Sex, Lies and Julian Assange

[pennyw]

Reporter Andrew Fowler goes to Sweden for a revealing look at the allegations of sexual crimes hanging over Julian Assange's head, and at the claims of American involvement.
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[waltky]

Assange could be in there for longer than he would be sentenced to jail...

Fifteen years holed up in an embassy
5 September 2012 - Cardinal Mindszenty worked on his memoirs during 15 years of political asylum in the US embassy

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has said he may remain in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for up to a year - but even that would leave him far short of the record holder, a Hungarian cardinal who spent 15 years in the US embassy in Budapest. The Cold War drama began in the cold pre-dawn of 4 November 1956. An anti-communist uprising was under way, but the head of the Catholic Church in Hungary, Cardinal Jozsef Mindszenty, had just learned of the arrival of Soviet troops in the city to put it down. He faced a stark choice - flight or arrest.

Imprisoned by the pro-Nazi authorities during World War II, Cardinal Mindszenty had then become an outspoken critic of the post-war communist government. As a result, he had spent eight years in prison on treason charges. He had been freed only a few days earlier by the anti-government forces involved in the uprising. He decided to flee.

Not far away, at the American legation, Sgt Gerald Bolick, a US Marine guard, was finishing his morning rounds when he looked out of the window and saw four people approaching: two in army uniforms and two in clerical black. "I saw that one was Cardinal Mindszenty," he says. "I ran up to talk to my detachment commander, and said 'The cardinal's on his way to our legation, what should I do?' He said, "Do your duty.' So I did an about-face, ran back down the stairwell, and opened up the door."

At around the same time, Bolick says, the legation received a coded message from Washington: "'If the cardinal shows up, give him shelter' was the gist." But for Bolick and the small team of US Marines responsible for protecting the legation, there was a new problem. "The Soviets had taken over Magyar radio. They broadcast that they were going to come to our legation and take the cardinal away. And that would happen at high noon."

More BBC News - Fifteen years holed up in an embassy

 

[LAfrique]

Reporter Andrew Fowler goes to Sweden for a revealing look at the allegations of sexual crimes hanging over Julian Assange's head, and at the claims of American involvement.
More
(video)
Four Corners - Home

All I have gathered thus far is that the women alleging sexual assault against Julian Assange willingly went with the man. I have a problem with women who of their own free will engage in sex and then cry rape.

I think it is about time that women realize that when you portray yourself as a prostitute, whom men often seek to fulfill their sexual fantasies, then you have no one but yourself to blame if your man turns out to be a kinky lover or the likes of Andrew Luster.

 

[waltky]

Swedish rape charges dropped against Assange...

Sweden drops Julian Assange rape investigation
May 19, 2017 -- The Swedish Prosecution Authority on Friday said it dropped a rape investigation targeting WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and will revoke his arrest warrant.

Sweden's Director of Public Prosecution Marianne Ny "decided to discontinue the investigation regarding suspected rape (lesser degree) by Julian Assange," the agency said in a statement. Ny filed a request to the Stockholm District Court to revoke the arrest warrant.

Out of four sex crimes allegations against Assange, three -- unlawful coercion and two counts of sexual molestation -- expired in 2015 due to statutes of limitations under Swedish law, while the investigation for the remaining rape allegation, which had an expiration date of 2020, was dropped on Friday. Assange, 44, gained international recognition for publishing thousands of classified U.S. documents through his website, WikiLeaks. Ecuador granted him political asylum in 2012 under the authority of the 1951 Refugee Convention.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on Friday saw the rape investigation against him dropped by the Swedish Prosecution Authority.​

The divisive founder of WikiLeaks has repeatedly denied the accusations of rape and molestation made by two women he met during a trip to Stockholm in 2010. He was arrested in 2010 and he was set for extradition to Sweden to face sexual assault charges alleged by the women, but Assange did not surrender into custody. Swedish authorities never formally charged Assange for the alleged crimes. Assange has said the charges were orchestrated to ultimately extradite him to the United States where he is wanted for questioning about the release of thousands of classified cables in 2010.

WikiLeaks said the British government will arrest Assange regardless of Sweden's decision and the government "refuses to confirm or deny whether it has already received an extradition request from the United States." In April, outlets reported U.S. federal prosecutors are considering criminal charges against Assange for leaking diplomatic cables and military documents.

Sweden drops Julian Assange rape investigation