Sweden Asks Assange to Specify Conditions for London Interview

[struggle4progress]

Source: Prensa Latina

Stockholm, Apr 17 (Prensa Latina) The Swedish authorities asked Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to specify the conditions for the interview to be carried out at the Embassy of Ecuador in the UK, it was reported here today.

Thomas Olsson, Assange's lawyer, said an official notice confirming that his client would declare at the seat of the Ecuadorian embassy was handed yesterday to Marianne Ny, the Swedish Director of Public Prosecutions.

According to local radio, Ny declared that she will request assistance to the British and Ecuadorian authorities. The date of the interview appointment has not been disclosed yet ...

Read more: http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3723801&Itemid=1

---

Swedish Prosecution Responds to Julian Assange's Interview Agreement
By: Sydney Smith
April 17, 2015 12:25 PM EST
The Swedish prosecution responded today to Julian Assange's yesterday consent to be interviewed by Swedish authorities in London. Assange's lawyer told the prosecution yesterday he would agree to the interview, as iMediaEthics reported. The prosecution posted today a statement on its website updating the latest in the investigation and saying that Assange consented to a DNA sample. "The prosecutors have received Julian Assange’s consent, with some reservations, to be interviewed in London and have his DNA taken. The prosecutors have asked for clarifications concerning the reservations," the prosecution said ...

[2banon]

1. interesting... thanks for posting this update...

[cstanleytech]

2. I'm not sure if there is any point in their questioning him to be honest or did he

also agree to go stop hiding in the embassy and go stand trial if they find they have sufficient evidence to prosecute him after they question him?

[redruddyred]

7. from the sound of it, assange brought this upon himself.

I'm curious what is the penalty if convicted.
this is not abt wikileaks rather a sex creep trying to avoid rape charges.
that said I admire his work and find him v intelligent.

[cstanleytech]

12. Ya from reading he agreed to being questioned but did he agree to anything else

like to leave the embassy? If he didnt then it seems pretty pointless to question him.

[freshwest]

22. I doubt he'll leave until they drop the matter. He still has issues in the UK, though.n/t

[redruddyred]

24. either way, some resolution will be nice

I'm glad that things are moving forward.

[cstanleytech]

26. I guess that depends on how you define moving forward

[redruddyred]

27. despite assange's celebrity status and contributions to humanity

rapists deserve to be punished.
would like to see woody allen or bill cosby serve jail time too.

[cstanleytech]

30. I never implied otherwise but I just believe its pointless to question him

if he didnt agree to turn himself over for trial if they find that he should be tried for rape in their country even after questioning him in the embassy.

[redruddyred]

32. in any event this whole 'why can't sweden come to assange' question

has been up in the air for a couple of years now.
so now they are.

[cloudythescribbler]

3. It is utterly bizarre that it has taken so long for the Swedes to agree to an in situ interview

It defies all rationality. This should have been arranged within weeks of when Assange first went into the embassy. It's as if the Swedes were pretending that there were no concern whatsoever about extradition of Assange over Wikileaks and national security (supposedly) issues to the US

[GoneFishin]

4. "Julian, baby, it's us. Your friends in Sweden. Come on over, we'll clear this mess right up.

Don't worry, we don't have any ulterior motives. Aw, c'mon Julian ole buddy. Would we pull a fast one on you, our good pal?"

[redruddyred]

5. have read various places that assange is better protected in sweden than in england

b/c various privacy laws.
some lawyer said it in some interview.
on an only somewhat related note, I think he pulled some crap with those young women and is guilty. domscheit-berg has nothing nice to say on that count.

[GoneFishin]

6. I am going to take a wild ass guess that you do not think he did the public a service by

revealing the documents which he released.

[redruddyred]

8. on the contrary, I'm a huge fan

I just also happen to think he's a rapist.

[cosmicone]

9. One of the rape charges involves

consensual sex where a condom was broken or came off.

That is hardly rape.

[redruddyred]

10. I think he was fucking her while she was sleeping

that is deffo rape.
also, don't have much experience w/ this, but hear that venereal disease is no bowl of cherries either.

[GoneFishin]

11. The time line smells of intense manipulation of and by the prosecutor. The women did not just

report a crime which then was routinely pursued.

[cosmicone]

13. One charge involved sex from which the woman woke up

and he stopped when she said no. They had already had sex the night before they went to bed and he was going for a second serving. I can't think of a reason why a guy has to get consent for every serving in the same date.

The second charge is when the condom mishap happened and under swedish law, it is considered rape.

What is suspicious is that these charges suddenly appeared after the leaks when the CIA was gunning for him.

[hack89]

15. There are four charges.

you need to do some basic research.

[cosmicone]

17. Here is a full guardian story

http://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/dec/17/julian-assange-sweden

There are 4 charges but only two encounters.

[hack89]

18. The details in the actual warrant should disgust and anger you

perhaps you should take the time to find and read it. Then try to defend or minimize it without appearing to be a rape apologist.

[BainsBane]

20. There is a valid arrest warrent

Women don't exist in a continually state of consent. If Assange or anyone else has sex once with a woman, that does not mean he has continually access. To act as if one does is to be a rapist. That is true in Sweden and in the US.

"Only two encounters." Only two women violated. It's not like we're talking about anyone who counts.

I got called in as a juror on your disgusting post (no. 13), and I voted to hide it. While I've been here long enough that I am no longer surprised to see women's basic rights treated with contempt, I am nonetheless repulsed.

Now for the arrest warrant:

The International Arrest Warrant for Julian Assange

There are four allegations as set out in box (e) of the warrant:
1.
On 13th – 14th August 2010, in the home of the injured party in Stockholm, Assange, by using violence, forced the injured party to endure his restricting her freedom of movement. The violence consisted in a firm hold of the injured party’s arms and a forceful spreading of her legs whilst lying on top of her and with his body weight preventing her from moving or shifting.
2.
On 13th – 14th August 2010, in the home of the injured party in Stockholm, Assange deliberately molested the injured party by acting in a manner designed to violate her sexual integrity. Assange, who was aware that it was the expressed wish of the injured party and a prerequisite of sexual intercourse that a condom be used, consummated unprotected sexual intercourse with her without her knowledge.
3.
On 18th August 2010 or on any of the days before or after that date, in the home of the injured party in Stockholm, Assange deliberately molested the injured party by acting in a manner designed to violate her sexual integrity i.e. lying next to her and pressing his naked, erect penis to her body.
4.
On 17th August 2010, in the home of the injured party in Enkoping, Assange deliberately consummated sexual intercourse with her by improperly exploiting that she, due to sleep, was in a helpless state.
It is an aggravating circumstance that Assange, who was aware that it was the expressed wish of the injured party and a prerequisite of sexual intercourse that a condom be used, still consummated unprotected sexual intercourse with her. The sexual act was designed to violate the injured party’s sexual integrity.

The framework list is ticked for “Rape”. This is a reference to an allegation 4. The other three allegations are
described in box (e) II using the same wording as set out above.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/world/20110224-Britain-Ruling-Assange-Extradition-to-Sweden.pdf

Finding of the UK Appeals Court on extradition:
http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKSC/2012/22.html

[antigone382]

19. I can't believe you just referred to sex with an unconscious woman as a "serving."

The concept honestly nauseates me. I don't care what they did when she was conscious. You don't fuck an unconscious person, ever (I guess I can imagine a hypothetical circumstance where it was specifically consented to in very clear terms beforehand...but still, eww).

[cosmicone]

21. She testified that she was half-awake and did not say no

only asked if he was wearing a condom.

The "serving" word was just an analogy - no offense was intended. If it offended you, I apologize.

[redruddyred]

23. as mentioned elsewhere in this thread

women do not exist in a perpetual state of 'yes'.
personally, I would have a huge, huge, huge issue if some guy fucked me without a condom without my consent. I would be v v v v v very unhappy.

[redruddyred]

25. cannot give consent when asleep.

this is never, ever, ever, ever okay.

[hack89]

14. The four charges in his arrest warrent say otherwise

forced sex, sex with a sleeping woman, ignoring a woman's explicit demand that he wear a condom. There are basic facts that have been public for years - it is time to drop the broken condom defense.

[hack89]

16. It was because they wanted to arrest him

and they couldn't do it in the embassy.

The Swedes have a different system than we do. This is not a "tell us what happened" kind of interview. It is a "let us present our case against you before we arrest you" kind of interview.

When they are asking Assange about the conditions of the interview, the main thing they want to know is whether he will surrender if they want to arrest him.

[Zorra]

28. 3/24/15 Assange lawyers demand Swedish prosecution files or no London interview

Lawyers for Julian Assange™ have said they want access to all files held by Swedish prosecutors on their client before they can grant an interview with him.

According to an AFP report, Assange's defence is to demand access to the Swedish officials' "förundersökningsprotokoll", a dossier normally only made available to the defence when the investigation phase has been completed, before a trial indictment "stämningsansökan" is filed.
snip---
Garzón stated that the Assange defence team had yet to respond to the Swedish authorities' request for an interrogation to take place at the embassy.

"Of course we will agree to the interrogation, but they have to guarantee minimum prerequisites," he said, stressing that giving the defence access to the investigation files was "simply the minimum rights of any person subjected to a judicial process."

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/03/24/assange_team_throws_up_conditions_to_swedish_prosecution/

[hack89]

29. If he is going to play that game

Last edited Mon Apr 20, 2015, 07:32 AM - Edit history (1)

he needs to agree to surrender if the Swedes want to arrest him. Hopefully they will demand it.

[Zorra]

31. I suspect that his attorneys have something else in mind. nt

[hack89]

33. No doubt

nothing will change because of this. My guess is he will remain there until he has a medical emergency they can't treat in the embassy.