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posted by martyb on Monday July 23 2018, @08:26AM   Printer-friendly
from the how-much-has-he-paid-for-room&board? dept.

Ecuador Will Imminently Withdraw Asylum for Julian Assange and Hand Him Over to the UK. What Comes Next?

Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno traveled to London on Friday for the ostensible purpose of speaking at the 2018 Global Disabilities Summit (Moreno has been using a wheelchair since being shot in a 1998 robbery attempt). The concealed, actual purpose of the President's trip is to meet with British officials to finalize an agreement under which Ecuador will withdraw its asylum protection of Julian Assange, in place since 2012, eject him from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, and then hand over the WikiLeaks founder to British authorities.

Moreno's itinerary also notably includes a trip to Madrid, where he will meet with Spanish officials still seething over Assange's denunciation of human rights abuses perpetrated by Spain's central government against protesters marching for Catalonia independence. Almost three months ago, Ecuador blocked Assange from accessing the internet, and Assange has not been able to communicate with the outside world ever since. The primary factor in Ecuador's decision to silence him was Spanish anger over Assange's tweets about Catalonia. A source close to the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry and the President's office, unauthorized to speak publicly, has confirmed to the Intercept that Moreno is close to finalizing, if he has not already finalized, an agreement to hand over Assange to the UK within the next several weeks. The withdrawal of asylum and physical ejection of Assange could come as early as this week. On Friday, RT reported that Ecuador was preparing to enter into such an agreement.

[...] The central oddity of Assange's case – that he has been effectively imprisoned for eight years despite never having been charged with, let alone convicted of, any crime – is virtually certain to be prolonged once Ecuador hands him over to the U.K. Even under the best-case scenario, it appears highly likely that Assange will continue to be imprisoned by British authorities. The only known criminal proceeding Assange currently faces is a pending 2012 arrest warrant for "failure to surrender" – basically a minor bail violation that arose when he obtained asylum from Ecuador rather than complying with bail conditions by returning to court for a hearing on his attempt to resist extradition to Sweden. That offense carries a prison term of three months and a fine, though it is possible that the time Assange has already spent in prison in the UK could be counted against that sentence. In 2010, Assange was imprisoned in Wandsworth Prison, kept in isolation, for 10 days until he was released on bail; he was then under house arrest for 550 days at the home of a supporter.

Assange's lawyer, Jen Robinson, told the Intercept that he would argue that all of that prison time already served should count toward (and thus completely fulfill) any prison term imposed on the "failure to surrender" charge, though British prosecutors would almost certainly contest that claim. Assange would also argue that he had a reasonable, valid basis for seeking asylum rather than submitting to UK authorities: namely, well-grounded fear that he would be extradited to the U.S. for prosecution for the act of publishing documents.


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  • (Score: 3, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Monday July 23 2018, @09:06AM (34 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 23 2018, @09:06AM (#711110) Journal

    There is almost nothing certain about this whole thing. Is the US going to demand extradition? Will any other country? Will the UK make public some other charges, that have been kept secret all these years?

    The one thing that IS certain: The UK won't permit Assange anywhere close to any physical or legal exit from the UK until they have finally disposed of any and all cases they might dream up.

    • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @09:17AM (3 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @09:17AM (#711114)

      There is almost nothing certain about this whole thing.

      Translation: Runaway know nothing about what is going on, but cannot help but say something ignorant about it. Thanks, again, Runaway! Your ignorance and lack of knowledge are a valuable contribution to SoylentNews.

      • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @02:01PM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @02:01PM (#711215)

        Translation: Runaway know nothing about what is going on, but cannot help but say something ignorant about it. Thanks, again, Runaway! Your ignorance and lack of knowledge are a valuable contribution to SoylentNews.

        Talk about the pot calling the kettle black...

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @06:56PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @06:56PM (#711390)

          I don't know about that . . .

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @05:50PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @05:50PM (#711345)

        That is the secret to influencing people, just state things like you absolutely know every detail and can safely make predictions about the future!

        I do hope that one day humanity evolves to the point where critical thinking is the norm and statements without factual backing are distrusted and/or dismissed by default.

    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by isostatic on Monday July 23 2018, @10:22AM (28 children)

      by isostatic (365) on Monday July 23 2018, @10:22AM (#711133) Journal

      Is the US going to demand extradition

      If they can present evidence of him breaking US law serious enough to trigger UK-US extradition treatment, then a judge will decide if there is enough evidence, if he will get a fair trial, etc, same as anyone else the US wants to extradite.

      The only legitimate thing he has to be afraid of is if Trump orders one of those famous US kidnap/renditions, say like Khalid El-Masri. There are thousands of innocent people at risk from the whims of a U.S president over the last 17 years.

      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Monday July 23 2018, @10:45AM (13 children)

        by Phoenix666 (552) on Monday July 23 2018, @10:45AM (#711148) Journal

        I don't think Trump would order that done. My reading of the pulse of the deplorables is that they're favorably disposed toward Assange for publishing the Hillary/Podesta email dump detailing her rigging of the Democratic primary.

        The NSA/CIA/FBI might order it anyway, since they don't much bother with rules or laws anymore.

        If Assange does wind up disappearing then we'll have a good idea who's really running the show in DC.

        My favorite scenario for Assange is Trump pardons him and throws a parade in his honor as an international hero of democracy, freedom, and transparency in government. The gnashing of teeth among the Establishment would be delicious.

        --
        Washington DC delenda est.
        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by isostatic on Monday July 23 2018, @11:18AM (1 child)

          by isostatic (365) on Monday July 23 2018, @11:18AM (#711164) Journal

          > Trump pardons him

          Pardons him for what? Allegedly breaking Swedish law? Breaking British bail conditions?

          • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Monday July 23 2018, @04:37PM

            by DeathMonkey (1380) on Monday July 23 2018, @04:37PM (#711299) Journal

            If they were knowingly conspiring with Russian election interference they could face some charges (and a possible pardon).

            That relies on proving intent, which is always tricky. And, they haven't been indicted yet and we don't know if they ever will be.

            Merely publishing the information, without participating in the crime of getting it in the first place, is probably not illegal.

        • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Monday July 23 2018, @11:33AM (10 children)

          by Thexalon (636) on Monday July 23 2018, @11:33AM (#711168)

          My favorite scenario for Assange is Trump pardons him and throws a parade in his honor as an international hero of democracy, freedom, and transparency in government.

          I doubt that your dream scenario would happen. If there's one thing that's consistent about Trump, Trump cares most about helping Trump, and pardoning Assange doesn't do that.

          There are two possibilities:
          1. Assange is indeed completely innocent in the whole Trump-Russia stuff. That's possible. If so, Trump has no reason whatsoever to help Assange, so he'll let the "deep state" claim his scalp to make them feel better.
          2. Assange is, as the DNC has been claiming all along, part of a criminal conspiracy to aid the Trump campaign. If so, Trump has every reason to shut him up as quickly as possible, which means killing him. And the "deep state" will surely support that effort.

          Assange's problem amounts to the fact that the very nature of what he does means he pisses off powerful people. During the George W Bush administration, he pissed off the Republican establishment and the US military. During the 2016 campaign, he pissed off the Democratic establishment. So that means there's nobody with political power to defend his treatment, no matter how unjust. As in, I wouldn't be all that surprised if the moment he leaves the Ecuador embassy, he's shot and killed by somebody who is never caught.

          --
          The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @01:46PM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @01:46PM (#711208)

            He could become "The man in the iron mask" of Gitmo.

            • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Monday July 23 2018, @02:48PM

              by Thexalon (636) on Monday July 23 2018, @02:48PM (#711251)

              That's what you do to somebody that you want to say what a torturer wants them to say. It's not what you do to someone you want to never talk.

              --
              The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
          • (Score: 5, Insightful) by bzipitidoo on Monday July 23 2018, @02:50PM (3 children)

            by bzipitidoo (4388) on Monday July 23 2018, @02:50PM (#711253) Journal

            You sound scarily detached, like it won't matter to you, or most people, how this goes down.

            Whistleblowers need lots and lots of protection. It's possible Assange slipped with the women in Sweden, and his enemies merely seized upon the mistake as a means to arrest and silence him. But it seems more likely that they are part of a dirty plot, twisted or even planted to discredit him, same way that cops plant guns on dead victims of excessive police force. If you think that doesn't happen in this day and age, consider what happened to Greg Palast: http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1108/S00143/how-morgans-fabricated-story-almost-ruined-this-reporter.htm [scoop.co.nz]

            We the people are their last line of defense. People need to step up. Let the powerful know that we won't stand for it when they try to harass, intimidate, discredit, and silence whistleblowers. Remind them, over and over, that Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning, and Julian Assange are heroes, and we won't swallow their slime that paints them as criminals and traitors.

            • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Monday July 23 2018, @04:16PM (2 children)

              by Thexalon (636) on Monday July 23 2018, @04:16PM (#711288)

              You sound scarily detached, like it won't matter to you, or most people, how this goes down.

              Not detached. More like I can already see where this is going, know full well that there are people with power who want Assange either killed or tortured as an example to others who might dare to do what he did, and will not play by any rules other than their own. What those folks want to do is completely illegal under the EU Conventions on Human Rights, the US Constitution, and UK law, but that doesn't matter in this situation.

              --
              The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
              • (Score: 2) by edIII on Monday July 23 2018, @11:50PM (1 child)

                by edIII (791) on Monday July 23 2018, @11:50PM (#711488)

                Cat is out of the bag though. Wikileaks is not the only game in town, and journalists everywhere are extremely interested in those whistleblowing platforms.

                Taking out Assange is meaningless. It won't stop Wikileaks from continuing on, and it doesn't stop any other whistleblower platform from operating.

                --
                Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
                • (Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Wednesday July 25 2018, @07:52PM

                  by bzipitidoo (4388) on Wednesday July 25 2018, @07:52PM (#712618) Journal

                  > Taking out Assange is meaningless

                  I disagree. It would certainly scare and chill other potential whistleblowers and journalists, if he was murdered by a nation state and the people at the levers of power who made that decision get away with it, maybe framing some deranged loner to take the fall. So long as it's a safe bet that if any such agency tries it, the perps will be identified, removed from power, tried, convicted and imprisoned, Assange should be fairly safe from that, or so we hope. And also, we hope they have some morals and a conscience, as well as the sense to realize it's a bad idea.

                  Think how rare it is for the leaders of a nation to attempt to assassinate the leaders of another nation, or any other public figure. They know if they try that, they put huge targets on their own backs. Might be the target of dozens of plots by a coalition of leaders feeling their own necks, wanting the wild and uncivilized murderers stopped before they can knock off anyone else.

          • (Score: 2) by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us on Monday July 23 2018, @03:06PM (2 children)

            by All Your Lawn Are Belong To Us (6553) on Monday July 23 2018, @03:06PM (#711262) Journal

            The people he's pissed off most likely recognize that shooting him would make a martyr of him and thus give over power that cannot be taken away. As would an extraordinary rendition. They'll be quite happy if he is put in gaol or tied up civilly for something entirely unrelated to the issue at hand, I'm sure.

            And there's a big difference between being a willing pawn knowing one is part of a conspiracy, being manipulated by others but not being a willfully cooperating agent in a conspiracy, and a dupe who's being used without being aware of it. Not in the product, but in the end result. I'm easily wrong but I believe Assange fits into the second category. He might be part of a pattern of conspiracy but he's not having sit downs with Trump's people plotting the DNC's Doom. Thus he doesn't know enough to be worth taking out (other than as above).

            --
            This sig for rent.
            • (Score: 2) by legont on Tuesday July 24 2018, @02:42AM (1 child)

              by legont (4179) on Tuesday July 24 2018, @02:42AM (#711534)

              Perhaps, he could be conveniently poisoned by the President Putin himself using some new scary substance?

              --
              "Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
          • (Score: 2) by curunir_wolf on Monday July 23 2018, @05:34PM

            by curunir_wolf (4772) on Monday July 23 2018, @05:34PM (#711333)

            Mueller has been going hard after Roger Stone lately. He recently has called in a lot of his friends and associates to give testimony. The connection that he's trying to make is that Stone colluded with Russians to hack the DNC, then handed the emails to Assange to publish.

            So I see this happening:

            1. Ecuador ejects Assange from the embassy.
            2. The UK police arrest Assange for the bail warrant, and detain him.
            3. Robert Mueller unseals indictments against Roger Stone and Julian Assange, for colluding (with 12 Russian GRU agents) to hack the DNC servers, transport the stolen data, and publish it on the Internet.
            4. Extradition proceedings begin right away, and Assange is unceremoniously shipped off to the US.
            5. Hilarity ensues.

            Get your popcorn ready.

            Will Trump issue a pardon at that point? Maybe, but Assange is so hated by the establishment politicians on both sides such a move would almost guarantee a successful impeachment.

            --
            I am a crackpot
      • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:53AM (5 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:53AM (#711153)

        Prffft HAHAHA in the land of extrajudicially killing its own citizens and kidnapping, torturing and indefinitely improsing thousands of foreigners without ever having seen a courtroom or a lawyer, the land of gag orders and secret tribunals...

        Yeah, good luck with that fair trial.

        • (Score: 2) by isostatic on Monday July 23 2018, @11:14AM (4 children)

          by isostatic (365) on Monday July 23 2018, @11:14AM (#711163) Journal

          Sweden?

          • (Score: 2) by isostatic on Monday July 23 2018, @11:20AM (3 children)

            by isostatic (365) on Monday July 23 2018, @11:20AM (#711165) Journal

            Or the UK?

            His argument was that by going to Sweden he would be at risk of a U.S. extradition. That would require Sweden to agree to that extradition

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @12:32PM (2 children)

              by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @12:32PM (#711186)

              Both these countries have been pretty far up the USA's colon for a long time. Expecting them not to cave to US pressure to extradite seems quite naive.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @02:02PM (6 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @02:02PM (#711217)

        If Trump does?

        Bwahahahaha! You owe me a new keyboard! Trump seems to be true neutral, if not a touch of chaotic evil, but not lawful evil.

        Trump is not the one who cares that we learned how the DNC fucked over Bernie Sanders! @realDonaldTrump continues to offer his condolences to incel Brony Brogrammer Bernie Bros about the raw deal Bernie got.

        ---

        Though I see that the matrix has him [wsws.org]. Or maybe he's been replaced by a pod person, who knows. In reality, however, it's just the CIA hard at work--makes it very difficult, perhaps impossible, to continue feeling the Bern, because starting world wars is not something Trotskyists (Socialist Equality Party [wikipedia.org]) or (big L) Libertarians (but also small l, because libertarianism is not neoconservatism with a dash of anarcho-capitalism for flavor) are fond of.

        Of course, Bernie's endorsement of Hillary Clinton was the foreshadowing. He could have gone Green Party, after all, or given the Socialist Equality Party an infusion of mojo. But no. Democratic Socialists of America: the beta of socialism. Fuck beta.

        • (Score: 2) by takyon on Monday July 23 2018, @02:35PM (5 children)

          by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Monday July 23 2018, @02:35PM (#711240) Journal

          Bernie may be a beta, but many of the millions of supporters he courted during the primaries were Democrats who were always going to vote for Clinton over Trump. And for good reason, since the Supreme Court picks will be Trump's biggest legacy, and we could easily have a President Pence if the establishment gets its way. Bernie endorsing a third-party or himself as a write-in would have only burned bridges with many of his newfound supporters and made more people blame him for Trump's victory.

          More people are paying attention to Senator Bernie today than ever before during his previous terms. Democratic-Socialists and other leftists are taking on establishment Democrats in the primaries. Bernie is likely going to feel too old to run in 2020, but he could use his influence to help suppress the Clintonian scum in the party and annoint a successor. Oh, and Bernie is already using his influence to curb the power of the superdelegates [npr.org].

          You call Bernie a beta socialist for endorsing Hillary, but he tried to do exactly what President Trump succeeded at: co-opting the party from the inside. He just had to adjust to a longer-term strategy since he couldn't actually beat Clinton in 2016. President Trump's win has shown many people the light. If you want to be successful, don't run as a third-party candidate even if you look like the ultimate political outsider. Instead, you forcibly take over one of the two parties, energize your fringe supporters, and get the mainstream supporters of that party to reluctantly back you.

          --
          [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @05:57PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @05:57PM (#711347)

            Unfortunately, the Democratic Party turned Bernie into a cuck. [blogspot.com] Ari Rabin-Havt might be controlling him.

          • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @06:04PM (3 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @06:04PM (#711353)

            I suppose I don't so much as fault him for supporting Hillary. It made sense at the time, for all the reasons you give.

            However, I call him and the Democratic Socialists of America wing of the D team beta socialists because they seem to be consumed with the Russia narrative, and the Russia narrative is so imperative, all the things that Bernie was passionate about in 2016 seem to have fallen to the wayside.

            And that makes me sad. :-(

            • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Monday July 23 2018, @09:28PM (2 children)

              by Thexalon (636) on Monday July 23 2018, @09:28PM (#711449)

              However, I call him and the Democratic Socialists of America wing of the D team beta socialists because they seem to be consumed with the Russia narrative, and the Russia narrative is so imperative, all the things that Bernie was passionate about in 2016 seem to have fallen to the wayside.

              Then you aren't paying much attention: The Sanders wing of the party is far less interested in pushing the Russia narrative than the Clinton/MSNBC wing.

              --
              The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
              • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:33PM (1 child)

                by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:33PM (#711472)

                Absolutely, the Russia thing is mostly a way that the establishment Democrats are using to hand wave away their particularly incompetent mismanagement of the party. That way there's probably a few democrats out there that will blame Russia for losing to Trump rather than on their corrupt organization that's more interested in being professional losers than giving the voters what they want.

                The voters want medicare for all, free college and various gun regulations, but the Democratic party can't get behind any of those extremely popular positions. It wasn't that long ago that the GOP was more or less on the ropes and had the Democrats not allowed corporate interests to corrupt the party, the GOP would be a thing of the past. Instead what we wound up was the DNC throwing races and allowing itself to be pulled further and further to the right and completely ignoring the wishes of the voters. The end result was huge numbers of seats being lost to a party that should really be a footnote at this point.

                • (Score: 2) by legont on Tuesday July 24 2018, @02:57AM

                  by legont (4179) on Tuesday July 24 2018, @02:57AM (#711547)

                  The voters want medicare for all, free college and various gun regulations

                  This is exactly what Russia has and what differs it from the US. The rest is absolutely the same.

                  --
                  "Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
      • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Monday July 23 2018, @03:53PM

        by Gaaark (41) on Monday July 23 2018, @03:53PM (#711275) Journal

        Well, i hear Assange is packing !!WMD!!OMG!!

        They have satellite pics and all!!!

        I'm sure they can come up with something incriminating, that is unless they just decide to JFK him.
        "We caught Edward Snowden with a Carcano rifle while he was watching My Little Pony movies. He's not a patsy, HE killed Assange! Honest!

        We wouldn't lie to you: We are the US gubmint!"

        --
        --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
    • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:43AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:43AM (#711144)

      We'll get to see how this plays out.

      In the meantime, Assange has managed to sideline Wikileaks by admitting to selectively publishing to fit his own agenda instead of being truly about exposing injustice. He's lost a lot of support and good will and one could argue that Wikileaks is no longer a threat to US interests. Whether that is enough for not still wanting to put him in prison for the rest of his life remains to be seen.

  • (Score: 1, Troll) by isostatic on Monday July 23 2018, @09:37AM (50 children)

    by isostatic (365) on Monday July 23 2018, @09:37AM (#711118) Journal

    The central oddity of Assange's case – that he has been effectively imprisoned for eight years

    He has been free to leave the embassy at any time

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Monday July 23 2018, @09:47AM (33 children)

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 23 2018, @09:47AM (#711120) Journal

      Yes, of course. And, you are also free to walk into any police station, at any time, and punch some random cop in the nose. Good luck with that.

      • (Score: 1, Troll) by isostatic on Monday July 23 2018, @10:26AM (25 children)

        by isostatic (365) on Monday July 23 2018, @10:26AM (#711137) Journal

        I wouldn't advise he do that, but if he did

        Has he committed the crime he has been accused of?

        If Yes, then he ran to escape justice. Do I care?
        If No, then he shouldn't have run, he should have trusted in the UK, and perhaps Swedish justice system. These aren't tinpot countries that push 90% of suspects through "plea bargains". It's not like he couldn't afford a good defence.

        • (Score: 5, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Monday July 23 2018, @10:40AM (12 children)

          by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 23 2018, @10:40AM (#711142) Journal

          These aren't tinpot countries that push 90% of suspects through "plea bargains".

          Maybe not. But, the US is. And, if you'll recall, the original charges were brought up at the behest of the US government. The Swedes dropped the case, but the US got a special prosecutor to pursue those charges anyway. Your faith in the system seems to be misplaced.

          • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Monday July 23 2018, @10:48AM (1 child)

            by Phoenix666 (552) on Monday July 23 2018, @10:48AM (#711149) Journal

            Yeah, I'm with you. The American and British governments have lost all right to trust. They are the enemy of democracy and freedom, because it's been a long time since they represented it. Torture, kidnapping, murder, theft, and corruption rather do that.

            --
            Washington DC delenda est.
            • (Score: 2) by isostatic on Tuesday July 24 2018, @08:32AM

              by isostatic (365) on Tuesday July 24 2018, @08:32AM (#711634) Journal

              Especially after yesterday

              Maybe Asange should have gone to Sweden where he would have been safe.

          • (Score: 3, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Monday July 23 2018, @04:54PM (9 children)

            by DeathMonkey (1380) on Monday July 23 2018, @04:54PM (#711308) Journal

            And, if you'll recall, the original charges were brought up at the behest of the US government.

            That was alleged but never proven.

            The Swedes dropped the case, but the US got a special prosecutor to pursue those charges anyway.

            I never heard about a special prosecutor appointment (and a quick search doesn't return anything) so [CITATION NEEDED] on that as well. The only noise I've heard about US charges are recent, and come from the Trump Admin. Obama took a hands-off approach.
            If the U.S. Could Prosecute Assange, It Would Have Already Done So [foreignpolicy.com]

            While the Obama administration prosecuted more leakers of classified information than all previous administrations combined, there was one target they could never quite figure out how to go after without getting ensnared in the First Amendment rights of journalists. From his perch at the Ecuadorean Embassy, the journalist-cum-transparency activist Julian Assange could expose the U.S. government’s mostly closely held secrets — and American prosecutors could do nothing about it.

            But now the Trump administration is considering throwing out its predecessor’s conclusion that a prosecution of Assange could open the door to legal attacks on mainstream journalism. According to the Washington Post, the U.S. Justice Department is planning to charge Assange. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions called his arrest “priority.”/quote?

            • (Score: 4, Informative) by canopic jug on Monday July 23 2018, @05:33PM (8 children)

              by canopic jug (3949) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 23 2018, @05:33PM (#711332) Journal

              I never heard about a special prosecutor appointment (and a quick search doesn't return anything) so [CITATION NEEDED] on that as well. The only noise I've heard about US charges are recent, and come from the Trump Admin. Obama took a hands-off approach.

              It was and remains easy to miss with the years of misinformation and disinformation. The first prosecutor was Eva Finne. She investigated, found nothing, and dropped the case. Assange asked if he could leave the country, got permission, and left for the UK. Shortly afterward, Marianne Ny, the weird prosecutor, jumped in, reopened the case, declared that Assange was wanted for questioning, and issued an Interpol red alert to have him arrested. Sweden will often visit people to question them if they can't come to Sweden or even, if I recall correctly, do a phone interview. Assange has offered this since the beginning and the Swedish government has pretended it can't hear him on either option. Assange has also offered to go to Sweden if they guarantee that he will not be turned over for extradition to the US. The Swedish government has refused to make that guarantee.

              "The Assange case has never been primarily about allegations of sexual misconduct in Sweden. The Stockholm Chief Prosecutor, Eva Finne, dismissed the case, saying, "I don't believe there is any reason to suspect that he has committed rape" and one of the women involved accused the police of fabricating evidence and "railroading" her, protesting she "did not want to accuse JA of anything". A second prosecutor mysteriously re-opened the case after political intervention, then stalled it."

              Freeing Julian Assange: the last chapter [johnpilger.com]

              The red alert was issued without any accompanying charges, which is a very unusual and perhaps unique. A lot of well-respected, big names have been backing him, though the mainstream media either ignores him or spreads debunked lies.

              "Daniel Ellsberg, whose release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971 exposed the extent of US criminality in Vietnam, drew a parallel between his own activities and those of WikiLeaks. Referring to WikiLeaks’ 2010 publication of US war logs in Iraq and Afghanistan, he stated: “I really waited almost 40 years, after the Pentagon Papers had come out, for someone to do what I had done.”"

              Prominent whistleblowers and journalists defend Julian Assange at online vigil [wsws.org]

              Now that Sweden's second prosecutor has more or less paused their case, there is just the UK to deal with. Again, there are no guarantees from the British government that once the Ecuadoreans frog march him to the door, the Brits won't just hand him over to the US before he gets to the curb. Even Paul Craig Roberts goes into some of the background about why the US is after him [paulcraigroberts.org]. I figure if nothing changes in the near future, he'll probably just be stuffed into a sack while still on the front steps and driven off in a van and then we won't see or hear of him for a year or two until some sort of mock trial occurs. That's not a done deal however and the British can still come out of this looking good, if they change their tune.

              --
              Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
              • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Monday July 23 2018, @06:21PM (6 children)

                by DeathMonkey (1380) on Monday July 23 2018, @06:21PM (#711365) Journal

                I never heard about a special prosecutor appointment (and a quick search doesn't return anything) so [CITATION NEEDED] on that as well.

                So...uh....any plan to provide a citation on the claim that a US special prosecutor was appointed?

                That's an odd line to quote as a preface to a long post about UK and Swedish prosecutors.

                • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday July 23 2018, @06:31PM (2 children)

                  by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 23 2018, @06:31PM (#711371) Journal

                  No one made any claim that a US special prosecutor was assigned to any case in Sweden. I don't know where you got that from.

                  • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Monday July 23 2018, @06:35PM (1 child)

                    by DeathMonkey (1380) on Monday July 23 2018, @06:35PM (#711376) Journal

                    The Swedes dropped the case, but the US got a special prosecutor to pursue those charges anyway.

                    Oh, I guess you're alleging the US somehow compelled a Swedish prosecutor to pursue the charges? My mistake if so...

                    • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Monday July 23 2018, @06:39PM

                      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 23 2018, @06:39PM (#711379) Journal

                      Correct. I guess I phrased that poorly. At the behest of the US, a Swedish prosecutor decided to pursue charges - despite the fact that it wasn't really within her authority to do so.

                • (Score: 2) by canopic jug on Monday July 23 2018, @06:34PM (2 children)

                  by canopic jug (3949) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 23 2018, @06:34PM (#711374) Journal

                  The second Swedish prosecutor was appointed after political intervention. I'd call that special.

                  In the US, I don't think one has been publicly named but it looks like people are ready once he is captured . All the news on that is from last year:

                  --
                  Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
                  • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Monday July 23 2018, @06:42PM (1 child)

                    by DeathMonkey (1380) on Monday July 23 2018, @06:42PM (#711382) Journal

                    The second Swedish prosecutor was appointed after political intervention.

                    [CITATION NEEDED]

                    As I mention above I did misunderstand what Runaway was alleging. However, you haven't provided a citation to support the allegation that the US intervened, either.

                    • (Score: 2) by canopic jug on Monday July 23 2018, @07:27PM

                      by canopic jug (3949) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 23 2018, @07:27PM (#711400) Journal

                      The intervention is mentioned by John Pilger in the first link. Looking around there is some mention by Assange's lawyer, Mark Stephens. However, it is not clear if they are both referring to the same intervention and given the implications of the possible meddling neither Sweden or the US are likely to address the topic in an official manner unless forced. I expect that a FOIA request would be dragged out for years and then, if finally released, redacted six ways from Sunday.

                      --
                      Money is not free speech. Elections should not be auctions.
              • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Tuesday July 24 2018, @06:19AM

                by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday July 24 2018, @06:19AM (#711612) Journal

                but the US got a special prosecutor to pursue those charges anyway.

                Because it is what you implied in your statement. If you can't express yourself clearly then you can expect people to challenge what you write.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @02:13PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @02:13PM (#711227)

          These aren't tinpot countries that push 90% of suspects through "plea bargains".

          Ahahahaha! You are a funny man, sir!

          Well, seeing as how kvetching about it online isn't going to stop it--it's going to happen--, I look forward to seeing what you have to say when he is extradited to a shithole country that pushes 90% of suspects (including innocents) through "plea bargains" and then has some black sites to give people like Assange some very special treatment.

        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by cubancigar11 on Monday July 23 2018, @02:57PM (1 child)

          by cubancigar11 (330) on Monday July 23 2018, @02:57PM (#711257) Homepage Journal

          So how is Mr. Kim Dotcom doing these days? Or the president of what-was-that-country who was stopped mid-flight in which country in Europe? Is there any quantitative proof that UK/Sweden are substantially better than either NZ or Austira or Spain or Italy?

          • (Score: 2) by dry on Tuesday July 24 2018, @01:46AM

            by dry (223) on Tuesday July 24 2018, @01:46AM (#711513) Journal

            America has a lot of clout. Look at how they're treating Canada since they decided to legalize pot. Most countries fold when they get the "nice economy you have there, be a shame if all your exports suddenly have tariffs applied to them" message.

        • (Score: 4, Informative) by Thexalon on Monday July 23 2018, @03:06PM (5 children)

          by Thexalon (636) on Monday July 23 2018, @03:06PM (#711263)

          Has he committed the crime he has been accused of?

          All available evidence points to "no". Sweden has since dropped the underlying charges.

          If No, then he shouldn't have run, he should have trusted in the UK, and perhaps Swedish justice system.

          The UK and Swedish justice system both gave him a very good reason to distrust them. Specifically, Assange's lawyers offered that Assange go willingly to Sweden for pre-trial questioning in exchange for a promise that Sweden would not turn him over to US custody, and Sweden refused that offer. Assange's lawyers also offered that the pre-trial questioning in question occur in the Ecuador embassy or over video-conferencing, and Sweden took years to agree to that. Given that pattern, it was not unreasonable for Assange to assume that the point of these charges is to get Assange in physical custody and ship him to the US so he can get the Chelsea (nee Bradley) Manning treatment of years of torture. All this despite the fact that there's zero evidence that Assange has committed any crime within US jurisdiction.

          --
          The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
          • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Monday July 23 2018, @04:56PM (4 children)

            by DeathMonkey (1380) on Monday July 23 2018, @04:56PM (#711310) Journal

            Has he committed the crime he has been accused of?

            All available evidence points to "no". Sweden has since dropped the underlying charges.

            There are outstanding charges in the UK for skipping bail. Which is pretty easy to prove he committed.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @06:18PM (3 children)

              by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @06:18PM (#711364)

              Why not just change it to resisting arrest?

              Let's play identity politics. It's my favorite game!

              Skipping bail in the absence of any other charge: what the police state is like to white people.

              Resisting arrest in the absence of any other charge: what the police state is like to black people.

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @07:34PM (1 child)

                by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @07:34PM (#711406)

                But here in Russia we are all equal. Everyone just get charged with failure to comply with good policeman's lawful demands.

                • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @07:59PM

                  by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @07:59PM (#711412)

                  OMG Russia! That changes everything! Comintern! Stalin! Putin! Election meddling!

                  *cowers under bedsheets in fear of the Russian election hacking alt-right incels!*

              • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Tuesday July 24 2018, @06:16AM

                by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday July 24 2018, @06:16AM (#711610) Journal

                Why not just change it to resisting arrest?

                Because he hasn't resisted arrest. He has broken the terms of his bail conditions. You can't just manufacture charges based on what you imagine would sound more impressive in front of a judge. You have to base charges on the law of the land.

        • (Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Tuesday July 24 2018, @04:31AM (2 children)

          by hemocyanin (186) on Tuesday July 24 2018, @04:31AM (#711571) Journal

          Such a naive child -- to think that "Justice" in America has anything to do with what you did rather than who your friends or enemies are.

      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by zocalo on Monday July 23 2018, @12:07PM (3 children)

        by zocalo (302) on Monday July 23 2018, @12:07PM (#711179)
        I don't think that anyone with a clue doubts that if Assange leaves the embassy without a deal to the contrary in place the UK police are absolutely going to try and arrest him. He breached the terms of his bail in the UK, and that's very much still on the books with the likely result of up to three months jail and a fine. Assange likens his current status to jail anyway, so that's not really any significant change, and I'm pretty sure his supporters will rally round to cover the fine. Even then, the jail time would likely be offset against the time served in jail and under house arrest before he decamped to the Ecuadorian embassy.

        The real issue for Assange is what is likely to happen next, taking into account his paranoia and the passage of time and change of US President since he initially decided trying for asylum was his best option. Sweden (a country somewhat notorious for favouring the defendant) still has one outstanding charge of rape on the books, so the UK could possibly extradite him there if the Swedes decide to resurrect the issue, or are pressured into doing so by the US if you subscribe to that conspiracy theory. Only *if* that happens, does the possibility of extradition to the US become an issue. Alternatively, Theresa May is still desperate for post-Brexit trade deals and likely won't hesitate to rubber stamp an extradition to the US if requested - especially given the UK apparently just disavowed the two remaining Daesh "Beatles" and opened them up to the death penalty at trial. Or there's the third option - he does his time for skipping bail, then goes... where? If he's still paranoid over the US, it'll need to be somewhere beyond the reach of US drones/snatch squads, so good luck with that if he's hoping for a decent quality of life. If the US really is gunning for him, then a few years in a Scandinavian prison fighting extradition through the EU courts (which the UK is aiming to opt out of in March 2019) might actually be his best short term option, especially if Sweden's approach to incarceration is as humane as the approach Norway even affords it's mass murderers.
        --
        UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
        • (Score: 4, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Monday July 23 2018, @02:22PM (2 children)

          by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 23 2018, @02:22PM (#711233) Journal

          Sweden (a country somewhat notorious for favouring the defendant) still has one outstanding charge of rape on the books

          Citation needed. Especially since there never was any allegation of rape. The term "rape" originated with US media, because it was just too damned hard to convey whatever Assange had actually been charged with. The US, and it's media, only understand a very small handful of sexual offenses. Rape, child molestation, sexual assault, and maybe a couple others.

          Both "victims" (or, both seductresses, if you will) clearly stated, when asked, that there was no rape. There was only some minor impropriety, revolving around the use of a condom on the mornings after their initial romps in the sack.

          If Julian learns nothing else from this, then he should learn to keep a whole box of condoms in his overnight bag.

          • (Score: 3, Informative) by bzipitidoo on Monday July 23 2018, @03:04PM

            by bzipitidoo (4388) on Monday July 23 2018, @03:04PM (#711261) Journal

            How did Sweden handle the cases against the founders of The Pirate Bay? Yeah, guilty verdicts, in a kangaroo trial. Nope, not seeing any "notorious favoring of defendants" there!

          • (Score: 4, Informative) by Thexalon on Monday July 23 2018, @04:40PM

            by Thexalon (636) on Monday July 23 2018, @04:40PM (#711300)

            Especially since there never was any allegation of rape. The term "rape" originated with US media, because it was just too damned hard to convey whatever Assange had actually been charged with.

            That's not the main reason that the US media turned it into "rape": The point of that was pure character assassination, and peeling away feminists from his base of support.

            --
            The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
      • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Monday July 23 2018, @05:08PM (2 children)

        by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Monday July 23 2018, @05:08PM (#711315) Journal

        You are arguing apples and oranges.

        Of course, if he were to enter a police station and commit an offence (assault then he could expect to be arrested, or at least charged, for doing so.

        However, he has been free to leave the Ecuadorian embassy at any time he wished over the last 8 years and face the only charge that he has been accused of - namely, failing to comply with the conditions of his bail. He might claim that he would have been extradited, and he might even be correct in that assumption, but the only charge that still stands is the one that I have quoted. Nobody has produced any evidence that the US has requested his extradition from either Sweden or the UK.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:43PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:43PM (#711476)

          That's a technicality, why would the US bother to make the request when Assange isn't in their custody? It's entirely likely that they haven't made the request as he isn't in their custody and is unlikely to be in their custody any time soon. If he's in their custody, that would be the time when the US government may or may not make the request.

          • (Score: 2) by janrinok on Tuesday July 24 2018, @06:14AM

            by janrinok (52) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday July 24 2018, @06:14AM (#711609) Journal

            But he was under arrest and kept in home detention before he sought immunity in the embassy. There was no application for extradition from any foreign state.

    • (Score: 4, Insightful) by acid andy on Monday July 23 2018, @09:47AM (13 children)

      by acid andy (1683) on Monday July 23 2018, @09:47AM (#711121) Homepage Journal

      That's still a type of confinement. The freedom to leave, in his case, is not much of a freedom, given that it almost certainly entails him being confined again as TFS points out.

      --
      If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by isostatic on Monday July 23 2018, @10:16AM (12 children)

        by isostatic (365) on Monday July 23 2018, @10:16AM (#711129) Journal

        He's been accused of breaking the law. There was enough evidence to arrest him, then release him on bail. Chances are he would be re-arrested for that crime and then not released on bail as he's a flight risk, but that's the same as anyone accused of a crime

        The courts then swiftly determine if he's actually broken the law, and he either has, and he gets punished, or he hasn't, and he goes free

        Is your assertion is that someone who accused of robbing a bank, who goes into hiding in a cellar for 10 years and refuses to come out, is "confined to the cellar"?

        • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:29AM (10 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:29AM (#711138)

          You have no idea what you're tallking about. There was an Europol arrest warrant issued by Sweden, not because Assange was being accused of a crime, but because ostensibly being wanted for "questioning" before the cases proceed further. Both these cases were flimsy allegations of "rape" by feminists, which on closer observation amounted to Assange allegedly not using a condom during next-morning sex and being a general asshole towards women, but not a rapist under the definition the rest of the world would use.

          Those cases in Sweden have meanwhile collapsed and they no longer want him. The UK however, now want him on charges of skipping bail... funny how that works huh?

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:54AM (2 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:54AM (#711154)

            If I recall correctly, the charges were "sexual fraud" or similar, not rape.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @04:21PM (1 child)

              by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @04:21PM (#711291)

              yeah. "not using a rubber when you said you'd use a rubber". swedish government thinks it has the authority to micromanage the bedroom.

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 24 2018, @03:37PM

                by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 24 2018, @03:37PM (#711756)

                No, it thinks it has the right to enforce verbal contracts, whether they're sexually related or not.

          • (Score: 0, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:58AM (6 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:58AM (#711157)

            He's a criminal and he's wanted by the authorities. The fact that he's been hiding in the Ecuadoran embassy to avoid arrest makes him look guilty. At this point nothing he can do will make him look innocent in the eyes of the world.

            If he acts like a criminal, runs like a criminal and hides like a criminal then he's probably a criminal. Just as a duck.

            • (Score: 2, Troll) by isostatic on Monday July 23 2018, @11:23AM (5 children)

              by isostatic (365) on Monday July 23 2018, @11:23AM (#711166) Journal

              > He's a criminal and he's wanted by the authorities. The

              *suspected* criminal. A European Arrest Warrant allows a suspected criminal to be extradited.

              > If he acts like a criminal, runs like a criminal and hides like a criminal then he's probably a criminal. Just as a duck.

              Not convinced. He's an egomaniac, maybe he's paranoid (just because they're out to get you doesn't mean you're not paranoid), but that's for the Swedish justice system to determine.

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @02:36PM (4 children)

                by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @02:36PM (#711243)

                but that's for the Swedish justice system to determine.

                You think that's his only crime? Many of the documents Wikileaks published violated a sovereign nation's laws. You may not agree with their laws, or with the fact that they want to charge him, but the facts are the facts.

                • (Score: 4, Informative) by Thexalon on Monday July 23 2018, @03:23PM (3 children)

                  by Thexalon (636) on Monday July 23 2018, @03:23PM (#711264)

                  Many of the documents Wikileaks published violated a sovereign nation's laws.

                  Which doesn't mean jack squat if the publication and the actions leading to their publication occurred outside of that sovereign nation's jurisdiction. What the US is trying to do to Assange is no different, legally speaking, than Saudi Arabia trying to get custody of an American for trial, torture, and/or execution for putting a drawing of Mohammed somewhere on the Internet.

                  --
                  The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
                  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @04:25PM

                    by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @04:25PM (#711293)

                    False equivalency. Try again.

                  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Arik on Monday July 23 2018, @04:44PM

                    by Arik (4543) on Monday July 23 2018, @04:44PM (#711303) Journal
                    That was a pretty good analogue, but reality is more bizarre than that here.

                    Saudi Arabia is a country founded on the twin principles of Royal sovereignty in the secular realm, and Wahab state religion. So it actually makes sense for them to want to torture someone for drawing a cartoon of their prophet, internally at least, however little sense it makes from the outside you can see it's fundamentally consistent internally.

                    The USA is a country that supposedly cares so much for freedom of speech, association, the free press etc. that we enshrined them in our Constitution! Yet we're attempting to prosecute a journalist for publishing material that the embarrassed those abusing public office, which is exactly what a free press is supposed to do! This is not consistent internally, it doesn't make sense at that level.

                    --
                    If laughter is the best medicine, who are the best doctors?
                  • (Score: 2) by isostatic on Tuesday July 24 2018, @09:05AM

                    by isostatic (365) on Tuesday July 24 2018, @09:05AM (#711642) Journal

                    Which doesn't mean jack squat if the publication and the actions leading to their publication occurred outside of that sovereign nation's jurisdiction

                    America seems to think that they have global Jurisdiction.

        • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @01:11PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @01:11PM (#711195)

          Is your assertion is that someone who accused of robbing a bank, who goes into hiding in a cellar for 10 years and refuses to come out, is "confined to the cellar"?

          Do you find bail-skipping whistleblowers as morally reprehensible as bank robbers?

          Let me guess -- that's for the courts to judge? How about you earn your nerd card and actually decide for yourself rather than constantly using the legal system as a proxy for ethics.

    • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:20AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @10:20AM (#711132)

      "Free" i don't think you use the word correctly.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @02:29PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 23 2018, @02:29PM (#711237)
      He's "free" to leave the Embassy in the same way you are free to take the next flight to North Korea.
  • (Score: 1, Offtopic) by realDonaldTrump on Monday July 23 2018, @10:25AM (9 children)

    by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Monday July 23 2018, @10:25AM (#711135) Homepage Journal

    It’s amazing how nothing is secret today when you talk about the Internet. In a speech behind closed doors, Crooked Hillary said "terrorism is not a big threat to our nation." Terrorism is a big, big threat. In another closed door speech, she wanted to have open borders and open trade with everybody.

    I have never been so ashamed of this country as I have with what’s going on with Hillary Clinton. I have never seen anything like it. You have never seen anything like it. 33,000 EMAILS -- she deletes them. Incredible!

    • (Score: 2) by isostatic on Monday July 23 2018, @11:12AM (4 children)

      by isostatic (365) on Monday July 23 2018, @11:12AM (#711162) Journal

      Terrorism is a big, big threat

      Agree, but only because of the reaction people have to a minor crime.

      Actual threats - heart disease, cancer, even things like suicide are big killers. Bigger threats are things like civil unrest caused by say mass famine, which is unlikely but far more devestating on its own than say a nuke going off in San Francisco

      Terrorism is down there with "murdered by toddler" in its likelihood and severity.

      • (Score: 4, Informative) by Thexalon on Monday July 23 2018, @03:36PM (3 children)

        by Thexalon (636) on Monday July 23 2018, @03:36PM (#711268)

        I'm surprised you didn't mention one of the biggest premature killers and maimers of Americans: car crashes. Osama bin Laden and his ilk could only have dreamed of killing as many Americans as drunk drivers do.

        Here's another menace that kills and injures far more Americans than terrorists: ladders. A few hundred people each year climb up a ladder (e.g. to clean out rain gutters) and fall to their deaths.

        --
        The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 24 2018, @04:47AM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 24 2018, @04:47AM (#711577)

          Osama bin Laden and his ilk could only have dreamed of killing as many Americans as drunk drivers do.

          Here's another menace that kills and injures far more Americans than terrorists: ladders. A few hundred people each year climb up a ladder (e.g. to clean out rain gutters) and fall to their deaths.

          Perhaps you've hit on a new strategy for the terrorists.

          Sounds like all they need to do in the West is:

          (a) run free courses on how to avoid breath tests; and

          (b) open a chain of hardware stores selling barely-standards-compliant ladders at below cost.

          • (Score: 2) by Thexalon on Tuesday July 24 2018, @07:20PM

            by Thexalon (636) on Tuesday July 24 2018, @07:20PM (#711841)

            (b) open a chain of hardware stores selling barely-standards-compliant ladders at below cost.

            They don't need to: What do you think the Home Depot and Lowe's sell?

            --
            The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
        • (Score: 2) by isostatic on Tuesday July 24 2018, @08:44AM

          by isostatic (365) on Tuesday July 24 2018, @08:44AM (#711636) Journal

          I went for the two biggest ones (which are an order of magnitude higher than the rest), then picked suicide as an interesting one. Suicide kills more people in the U.S. (43k) than driving (37k) or terrorism (0.2k)

    • (Score: 1) by Sulla on Monday July 23 2018, @01:51PM

      by Sulla (5173) on Monday July 23 2018, @01:51PM (#711211) Journal

      The US alphabet soup will have to go after this guy, Assange has been a thorn in their side since the Bush admin and even lost them the election of their next swamp monster by popsting those documents.

      But this could also be played differently. If Assange does come here and face trial, will the average person believe Assange when he says his source was Seth and Beau or will they believe the intelligence agencies that it was Russia?

      Republicans should drop their hatred of Assange and bring him before congress. It won't happen because the Republicans are stupid, but they could use him as a weapon against the Muller investigation

      --
      Ceterum censeo Sinae esse delendam
    • (Score: 2) by Rivenaleem on Monday July 23 2018, @02:50PM (2 children)

      by Rivenaleem (3400) on Monday July 23 2018, @02:50PM (#711254)

      I'd be very interested to hear what happened behind closed doors when you met with President Vladimir Putin in your recent trip to the Kremlin. Surely in the age of the Internet, this private meeting should become public knowledge?

      • (Score: 1, Offtopic) by realDonaldTrump on Monday July 23 2018, @04:06PM

        by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Monday July 23 2018, @04:06PM (#711284) Homepage Journal

        We talked a lot about how there was NO COLLUSION. So important to get that out of the way. And President Putin agrees there was NO COLLUSION AT ALL. And he made an incredible offer. He offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigators with respect to the 12 people. I think that’s an incredible offer. Beautiful!

        And we talked about how we both love Israel. How we want Israel to be very safe. We’ve worked with Israel long and hard for many years, many decades. I think, never has anyone, any country been closer than we are. President Putin also is helping Israel. And we both spoke with Bibi Netanyahu, and they would like to do certain things with respect to Syria having to do with the safety of Israel. So in that respect, we absolutely would like to work in order to help Israel, and Israel will be working with us. So both countries would work jointly.

        And I think that when you look at all of the progress that’s been made in certain sections with the eradication of ISIS, we’re about 98%, 99% there. And other things that have taken place that we’ve done, and that, frankly, Russia has helped us with in certain respects. But I think that working with Israel is a great thing, and creating safety for Israel is something that both President Putin and I would like to see very much.

        One little thing I might add to that is the helping of people. Helping of people. Because you have such horrible, if you see -- and I’ve seen reports and I’ve seen pictures, I’ve seen just about everything. And if we can do something to help the people of Syria get back into some form of shelter. And on a humanitarian basis. And that’s what the word was, really, a humanitarian basis. I think that both of us would be very interested in doing that, and we are.

        And we've moved very quickly, very strongly on that. Russia, maybe you heard, they sent their air force. President Putin sent his air force to the Yarmouk Basin. Which is by Israel, by the Golan Heights of Israel. He's going after the terrorists, the ISIS guys there. Very successful with that. And we're working on getting those refugees back to Syria. I told General Votel, you work with Russia. And get those folks back where they belong.

      • (Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Monday July 23 2018, @04:25PM

        by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Monday July 23 2018, @04:25PM (#711294) Homepage Journal

        By the way, I haven't been to the Kremlin since the 80s. Our summit last week was in Helsinki, Finland. Very neutral!!!

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by looorg on Monday July 23 2018, @12:30PM (2 children)

    by looorg (578) on Monday July 23 2018, @12:30PM (#711184)

    I don't really find it all that surprising that he has eventually overstayed his welcome and is "soon" to get a gentle push out the door to the waiting arms of the bobbies (or if there is someone else there in the middle of the night to put a hood over his head and toss him into the back of a van -- somewhat depending on which side of the story you believe in). His stay at the embassy has clearly had a negative effect on the relationship between Ecuador and other countries, the "benefits" have been minor to none. I'm really surprised it has taken this long.

    That said it is kind of interesting to think about how much it has cost the Ecuadorians to house him there for the last six:ish years and what it has taken in the form of logistics.

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by takyon on Monday July 23 2018, @01:13PM (1 child)

      by takyon (881) <reversethis-{gro ... s} {ta} {noykat}> on Monday July 23 2018, @01:13PM (#711197) Journal

      Someone really blew their mod wad all over this story.

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      [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
      • (Score: 3, Interesting) by looorg on Monday July 23 2018, @01:45PM

        by looorg (578) on Monday July 23 2018, @01:45PM (#711206)

        From observations that seems fairly common on all stories related to Assange and Snowden. It's like some giant circle-jerk-bukkake-fest then as everyone is all up in arms about it. Sploooooosh!

  • (Score: 2) by Gaaark on Monday July 23 2018, @04:00PM (1 child)

    by Gaaark (41) on Monday July 23 2018, @04:00PM (#711277) Journal

    Wonder if you could get enough people in Ecuador to surround Assange as he leaves the embassy: create a guard of bodies around him until he could get into a car surrounded by guard cars until he gets to the airport and then load him and the guards into a plane with plane guards, not allowing the feds to know which plane he got into and then put them all into the air to ...Canada???1

    If the gubmints want to kill him, they'll have to take each plane out to be sure.

    **Just wondering...no i'm not drunk, lol.

    1. And where could he fly to that WOULD be safe???

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    --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
    • (Score: 2, Funny) by realDonaldTrump on Monday July 23 2018, @04:19PM

      by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Monday July 23 2018, @04:19PM (#711289) Homepage Journal

      OK, you're not drunk. But, you have the legal marijuana, don't you? So Justin can smoke.

      And if you look in the article, Julian's not in the big part of Ecuador. The part in South America. He's in the Ecuador Embassy in London. If you want to be really precise about it, he's in Ecuador. In a VERY TINY part of Ecuador. But when they open the door and kick him out, he won't be in Ecuador. He'll be in Britain. In the worst part of Britain. In London. Very dangerous place. And the Muslim Mayor says there's no reason to be alarmed. Believe me, there's plenty of reason. I almost went there. Until Mayor Khan approved that HORRIBLE BALLOON!!!

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