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| Britain |
| Wikileaks' Assange refused bail by court |
| 2010-12-08 |
| (KUNA) -- Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was remanded in jug Tuesday after appearing in court here on an extradition warrant. The 39-year-old Australian is wanted by prosecutors in Sweden over claims of sexually assaulting two women. District Judge Howard Riddle refused bail on the grounds there was a risk Assange would fail to surrender. Assange was ordered to appear again before City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on December 14. Jemima Khan, the sister of Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith, film director Ken Loach and veteran journalist John Pilger all offered to stand as surety for Assange. Gemma Lindfield, lawyer for the Swedish authorities, told the court that Assange was wanted in connection with four allegations. She said the first complainant, Miss A, said she was victim of "unlawful coercion" on the night of August 14 in Stockholm. The court heard Assange is accused of using his body weight to hold her down in a sexual manner. The second charge alleged Assange "sexually molested" Miss A by having intercourse with her. The third charge claimed Assange "deliberately molested" Miss A on August 18 "in a way designed to violate her sexual integrity". The fourth charge accused Assange of having sex with a second woman, Miss W, on August 17 while she was asleep at her Stockholm home. Assange, who appeared pale but calm in the dock, confirmed his name and date of birth at the request of the court clerk. There was confusion over his address as he asked whether it was "for correspondence or for some other reason". Assange, who was accompanied by officials from the Australian High Commission, eventually gave an address in his native country. The one-hour court hearing came just hours after Assange was jugged by appointment when he attended a central London cop shoppe. A European Arrest Warrant issued by the Swedish authorities was received by officers at the Metropolitan Police extradition unit last night. An earlier warrant, issued last month, was not valid as officials had failed to fill in the form properly. The court heard that the "household names" were prepared to stake their reputation by offering sureties with a total value of 180,000 pounds. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #33 Goodness, four years old? I remember when you were pregnant -- how time flies. It's so much fun when siblings like each other. :-) The quarter is in exam week for the trailing daughters, so we shall see. Today was the last day of Chanukkah (transliteration spelling options are so much fun!) so we're only a few hours into belatedness. Happy belated to you, too. ;-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-12-09 00:05 |
| #32 He's 4 now, tw, and has become a wonderful big brother to his baby sister. Thanks for asking. ;) Hope the trailing daughters are both doing well with their studies, and happy belated Chanukah! |
| Posted by: Swamp Blondie 2010-12-08 23:47 |
| #31 Swamp Blondie wins. I don't remember though -- is your boy two, now, or three? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-12-08 23:22 |
| #30 Ok, anon1, leaving aside the fact that your statement "I like freedom" has the same intellectual depth as my boy's statement, "I like ice cream", and that you think 1300 dead Kenyans don't matter because they must have all been bureaucrats....I got an idea. You've seen my country's leaked info. Let's take a look at your country's cables. After all, you are into getting past all the BS, demanding the truth from bureaucrats, etc. Surely your bureaucrats could dish it out as well, or maybe even better, than ours. I can't wait to read your diplomats' assessments not only of Sarkozy and Berlusconi to see if they match ours, but also of your close neighbors (New Zealand, Tonga, Indonesia, to name a few). I'm sure that your diplomats have always kept it classy and never referred to them as morons, lazy twits, bloody wogs, etc. "Caught up with the cultural affairs minister after a party at the embassy. She had more than her share of the free Aussie fighting wine on tap (Chateau Wooloomooloo, '03, a delightful rose that is the Yarra Valley's finest, IMNSHO), after an argument with her secret lover, who is employed by the British Embassy as a gardener. After a bit of small talk, Subject told me that the current president has been known since his university days as a flamboyant cross dresser in private. He is partial to French designers, with a particular weakness for Louboutin shoes. XXXXXXX has diverted some of the foreign/charitable aid we have sent to this 'preference', as she put it. Alert Canberra to have a patent leather strappy model to present to the First Lady as a 'gift' during Gillard's next state visit. Preferably in size 11." It will help your country, honest! Why, imagine finding out later that ol' Julia could have gotten the same pair for $50 less if she had only held off on her visit for a week. This is valuable information that you, as an Aussie taxpayer, should know! (And me, too, even though I've never been there....just 'cause I'm a nosy git. But that's for another day.) Well, yeah, it might interfere with your country's ability to get confidential information from others, and they'd be wary of working with you to solve common problems in your area of influence. They might think that you guys can't keep a secret, either, and it might complicate some business deals, give people the impression that you are all a bunch of drunken louts, etc. But hey....I like freedom, too! So, how about it? Let's see who has the biggest bunch of idiots in their diplomatic corps, as a percentage of the respective bureaucracies? (We can't compete on sheer numbers, sorry....we'd win that, simply because we've got like 20 times the population. That wouldn't be a fair dinkum competition now, would it?) |
| Posted by: Swamp Blondie 2010-12-08 22:52 |
| #29 Interesting talk from someone who calls themselves anon1. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2010-12-08 21:09 |
| #28 Mikey and Swamp Blondie: Wikileaks outed corruption in Kenya. The people reacted with violence then threw that Government out. Wikileaks was responsible for informing the people but not for the violence. People make their own choice on what to do. They could have just voted but their tribal anger bubbled up. That is their own thing to deal with. For Kenya, Wikileaks was an amazing force for good. That country just passed a new constitution to try to ensure such terrible corruption doesn't happen again. This will raise their standards of living, move them forward and save the lives of many more people. So I think that you are wrong. And no I never said everything should be out there. I agree some things should be kept secret. But I dispute that Wikileaks has caused any serious damage to anybody but the ruling class bureaucrats. It has made them instantly more accountable to their citizens as now we know what is going on We can demand they do what we want instead of feeding us lies and bs. That is freedom. I like freedom. |
| Posted by: anon1 2010-12-08 21:07 |
| #27 H. I. V. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2010-12-08 21:00 |
| #26 trailing wife, Thanks for the link. It's been a while since I read McCain. Got to say that I agree 100% with his prognosis. This "trial" has the smell of a Canadian "Yooman Rites" Commission Star Chamber hearing about it. That part that puzzles me is that both "victims" are crazy socialists, who one would assume would sacrifice themselves for the "cause". Guess they don't manufacture socialists these days like they used to. |
| Posted by: tipper 2010-12-08 20:17 |
| #25 Mikey, you're wasting your breath. anon1 could care less that her crush has admitted that people got killed because of information that he leaked (Kenya). She could also care less that Assange's former business partner said he sold stuff for money. Don't confuse her with the fact that perfect honesty occurs nowhere, not in a government, not in dealings with your neighbors, not even in a marriage. She wants to know what color the potholders in Hillary Clinton's kitchen are, dammit, and you better let her know because it's her right. Don't point out that causing chaos just for kicks costs real people their lives, mainly because, hey....it's no one SHE knows, or ever will, so, like, who gives a rat's ass? Her right to know secrets is the most important right of all. As long as you remember that to her, Assange is an angel and can never ever do anything wrong, you can skip her 5000 word missives and not miss a thing. |
| Posted by: Swamp Blondie 2010-12-08 19:59 |
| #24 @ anon 1 Dude, your buttocks are affecting your eyesight. You see nothing wrong with the theft of state secrets, and publishing them. You do not seem to realize that governments must have secrets in order to survive and deal in the real world. Me thinks a few years in a Russian gulag or a Chinese re-education camp might just serve to reorient you to reality and the consequences of divulging state secrets. |
| Posted by: Mikey Hunt 2010-12-08 19:01 |
| #23 rammer: assange is not a hater and he is not a pacifist either. He supports the concept of a just war. He just hates Governments lying to citizens about that war. Assange notably said this: "Capable, generous men do not create victims, they nurture them." Does that sound like a hater rapist to you? |
| Posted by: anon1 2010-12-08 18:37 |
| #22 TwobyFour: that is very interesting. That sounds like the truth, that any sources thought to be compromised would be quietly moved. And good, that is competent and smart. I have noticed in the new wikileaks documents there are XXXXs where the names have been redacted. In the case of North Korean refugees in Russian forests, all names were out. But perhaps they are being more careful this time round than last time, as Wikileaks evolves. NEWC: Prove your allegations. Show me the link where Wikileaks has directly killed someone in war. TW: I do not believe Assange has been selling information. There is a massive smear campaign underway right now. I believe that about as much as I believe the ridiculous "rape" allegations. But as for the Secretary of Defence publicly stating the assets are safe but saying something different behind closed doors: this is the problem. Wikileaks would have been a minor embarrassment if our Governments - not just yours but mine also - had a greater respect for openness and transparency. Instead they are lying to the public every day. Maybe he should just begin to tell the truth. Radical concept that allows we the people to know what is going on and ensures the Government acts to reflect OUR wishes. which is what democracy is supposed to deliver. Instead of a sham - vote for red or blue every four years to give the illusion of choice while the bureaucracy does whatever the hell it wants. IF the Defence Secretary was lying - maybe he should have honestly declared that assets were dying. Perhaps the assets would panic and that is right for them - they would flee and save their own lives. And we would help them resettle in our countries as a matter of duty. And perhaps that would make it harder to fight the war in Afghanistan or Iraq. But hey it's not like it's going particularly well anyway - how long have we been there? What have we achieved? Saddam is gone but that's about the only bright thing. Other than that it looks a cess pit to me - and that was before Wikileaks released anything, so it's not Wikileaks to blame for that. Maybe it's time to cut our losses and try a different strategy. Instead of fighting foreign wars to protect ourselves from Jihadism maybe it's time for internment camps for domestic Muslims instead. Look at the Swiss they are going down a different path and good on them. They see a threat to their country. They ban minarets and want to deport foreign-born residents who commit a crime. Perfect. This is the crux of the matter I feel: this issue of whether Defence Secretary Gates was lying to the public. This is why Wikileaks is important in the first place. If our politicians tell us nothing but lies, we have no way to know what is going on or to really choose our governments. In which case we no longer live in democracies. I like wikileaks because it is tearing aside the veil and making it more difficult for our rulers to lie to us. Some may say that compromises assets and results in people being killed. I would say that people are being killed as a result of unaccountable Governments making bad decisions. How many US and Allied soldiers lives would be saved, how many cripples still be whole, if we pulled the troops out and followed the Swiss strategy for fighting Islamofascism on our own turf? Or at least had an honest cost-benefit analysis of what we are doing over there. I really like Wikileaks. I think it is clear to all Assange is being attacked because he has embarrassed people in high places. But that is the job of a fiercely free and independent media. I support him, yet I am a patriot and I hate Islamofascists as much as anybody. |
| Posted by: anon1 2010-12-08 18:35 |
| #21 Wishful thinking. But even if it happens, other organizations will spring up. I'm rather amazed that the role of the press - some of the world's leading papers no less - is almost not put into question. Most people would not bother with WL, if the press didn't serve up daily appetizers. |
| Posted by: European Conservative 2010-12-08 17:57 |
| #20 Unfortunately WL is not falling apart. Perhaps not financially, European Conservative, but on the personnel side, yes, according to Wired Magazine. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-12-08 17:34 |
| #19 Unfortunately WL is not falling apart. Paypal and the credit card companies just inflamed Assange's supporters to donate through other means. The Wau Holland foundation has received 800000 Euros which they proceed to WL. |
| Posted by: European Conservative 2010-12-08 17:22 |
| #18 @tw One charge is rape, which carries a jail term. I think his fear is that Sweden might be more willing to extradite him to the U.S. |
| Posted by: European Conservative 2010-12-08 17:19 |
| #17 tipper, Instapundit links to a blog that has this: UPDATE: Linked at Dyspepsia Generation, and an e-mail from a reader: I Googled the “Sex by Surprise” charges against Mr. Assange. He may be in jail now but these charges do not really warrant jail time in Sweden or really, anywhere else. Aparently “Sex by Surprise” is when you don’t wear a condom during sex when your partner asks you to. It carries a 5000 Kornor fine or roughly $715. Just to put this in perspective, Julian Assange went into hiding and sparked an international manhunt in order to avoid paying the equivalent of a really bad traffic fine. Either this is a really bad publicity stunt or just facepalm stupid. The best we can hope for is that the Justice Dept. asks Sweden to extradite Mr. Assange to face extradition charges here. I’m not betting on that happening. I'd say the arrest is the purpose, given that Wikileaks seems to be falling apart, now that Mr. Assange is out of circulation. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-12-08 15:18 |
| #16 I'm guessing that when the "evidence" of his crime is produced next week, it will be laughed out of court. |
| Posted by: tipper 2010-12-08 13:27 |
| #15 Assange's allies have launched a DOS attack on MasterCard that was successful. They've gone beyond "journalism", if you buy that argument. This guy and his friends are waging war against the US. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2010-12-08 10:38 |
| #14 Glenmore, bear in mind that the wording is from Assange. What is in the letter may have somewhat a different meaning. Trying to find it, but with the Assange meme job infesting the net, it is not easy. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2010-12-08 09:22 |
| #13 Oh, he is a hater. His own words introducing himself to the world were how he enjoys crushing the bastards. That's the voice of the politics of hate. Well, well. Politics ain't bean bag as they say. The bastards will return the favor, with interest, and crush this foolish man. He thinks his hate on the powerful people inhabiting American government institutions is justified. That works for him, but of course I don't agree, because those bastards he has called out are my bastards. They are the people elected and hired by Americans to represent my interests as an American citizen; so, he can't hate on them, without hating on me. Worse he is breaking the Westphalian rules that have evolved over centuries to keep nations at peace and advance their interests. This makes the bastards that represent my interests less able to do a good job. This costs me more money, time and effort. There is a cell in Leavenworth where he and his hate can live. If he is fortunate, he will get there. If he is not fortunate, he will die. |
| Posted by: rammer 2010-12-08 09:17 |
| #12 Robert Gates admitted in a letter to the US congress that no sensitive intelligence sources So, if we really believe Asshat DID compromise our men and allies, then we are saying Gates lied to Congress. While I still believe the memos were damaging, lying to Congress is a pretty bid deal..... |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2010-12-08 08:49 |
| #11 "US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates admitted in a letter to the US congress that no sensitive intelligence sources or methods had been compromised by the Afghan war logs disclosure. The Pentagon stated there was no evidence the WikiLeaks reports had led to anyone being harmed in Afghanistan. NATO in Kabul told CNN it couldn't find a single person who needed protecting. " - Assange in today's Australian newspaper. I think that says it all. You can independently verify each of those facts. Because the Secretary of Defence is going to openly tell the world that our informants were now walking around with their heads in shopping bags instead of on top of their necks. What he told the committee behind closed doors was no doubt something else altogether. Wikileaks does not publish bank account or personal details of individuals. But Mr. Assange is known to sell information privately. So you do not know what he's done -- it's his secret. This is, after all, the man who admitted he doesn't care that over 100,000 Kenyans died in riots resulting from information he chose to publish. He's like a fourteen-year old standing his rights as an almost-adult, no matter who it hurts. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-12-08 08:48 |
| #10 Judge says there is no record of him legally entering Britain, he may have used a false passport. Tim Blair has a good summary of the state of play. |
| Posted by: Grunter 2010-12-08 08:30 |
| #9 US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates admitted in a letter to the US congress that no sensitive intelligence sources or methods had been compromised by the Afghan war logs disclosure. Important sources were quietly relocated and the opsec methods were immediately changed after the extent of the disclosure became known. The Pentagon stated there was no evidence the WikiLeaks reports had led to anyone being harmed in Afghanistan. CYA. In order to keep the rest of the assets from panicking, Taliban's hits were tucked under regular Taliban operations. NATO in Kabul told CNN it couldn't find a single person who needed protecting Also "true". The assets were already relocated or in a state where any form of protection would be pointless. |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2010-12-08 08:06 |
| #8 So Newc, you are better informed than the US Defense Secretary, Nato and the Pentagon. Riiiiight. |
| Posted by: anon1 2010-12-08 07:07 |
| #7 "Wikileaks does not publish bank account or personal details of individuals." He has published names of informants and Soldiers in the war. People have been killed because of his irresponsibility. He is a little punk and he is not serious in his quest, whatever it may be. |
| Posted by: newc 2010-12-08 06:38 |
| #6 What do you figure Frank? Ethel and Julius Rosenberg spinning in their graves at about 9000 RPM? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-12-08 04:35 |
| #5 I'm conflicted on ol' Gollum. On the one hand I'm a fan of the "sunlight is the greatest disinfectant" policy and I like the fact that diplomats who try to talk out of both sides of their mouth have been exposed. I'm tired of these hypocrites who think it's okay to say what they don't believe. On the other hand, it is not realistic to say that no sources have been harmed. He indicts himself with his own threats of a nuclear option and encryption of his own sources and material. Is it open, or isn't it, you goofy freak? You can't have it both ways and still claim the moral high ground. Regardless, calling him Gollum may be physically descriptive, but it's far too great of a compliment as he really isn't that high on the food chain. Dance with the Devil and expect to get screwed. He's just a spoiled mamma's boy who thinks the whole world is nice like the Western World. He thinks if he plays anarchist, everyone will smile and say, "What a cute little rebel." Reality is a doggie's mamma. |
| Posted by: Martini 2010-12-08 04:28 |
| #4 ready for the anon1 tongue-bath of Assange in ....4..3..2...1.. It's like you got psychotic powers or sumthin, Frank! |
| Posted by: SteveS 2010-12-08 03:36 |
| #3 Frank G: as i responded to you in an earlier thread, the argument that you are making is not applicable to Wikileaks. Wikileaks does not publish bank account or personal details of individuals. It publishes stories of significance, then provides the document sources so people can see and make up their own minds. "US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates admitted in a letter to the US congress that no sensitive intelligence sources or methods had been compromised by the Afghan war logs disclosure. The Pentagon stated there was no evidence the WikiLeaks reports had led to anyone being harmed in Afghanistan. NATO in Kabul told CNN it couldn't find a single person who needed protecting. " - Assange in today's Australian newspaper. I think that says it all. You can independently verify each of those facts. Rammer: Julian Assange does not appear to hate Western Democracies at all. He is defending freedom of information and the right to scrutinise and criticise our Governments - not just the US government but all governments around the world. That's called freedom, brother. Why don't you read what he is about he put it very well in his own words here. |
| Posted by: anon1 2010-12-08 02:57 |
| #2 This guy is SO fortunate to be in the hands of the legal system of the Western Democracies that he seems to hate. His march to the gallows will be slow and deliberate. I only hope that we can rewrite the espionage law prior to his reveal on the 'insurance' password. "Senators unite!" and get this done. |
| Posted by: rammer 2010-12-08 00:19 |
| #1 ready for the anon1 tongue-bath of Assange in ....4..3..2...1.. ready for the Anon1 release of all her personal communications, grades, diaries, confidential comments in.........oooh... never? Information craves release without judgment, right. Hypocrite! |
| Posted by: Frank G 2010-12-08 00:08 |