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from the can't-get-there-from-here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIJBUZm1HoY dept.
Like any techno-political soap opera watcher, I've on occasion wondered why it is so damned hard for Julian Assange to get away from that embassy.
Riddle me this: you've been stuck in a little room in Equador's embassy in London for 8 years. You can't leave without getting arrested and most likely extradited.
A few countries not friendly to the U.S., but most notably Russia, have tried to figure out how to get you out of there
Your crimes are mostly pissing off people in power in the way journalists really should, but there is also compelling evidence of at least one actual crime — that you provided material assistance to someone hacking secret information. If the U.S. gets hold of you, you can pretty much count on paying the piper.
Still, you have hordes of supporters, and even entire countries with not insignificant resources willing to give a hand if only to tweak the nose of the U.S.
Diplomatic vehicles, helicopters, disguises, being made an ambassador yourself, just plain sneaking out... nothing has panned out.
So what are your options? Jetpack? Smuggle in parts of a drone capable of carrying a person? VTOL car? Urban ghillie suit? Rocket skates? Dig a tunnel in the basement? It seems hard to believe that the bored lax surveillance of 8 years on can't be defeated by a motivated technogencia.
You've probably only got one shot...so how would you do it?
(Score: 2) by looorg on Thursday December 27 2018, @01:06AM (3 children)
If they, or him, have not come up with a good method in the last 8 years then there probably isn't one or at least not one that is risk-free, or whatever suitable amount of risk he is willing to take. But just giving him diplomatic immunity clearly wasn't a very detailed plan or idea. If that was the best they could come up with that was once lazy brainstorming session.
Perhaps they could just have talked to the Saudis, they seem to have expert skills in smuggling human like objects out of embassies.
Are there not a bunch of Assange lookalikes? Get a lot of them together, perhaps at some kind of flash-mob demonstration outside the embassy, in one spot and then disperse and hope the authorities can't get them all before the real one makes it to wherever he wants or needs to go (some airport, Russian embassy, France or whatnot).
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday December 27 2018, @02:52AM (2 children)
The real question is: where else would he rather be? Is it that much better there to incur the risk of transit, as well as the wrath of the people whose laws you break in the process of getting there?
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Insightful) by looorg on Thursday December 27 2018, @03:14AM (1 child)
That is a fairly good question and valid point. The embassy might be his own private hell and paradise all baked into one. After all where is he ever going to go that will be as, relatively, safe as it is? I'm not sure physically being in Equador might be safer, there is probably a fairly large chance he might be "kidnapped" there -- if one is to believe and indulge his ideas about him being on the next plane to Gitmo or some other lovely all inclusive blacksite resort. He can't go home, Australia, since they are a fairly close friend of the USA and they might not shield him. I guess he could go to Russia, after all it seems to be working out quite well for Edward. That said I'm not quite up to date on my Assange postings so I'm not sure if he has managed to piss Putin off yet or not. Which might or may make that into a no-go-zone.
He clearly has a large following of devout believers that do seem to be at his command with their resources. If this whole thing taught us anything he was invited to parties in Sweden, free room -- free meals -- free sex. While in the UK some people apparently put him up in their mansions before he decided to skip bail and enjoy the comforts of the Ecuadorian embassy. I guess one could argue that Manning threw his life away for him and I don't believe he was alone in that regard. There is probably as noted quite a few people that could hook him up with transport, cash, safe houses etc for him to last a while. While also having some kind of plausible deniability about it all, or at least not get more then a minor slap on the wrist if they would happen to get caught.
The trick might be to escape but still have the watchers believe that you are still inside the embassy so that they don't start looking to much until you made your escape.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday December 27 2018, @10:59PM
If he's any good, he's already done this - multiple times.
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