion of justice.

And let's not forget this man acted without once considering any possible harm that could accrue to hundreds of innocent men, women and children, as a direct result of his unvalidated revelations.

Again not the actions of a justice seeker, just one seeking notoriety and a essential economic boost in enterprise supporting circulation.

The only thing being crucified here is true justice and common decency.

If an act may include distinct repercussions, then unless you're willing to heroically wear those repercussions, don't take those actions, be it taking unprotected advantage of a woman saying no,no, no, not without a condom; or putting hundreds of innocent lives in very real jeopardy!

In this case the embassy is just a coward's castle, sheltering a criminal coward, who is not only denying British and Swedish justice, but the badly burnt friends/trusting fools, who put hundreds of thousands up as bail money!

Clearly, the only one riding roughshod over other people's rights here, is Assange!
Rhrosty.

Pete, Assange has more in common with Roman Polanski than any of the other left wing martyrs, then again lefties are pretty good at picking crooks, lunatics and fraudsters as their exemplars, on our side we call it "poetic licence".

Yee doubt my earnest words Joe?

Earth to Julian. "Like living inside a space station" is only a myth.

The US Government has never explained why the Book of Julian was omitted from the Bible by the Committee of Dia-Rea - a scandal only Saint Chelsea of Fort Leavenworth, can resolve.

Before you label me a like-minded git let me say bail skipping of money put up by the Greatest of Great Britain might flick Julian to the nick. Gandhi never suffered so!

Even Julian's aristocratic groupies (rooties?) are deserting him: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/9902321/Vivienne-Westwood-and-Jemima-Khan-have-lost-the-plot-over-Julian-Assange.html

"Earlier this month [Jemima] Khan* joked that Assange had gone in her estimation from being Jason Bourne to L Ron Hubbard. (As if Jason Bourne ever piloted a submarine up the Mississippi.) Westwood has attributed this about-face to "women living in the privileged world… not seeing the wood for the trees"."

If only we mere mortals could bedazzle air-heads while they put up serious money to support our sexual indiscretions.

Je suis Julian!

*Onya Julian http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jemima_Goldsmith

I am really looking forward to the day that this useless bit of trash trips over his own ego, & falls off the planet.

The world will be a better place without him.

In my opinion, this strange 'Christ Like' figure Julian ASSANGE, is nothing more than an embarrassment to the Australian Government ? Whether he's committed these alleged offences, that have currently caused his self-imposed incarceration in the Ecuadorian Embassy, I have no idea ? What I do suspect, our Mr ASSANGE is a classic narcissists, and fully embraces all the attention he's getting ?

Great comment OSW, I think you have summed it up very succinctly - What I do suspect, our Mr ASSANGE is a classic narcissists, and fully embraces all the attention he's getting.

Nothing like an article about one of the right wing lunatic fringe's bete noirs to provide an excuse for fact free frothing at the mouth. Not that facts have ever stopped some of the above commenters from giving free rein to their ignorance.

On the very faint off chance that someone might be interested in relevant background to this ongoing farce (for which Sweden is almost wholly to blame) I suggest they read Craig Murray's article in Deliberation.org of 13 September 2012. There is more to the story of Assange's multiple trysts with Anna Ardin and Sofia Wilen that you will ever read in the Oz media, in all its formats.

Hi James,

Most of us were expecting you, sooner or later :)

How does this sound ?

'Nothing like an article about one of the 'left' wing lunatic fringe's darlings to provide an excuse for fact free frothing at the mouth. Not that facts have ever stopped some of his sycophants from giving free rein to their ignorance.'

Does anybody learn anything from that spray ? No. So why do it ?

If you have to paint Sweden as some sort of fascist beast, or hint that his former colleagues as some sort of CIA-paid harlots, you really are grasping at straws.

We'll see, won't we ?

Joe

It has been the story that keeps on giving. Remember when feminists' big hitters anointed Assange as the man(?!) for a comfy Senate seat and to lead as well?

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jul/29/julian-assange-leslie-cannold-senate

Joe, your criticism is a bit rich. did you read the article I cited? Lets look at some of quotes above: "he effectively raped them" (Loudmouth). He did no such thing, but more importantly he hasn't been charged with rape or anything like it.
"Charges brought by former Wikileaks colleagues". (Loudmouth). They were not colleagues.
"Even easier for Brits to extradite him to the US" (Rhrosty) In fact more difficult under British law because of the possible death penalty.
"Jumping bail, the criminal act of a criminal coward" (ibid) Just plain ignorant as well as having no legal foundation.
"Unvalidated revelations" (ibid) In fact everything released has been established as true, which is one reason governments hate him.
"Crook, lunatic and fraudster" (Jay). What were you saying Joe about useless sprays, quite apart from the stupidity of the remark.
"Useless bit of trash" (Has been). Yeah, that really adds to the debate, in a manner typical of Hasbeen's "contributions".

What a completely misinformed article. It does little more than reissue the type of propaganda that has seen the mendacious Julian Assange thumb his nose at laws that us mere mortals have to respect. The facts on this case are quite different. There are good reasons why Julian Assange has now lost SEVEN court hearings across two countries trying to get the Swedish case to disappear and none of then have to do with Wikileaks.

The Brits do have an extradition treaty with the US and as a principle ally, less reluctant to move people over, than a clearly socialist Sweden. And therefore, yet another an unconvincing porky!

And he did publish and be dammed before his so called facts were validated; if they ever were?

And if you can say with absolute surety no Afghan or Iraqi national and or their entirely innocent family members died as a consequence, then you're a better man than me Gunga Din.

He did skip bail and as far as I'm aware, this remains a criminal offence in Britain, as does unprotected sex in Sweden, when one party insists on protection first; or for that matter, midway through!

So, no amount of spin however clever, will change any of that!

Clearly he is an narcissist and thinks that the law only applies to others?

And I would employ covert space age lie detection during the upcoming interview, given his word is hardly worth the paper it is written on?

And I'd publish and be dammed what they revealed!

Well, he claims that the truth is paramount! Except perhaps where it applies exclusively to him?

That said, I'd help on to a plane bound for Ecuador, and just leave all the warrants outstanding for the term of his natural life, which would likely force him to call Ecuador home; and where press freedom is more or less the equal of Putin's Russia!

I hope he is using his spare time productively to brush up on/learn Spanish, as that will likely be in what language he'll be limited to in future?

Unless Ecuador and the USA, agree on an extradition treaty?

And not entirely out of the question in the foreseeable future?

Jumping bail and seeking refuge in a foreign embassy, are just not the actions of a truly innocent man, but perhaps that of one with a bona fide case to answer, Si Senor?
Adious Gringo!
Rhrosty.

A Facebook group calling itself Feminists for Free Speech has launched a defense of Assange. "Glamorous babes (Jemima Khan, Bianca Jagger), political babes (Naomi Wolf and Arianna Huffington), and a host of enthralled female followers have been protesting “Julian, I want your babies”."

The Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police reports "These bimbos appear to be hot for Julian and so am I, she said. The popular women's blog Jezebel acknowledged the fascination of Julian's looks with a video showing the mighty morphing of his hair. Other bloggers have also gotten caught up in Julian fever —"Julianassnageisgorgeous".

And finally the "Julian Fanciers Guild" declared the elevation of Assange to "Justin Bieber status."

Way to go Julian!

Inspired by http://www.nbcnews.com/id/40704355/ns/health-sexual_health/t/julian-assange-unlikely-crush-object/#.VQlCco6Uf1Y

Hi there CONSERVATIVEHIPPIE...

All this discussion concerning the so claimed allegorical sexual qualities that Mr ASSANGE has supposedly been anointed, is all very nice for his ego ? The only difficulty being, he may well need to face a number of serious criminal charges of illegally possessing and unlawfully disseminating, material of a kind, that's been officially mandated as 'classified'.

All this nugatory 'gibberish' means little ? Should he ever face arraignment to face these serious charges. From the little I know of his overt past activities, it would seem to me he'd not have a shred of exculpatory support, that he could offer as a defence to a charge of espionage ?

It was if he was especially pertinacious, by the repetitive clamour of his many public 'admissions' ? It was he; '...Julian ASSANGE who released to the world, all this 'protected' material for the consumption and enjoyment of his many adoring and devoted (female) fans...' ? And if at the same time, this dissemination was calculated to obtain maximum humiliation and ignominy of the most powerful nation in the world, the United States of America, well that's an even better result !

When I was in the job, blokes like Mr ASSANGE, would be described as a 'walking brief' ?

What part of 'trumped up charges' don't you understand?

The women approached the authorities regarding a request to have him tested for an STD. The 'rape' charges amounted to having sex without a condom and having sex with a woman when she was still asleep. Neither or these acts are acceptable, but it is only in Sweden that the legislation defines them as 'rape'.

The Swedish authorities were not all that concerned with the case until they realised the 'celebrity' of their defendant. After that, they took the matter way beyond normal legal protocols.

There is little doubt that the Swedish DPP was advised to detain Assange for these minor charges, pending extradition to the US to face the more than possible death penalty for treason - i.e. releasing information about gross crimes against humanity conducted by the US during the Iraq and Afghan invasions.

Assange is absolutely right to be in fear for his life and the very real fear that he will be officially tortured in the US for all kinds of reasons, the least of which being to extract something resembling a confession - before being officially executed or sentenced to 500 years (or thereabouts) imprisonment without parole.

The naïve commenters so far on this thread have simply displayed their spectacular ignorance of how world geo-politics works.

UK authorities had Assange in custody. What prevented the US from seeking extradition at that time? -Assuming that it is all a scam for the US to collar him.

Regarding any concerns that Assange is being railroaded or treated as an exception by Sweden's authorities, or that the women have concocted their stories, the very best remedy is for his excellent legal team to test that in Court in Sweden.

Assange's actions do suggest that he has contempt for the Swedish judicial system. Also that he wasn't that smart in not calling their bluff in the first place by fronting up, "OK, let my accusers stand before me". I guess he thought that his celebrity and absence could make it all go away.

At the same time the apparent incompetence of the senior prosecutor/s in Sweden then and since should be subjected to court scrutiny as well. Positive affirmative action anyone? -Just that it reminds Queenslanders of some right stuff-ups in decisions by senior legal women when Labor's Anna Bligh was Premier of that State.

Suck it up people.

Why bother arguing laws when Julian's whole career has been the assumption that the righteousness of his actions place him above the laws that govern us mere mortals.

In the words of esteemed Guardian journalist, Luke Harding:

"I worked with Julian on WikiLeaks and we at the Guardian collaborated pretty well with him until he fell out with us like he falls out with everybody.

He has a rather primitive philosophy of complete transparency. He thinks that if all documents and official secrets are released, we shall bring governments and corporations to account and make the world more democratic.”

more at http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/christchurch-life/art-and-stage/10313009/Russia-like-a-beguiling-black-hole

So suck it up people. Our betters are superior to us. Some of our betters are democratically appointed but such is Julian's greatness that he appointed himself.

Therefore his most loopy supporters implicitly believe he has Sovereign Immunity from prosecution, like Henry VIII. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_immunity :

"Sovereign immunity is a legal doctrine by which the sovereign or state cannot commit a legal wrong and is immune from civil suit or criminal prosecution. This principle is commonly expressed by the popular legal maxim "rex non potest peccare," meaning "the king can do no wrong."

When you are as rich and famous as Julian, and you have an international cheer squad, you can break any law you bloody well like.

Got it :) ?

Hi there KILLARNEY...

From the outset, please accept my profound apology for my own 'spectacular ignorance' ? I feel so much better now you given us all the benefit of your august legal opinion should Mr ASSANGE be made to confront the might of US jurisprudence. After all he's only engaged in conduct of a kind, where he'd (allegedly) illegally released protected military material, to unauthorised beneficiaries, ostensibly for a material gain ? Accordingly, no problem and no foul ?

Killarney,

My bet is that this will play out as follows:

* Assange will be questioned by the Swedish authorities and be found to have a case to answer;

* Assange will retreat into the Ecuadorian Embassy rather than answer to the charges;

* The Ecuadorians will eventually get sick of him and hand him over to the Brits;

* the Brits will hand him over to the Swedes, as they are legally bound to do;

* the Swedes will give him a fair trial for rape, then jail him;

* he will serve his time in Sweden, two or three years, and return to England.

End of.

Joe

Loudmouth

I get the impression - correct me if I am wrong - that like many in the media, you think it best for Julian Assange to make his way to Sweden to face his accusers in court.

I put it to you that there is a very rational reason for Assange not to travel to Sweden. Putting aside the possibility of being rendered to the United States, the real objection he has is that he could rot in jail in Stockholm indefinitely before a trail takes place. Yep, indefinitely.

Under Swedish law there is no legal maximum period for which he could be placed in prison before trial. Assuming there is going to be a trial. Unlike say in the United Kingdom where he would have to face trial within at the very outside 182 days (commonly much, much less).

James

Thanks for the tip on Craig Murray's article. Interesting.

Rhosty

You mention that Assange published etc.
True, but so did The Guardian, the New York Times and from memory El Pais. But I do not see anyone anywhere baying for their blood.

The fact is without the great reach of those papers, Assange would have remained a curiosity. It was their broadcasting of the cables that had the impact on the public.

Assuming he did 'wrong', surely the editors of those publications should be in the dock, don't you think?

And being a "narcissist" as you claim surely is not a crime? If it was then you can lock up 90% of the politicians in Australia's parliaments.

Hi Jonathan,

I don't think anybody on this thread has made much of this naecissist's Wikileaks activities, they have focussed on his alleged rapes.

I'll stick by my suggestions: he'll do his time in Sweden if he's guilty (eventually), and return to Britain.

Fair enough.

Joe

Virtually every journalist in the Western mainstream media is obliged to portray Assange as a self-seeking narcissist in order to (a) keep their jobs and (b) advance their careers. It's unlikely that any Western journalist will depart from the script, because if they were the type to do so, they would not be in their jobs in the first place.

None of the commenters here have ever met Julian Assange, so their opinion that he is a self-seeking narcissist has been taken entirely from Western media sources, who all unanimously claim he is a self-seeking narcissist.

As for the alternative media, both right- and left-wing sources have judged Assange entirely on the facts of the case and the totally realistic assumption that he is getting the full-blown whistleblower treatment and that he faced grave consequences had he not sought refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy.

Unlike the Western mainstream media, the alternative media assert that he is only wanted for questioning; there is no warrant for his arrest.

Unlike the mainstream media, the alternative media has offered examples of the willingness of Swedish authorities to travel to other countries to question person's of interest and/or via video, an alternative that they have denied Assange, even though he and his legal team and Ecuadorian diplomatic personnel have repeatedly offered to do so.

Assange has pledged his full cooperation, as long as he does not run the risk of being extradited to another country - especially the US, whose mainstream media has made no secret of wanting to deal him the most extreme penalty.

Had the Western mainstream media treated Assange with even a fraction of the professionalism that was his right, this whole matter may well have been settled years ago. Now, it's become mainly a face-saving, dog-in-the-manger fight to the death by Sweden, almost certainly taking its order from Washington. The rape or non-rape of the women concerned is of absolutely no concern or interest to any of the parties involved.

A smaller and smaller number take the MSM seriously.
We might still watch listen and read it but it's entirely farcical and every broadcast and publication only further alienates us from it.
the credibility of our politicians our plutocracy is now irredeemable

Where to from here

You're deluded Killarney

Julian, by creating an organisation to entice people to leak Western secrets, has received the notoriety that his ego demands.

Governments push back.

Enjoy your Julian cheer squadding.

YEBIGA

Obviously, that 'smaller and smaller' number is not getting small enough, fast enough. Unfortunately, most people I converse with through work and social gatherings still implicitly trust virtually everything the mainstream media says.

What always gets me is that they mouth the usual platitudes that politicians and journalists lie and they seem to know deep down that all these wars and regime changes are basically unnecessary. Yet they reject any serious challenge to the good v. evil 'bigger picture' the mainstream media presents to them on a daily basis.

Yebiga, Killarney,

So, because the narcissist has exposed the machinations of world capitalism, he should get off any rape charges ?

They used to call that 'opportunism'.

Joe

Loudmouth

Oh, for goodness sake! Do you honesty believe that the political players in this game of sacrificial whistleblower-burning could give a flying rubber duck about whether or not two Swedish women were raped?

All the indications are that the women were initially only concerned with contacting Assange to obtain an STD test. Once the rape hysteria took on a life of its own, one of the women tried to withdraw, but was intimidated into continuing (shades of Monica Lewinsky, who was similarly intimidated).

Their lives and their personal safety and integrity have been brutally compromised. They receive death and rape threats on a continual basis. How they can ever live normal lives after this is anyone's guess.

So don't give me all your fake hand-wringing about Assange avoiding rape charges. This has never been about rape. It's just the same old story of men using women as disposable tools in their power struggles with other men.

Hi Killarney,

What's wrong with this sentence ?

'It's just the same old story of men using women as disposable tools in their power struggles with other men.'

Isn't that the point ?

Do the crime, do the time. IF, of course. How to know that ? Face a fair trial. And please don't give us any rubbish about how the evil Swedes will hand the narcissist over to the Yanks as soon as they get the chance.

Joe

[Deleted. Off topic.]

[Deleted. Off topic.]

Constance,

"....I am hearing more and more weird and sinister stuff daily."

That's bad, voices in the head could have some nasty clinical cause.

Is Mise.
Voices coming out of thin air can be terribly distracting! And even more so, when you understand what they're saying!
Rhrosty.

Sweden has always been seen by the trendy lefties as the epitome of a successful true socialist utopia. Of course, that is looking a little jaded recently, as no other country in Europe has embraced multiculturalism more than Sweden, and parts of it are becoming no go areas for Swedes.

Anyhoo, it is funny that it has come to pass that this author is giving the Swedish judicial system a serve. Confronted by the fact that his hero Julian Asasnge is on the run rom Swedish law for rape, John Ariel tries to run interference for Julian by claiming that there is something wrong with Swedish justice. Good luck with that one, John. I think that most people regard Sweden as a socially advanced and tolerant society and such society are not noted for unfair judicial systems. I doubt that most people would buy it. I won't congratulate you on a nice try, because it is a pretty bad try because it contravenes credibility.

Julian seems to think that he is above the law in almost anything and he is getting a reality check right now.

Hee hee hee.

Lego

For a more comprehensive understanding of the Assange case (including the points you raise) James O"Neill suggested in an earlier post to read Craig Murray's account. Murray is a former British ambassador to Uzbekistan.

http://www.deliberation.info/the-assange-case/

It's certainly an eye opening read.

It is best to rely on the accounts of those who actually worked with Julian:

Guardian journalist, Luke Harding:

"I worked with Julian on WikiLeaks and we at the Guardian collaborated pretty well with him until he fell out with us like he falls out with everybody.

He has a rather primitive philosophy of complete transparency. He thinks that if all documents and official secrets are released, we shall bring governments and corporations to account and make the world more democratic.”

see more at http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/christchurch-life/art-and-stage/10313009/Russia-like-a-beguiling-black-hole .

Loudmouth,

"the Swedes will give him a fair trial for rape, then jail him"

The idea of a fair trial is incompatible with presumption of guilt. Why do you presume that they jail him?

Sorry, Killarney, it's an old joke: "Give a bloke a fair trial, then shot him." Probably from the Marx brothers. Yuk yuk !

Joe

Sorry, hermit, I meant 'hermit'.

Julian himself does not advocate a fair trial for those in a more threatened situation:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/sep/18/julian-assange-wikileaks-nick-cohen :

Guardian journalists' "David Leigh and Luke Harding's history of WikiLeaks describes how journalists took Assange to Moro's, a classy Spanish restaurant in central London.

A reporter worried that Assange would risk killing Afghans who had co-operated with American forces if he put US secrets online without taking the basic precaution of removing their names. "Well, they're informants," Assange replied. "So, if they get killed, they've got it coming to them. They deserve it."

A silence fell on the table as the reporters realised that the man the gullible hailed as the pioneer of a new age of transparency was willing to hand death lists to psychopaths.

They persuaded Assange to remove names before publishing the State Department Afghanistan cables. But Assange's disillusioned associates suggest that the failure to expose "informants" niggled in his mind."

Nice.

Sorry, Loudmouth.
I am not Killarney.

That Swedish prosecutor is trying to make "the old joke" to become reality is hardly a good look for "Swedish justice system".

Julian is not a saint - he is a guy who had a powerful idea of holding corporations and governments accountable by shining a light on the things they prefer to keep secret. He found a way for whistleblowers to anonymously pass on information that was in the public interest.

He worked with well known publications like the Guardian and The New York Times and Der Speigel to release this information.

It was certainly embarrassing for many governments to have their secrets exposed. However, there is no evidence of anyone coming to harm due to Wikileaks revelations. Unlike the 100,000s killed and the millions displaced in Iraq due to an illegal war of aggression. US commentators and presidential hopefuls like Palin and Huckabee called for his torture and assassination.

So what of the allegations against him? Both women who have made complaints to the police said they had consensual sex, but wanted him to have an STD test due to condom breakage and the possibility he didn't use a condom. He is not accused of violence of any kind. They did not complain of rape or sexual molestation - that was a charge made by the Swedish Prosecutor. Strange.

He had an Interpol alert put out because of a broken condom and request for an STD test? When has this happened ever happened before? Strange.

Since 2010, the Prosecutor said they could not interview Assange outside of Sweden despite this being done in other cases. Now they say they can. Strange.

The US government has denied the existance of a grand jury indictment for Assange. However Stratfor emails confirm there is a sealed indictment on Assange. Strange.

He has been effectively been imprisoned in the Uruguay Embassy for nearly 3 years. The UK met police have spent 9 million pounds standing outside the Embassy 24/7. Strange.

Love him or loathe him the case against him, you must admit, is very strange.