Assange expelled from embassy and arrested for both Bail Act offence and US extradition request

[Innula Zenovka]

Julian Assange arrested at Ecuadorian embassy in London

WikiLeaks founder taken into custody on US extradition warrant and for failing to surrender to bail

www.theguardian.com

Julian Assange 'further arrested' on behalf of the US after extradition request, police say – live updates

Assange arrested following the withdrawal of asylum by the Ecuadorian government

www.theguardian.com

ETA Thread on the original rape and sexual assault allegations.

As I understand it, the Swedish prosecutors never dropped the extradition request. While the Swedish statute of limitations kicked in on one of the charges, they simply suspended the rape investigation when it became clear Ecuador wouldn't cooperate, with the option of reopening it if and when Assange became available again.

For what it's worth, while I certainly think Assange should face trial in Sweden if the prosecutors there still want to pursue the case against him, the US application is potentially far more problematic, since unless there's evidence he was involved in encouraging Chelsea Manning to steal the data, then it's difficult to see what he did that the editors of major newspapers round the world didn't do too.

 

[Ashiri]

Couldn't help but notice Russia weighing in on this. Careless?
Do we know if the US request is only based on the Iraq files? ETA: detailed in The Guardian

 

[Myficals]

I'm definitely feeling conflicted over this turn of events. On the one hand, given everything he's done and has been accused of doing, there's a definite frisson of joy associated with the thought of his comeuppance and with the particularly graceless way he seemed to deal with it. I mean I've got to admit that the way he appears to be struggling and looks to be arguing with the MPs dragging him down the embassy steps, there is a satisfaction to be had there.

Then again, on the other hand, there's no mention of Sweden in the discussion about arrest warrants. He's been dinged for the failure to submit to bail charges, which strikes me as all right and proper and only to be expected. Annnd he's being dinged on a US extradition request relating to espionage, which as Innula says in her finely tuned sense of understatement, is "problematic." As much as I intensely dislike the man, I also dislike the particular charges the USA wants to throw at him, and what it means culturally if those charges stick.

 

[Ashiri]

I would hope that he will be extradited to Sweden first.

 

[Eunoli]

I believe that under a normal administration the US would prosecute him successfully. Whether or not other editors might have done the same, he did - and conspiracy to hack is not the same thing as encouraging whistle-blowing. The charges say that he assisted in cracking the password. However, I see very little hope of that under William Barr in pretty obvious subservience to Trump. I hope that I'm surprised.

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

The man neglected his cat - it was joyous to watch him hauled off.

 

[2tee2]

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edva/press-release/file/1153481/download

 

[Rose Karuna]

Good heavens, he's only 47 years old. He looks 87 in the video of them carrying him out of the Embassy.

It's like he's already spent time in a hardcore prison. Wonder what will happen to his cat?

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

Good heavens, he's only 47 years old. He looks 87 in the video of them carrying him out of the Embassy.

It's like he's already spent time in a hardcore prison. Wonder what will happen to his cat?

Someone in the embassy will keep taking care of it, most likely.

 

[RyanSchultz]

Apparently he had given up his cat earlier. And Sweden has dropped all its charges against him (I don't know why, I'm just reporting what I read on the various Reddit threads about this today).

 

[Govi]

In an interview with Glenn Greenwald on NPR this morning, NPR stated that the US extradition request for Assange is based on an accusation that he actively participated in hacking the DoD's files, not merely urging Manning to provide them to him (which is normal journalism).

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Apparently he had given up his cat earlier. And Sweden has dropped all its charges against him (I don't know why, I'm just reporting what I read on the various Reddit threads about this today).

Nope. The Swedish prosecutor didn't permanently drop the rape investigation. They suspended it when it became clear the Ecuadorian government would not cooperate.

According to The Guardian back at the time (May 2017)

Swedish prosecutors have dropped their preliminary investigation into an allegation of rape against the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, bringing an end to a seven-year legal standoff.

The decision was taken after prosecutors concluded that “at this point, all possibilities to conduct the investigation are exhausted”, Sweden’s director of public prosecutions, Marianne Ny, said on Friday.

“In order to proceed with the case, Julian Assange would have to be formally notified of the criminal suspicions against him. We cannot expect to receive assistance from Ecuador regarding this. Therefore the investigation is discontinued.

“If he, at a later date, makes himself available, I will be able to decide to resume the investigation immediately.”

Now he's in British custody, it's open to her to resume the investigation if that's what she decides to do.

According to Google Translate, the Swedish Prosecutors are now considering a request from the remaining complainant's lawyer that they reopen the matter, though they give no timetable: Uppdatering i Assangeärendet

 

[Lianne Marten]

If he had gone to Sweden and faced the charges there he'd probably not be going to the US at all because it's harder to extradite from Sweden.

He's a complete shitbag but i'm not exactly celebrating yet since I can't tell what will come of this. Lots of free speech journalism whistleblower stuff going around about him when that's complete garbage- he selectively released and editorialized information on behalf of one country against another. He's a spy.

 

[Kamilah Hauptmann]

Among others.

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Strong words from the District Judge who heard the bail case this afternoon:


The maximum sentence the District Judge can impose is 6 months. Because he considers this inadequate, he's sending Assange to be sentence in the Crown Court, who can award up to 1 year for the Bail Act offence.

Assange will be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court at a date tba, but his next scheduled appearance is for May 2 (by video link) in connection with the US extradition request.

 

[Cristiano]

Julian Assange smeared faeces on walls of Ecuador's London embassy

The revelation was made by Ecuador's Interior Minister after the Wikileaks founder was dramatically arrested by British police officers today.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Kaimi Kyomoon]

Julian Assange smeared faeces on walls of Ecuador's London embassy

The revelation was made by Ecuador's Interior Minister after the Wikileaks founder was dramatically arrested by British police officers today.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Maybe being a prisoner in the embassy has made him insane.

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

Julian Assange smeared faeces on walls of Ecuador's London embassy

The revelation was made by Ecuador's Interior Minister after the Wikileaks founder was dramatically arrested by British police officers today.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Wasn't he, or a representative of his, or Wikileaks (one or another of these) just recently threatening to sue any news agencies who repeated allegations from a couple of years ago that Assange had damaged embassy property, neglected his hygiene, and mistreated staff during his residence? Or am I misremembering?

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Wasn't he, or a representative of his, or Wikileaks (one or another of these) just recently threatening to sue any news agencies who repeated allegations from a couple of years ago that Assange had damaged embassy property, neglected his hygiene, and mistreated staff during his residence? Or am I misremembering?

There's a lot you're not allowed to say about the great man, it seems:

The Complete List of 140 Things You Can’t Say About Assange or WikiLeaks – Emma Best

Full report of today's events here: Assange remanded in custody after he is found guilty of breaching bail

 

[Dakota Tebaldi]

I think it's interesting that the indictment the US is seeking extradition for dates to the end of 2017. All his crap about Hillary Clinton, and it ends up it's Trump who went after him.

Manning only served 4 years of a 35 year sentence, with Obama commuting the rest. Trump, seeking to define himself as the un-Obama, has a strong incentive to let Assange rot. You really backed the wrong darn horse there, Julian.