A repository for Marcospinelli's comments and essays published at other websites.

Assange Embassy Controversy: Britain Threatens To Raid Ecuador's Embassy Over Asylum Issue

Friday, August 17, 2012


Julian Assange’s Fears About Extradition to the United States Affirmed

How do supporters of WikiLeaks founder and editor-in-chief Julian Assange make the leap that he is more likely to be extradited to the United States from Sweden than the United Kingdom? That is a common question and, certainly, a key question for anyone who remains skeptical of whether Assange should have been granted asylum by Ecuador.

The answer is Sweden is pursuing a legal case against Assange, a case that has not been pursued entirely in a reasonable manner. For example, Mark Weisbrot noted in his Guardian article yesterday former Stockholm chief district prosecutor Sven-Erik Alhem “made it clear that the Swedish government had no legitimate reason to seek Assange’s extradition when he testified that the decision of the Swedish government to extradite Assange is ‘unreasonable and unprofessional, as well as unfair and disproportionate,’ because he could be easily questioned in the UK.” If the US government were to announce a request to extradite Assange, it would be interfering with an astounding legal matter that Swedish authorities would have to decide whether to suspend or not.
Another bigger question is why Assange continues to claim the US has plans or intentions to “persecute” or, to use a term that is more neutral, prosecute him. Snide commentators, sneering correspondents, and elite-minded former government officials discount any suggestion that the US might extradite Assange from Sweden. They do not even bother to take into account the existence of an empaneled grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, in the Eastern District that is investigating anyone who can be connected to the WikiLeaks organization.

KEEP READING
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

0 comments:

About This Blog

  © Blogger templates Newspaper by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008

Back to TOP