France mulls offering asylum to Julian Assange and Edward Snowden

[reorg]

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

June 26, 2015 - 1:49PM

France's Justice Minister has canvassed possible asylum for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden as WikiLeaks and French newspapers promise further revelations of US espionage against the French government and private companies.

Justice Minister Christiane Taubira said on Thursday that she "wouldn't be surprised" if France decided to offer political asylum to Mr Assange, who is living at Ecuador's embassy in London, and Mr Snowden, who remains in exile in Russia.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in Ecuador's embassy in London.

WikiLeaks, in collaboration with the French daily newspaper Liberation and the news website Mediapart, this week published leaked US National Security Agency (NSA) intelligence reports that revealed the US intercepted the communications of three successive French presidents between 2006 and at least 2012.

"If France decides to offer asylum to Edward Snowden and Julian Assange, I wouldn't be surprised. It's a possibility," Ms Taubira said in a television interview.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/france-mulls-offering-asylum-to-julian-assange-and-edward-snowden-20150626-ghyg7i.html

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French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira. Photo: AFP


http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/France-Could-Offer-Asylum-to-Assange-Snowden-Justice-Minister-20150625-0037.html

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/06/25/french-justice-minister-says-snowden-assange-offered-assylum/

[840high]

1. kick

[sgtbenobo]

3. "You must remember this....

....a kiss is just Kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.

Carry on.

[840high]

5. Kissee (for France)

[oldandhappy]

2. Interesting idea!

Sounds as if it would be France giving a poke to the U.S. But do they really want the both of them long term? I wonder if Russia really wants to give up their hostage? Wondering. Will watch. Thank you for the post. I learn the most interesting things here on DU!!!

[truebluegreen]

4. Vive la France...provisionally.

[radhika]

6. Assange risks arrest if he exits the Ecuadorian Embassy...

Last I read, the UK had military guards observing that location 24/7.

Snowden might fare better relocating, since he can move about Russia and get on a plane.

[cemaphonic]

8. Yeah, purely a symbolic gesture absent a teleportation machine

Just look at the context, this is just some French politicians tweaking our nose.

[MADem]

15. France will generally extradite if the death penalty is not on the table.

Ira Einhorn milked that cow for some time. He was brought back to USA eventually, though.

What happens when the government changes? I don't think this is anything resembling a serious offer. This sounds more like pipe dreaming.

[candelista]

22. Not if it grants asylum.

Et les gouvernments viennent et vont, mais l'asile reste.

[MADem]

23. The woman rambling on made no promises or assurances. She was just "opining."

It's not her call to make. She's not the President of France, she's the justice minister and she doesn't have the authority to make that decision. Hollande is unlikely in the extreme to grant any such request--her comments were more of a "Hmmmph--we could show YOU if we wanted to -- yep, we could...we really, REALLY could!!!" Of course, the real hint that she was bullshitting was the use of the term "symbolic."

She's about as popular as stomach flu in the government, as well--they wanted to fire her for not singing the national anthem. I doubt she has the weight of the government behind her--this was a big fat middle finger, and nothing more. I'd be shocked if it happened.

Governments come and go, and asylum can be REVOKED--as I said, ask Ira Einhorn (his asylum was withdrawn when USA took the DP off the table, and he was brought back to serve a murder sentence). Hell, France will even revoke CITIZENSHIP if they have a mind to--they don't play.

[candelista]

24. None of that refutes my point.

Your post is just the painful elaboration of the obvious.

[MADem]

30. Yes, it does refute your point. You said that 'asylum stays.' It sometimes does not.

Ira Einhorn, an American citizen, had asylum in France...and then he didn't. That point is entirely salient.

[99th_Monkey]

7. That's actually a grand idea. I totally hope they do it.

I'd love seeing all the France-haters heads explode.

[cantbeserious]

26. ^^^ THIS ^^^

eom

[alcibiades_mystery]

9. ROFL

Let me know when Snowden arrives in Paris!

[msanthrope]

17. I can't wait to see James Blond try to leave the ladies' loo

in the Ecuadorian embassy and sneak through the Chunnel....

[nikto]

10. C'Mon, France! Do it!!

[JonLP24]

11. France really?

What kind of authority does the Justice Minister have meaning approval or have someone overrule her. I click the Intercept link after this but my first impression was this has to be some kind of trick and could still be but don't know enough about the person.

On edit -- So far have read she has inspired anger from the far right which France has seen a rise of -- I was initially worried it was those assholes suggesting this. Definitely need someone like her in our courts.

[MattSh]

12. In both cases, I wouldn't trust France to do the right thing long term...

The USA will pressure them and they'll fold like a cheap suit.

Must grovel to their CIA and State Dept. masters.

[Demeter]

16. For the sake of NATO solidarity, doncha know

[BeanMusical]

13. Interesting.

[alboe]

14. Very interesting

[Sunlei]

18. France can do this!

[hack89]

19. How does France get Assange legally out of England? nt

[christx30]

33. Maybe they don't do it legally.

One day a hunched over guy in a dark wig with fake glasses, a Groucho nose and mustache gets into a car, and a couple of hours later, Assange is giving the finger from Paris.
People have escaped from worse places in silly ways.

[hack89]

34. France doesn't care that much about Assange to be willing to break the law

No country does for that matter.

[reorg]

35. France probably respects the law in other countries

unlike some people ...

US ambassador summoned

On Thursday, Merkel's chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, summoned the US ambassador to Germany to his office to discuss the latest revelations.

Later, the chancellor's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said that Altmaier had stressed to the ambassador that German law must be respected - even by US officials.

http://www.dw.com/en/steinmeier-hopes-for-swift-clarity-from-us-on-fresh-nsa-allegations/a-18559813

[cosmicone]

20. Good ... they would both like it. Now the question is..

How to get them into France?

[candelista]

21. That would be great, except....

I doubt that Snowden would be as safe in France as he is in Russia.

[Bradical79]

25. Not a serious proposal yet

And Assange is stuck where he is anyway. Wouldn't mind seeing Snowden out of Russia though.

[Nye Bevan]

27. Can they shoot Assange from a giant cannon from the Ecuadorian embassy to the French embassy?

If so, this might work. A change of scene for Assange, and quite possibly better food, but other than that the benefits would be limited. Except for the Ecuadorian embassy staff, who I imagine would be happy to no longer have an unwashed, unshaven Julian Assange wandering around their workplace in a ratty bathrobe clutching a coffee mug and raiding the employee refrigerator.

[MADem]

31. And that "embassy" is actually a cramped 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment right near Harrod's.

The Ecuadorans share that building with a number of others. The Colombian Embassy is also in the building, and there are a number of flats. One was on the market a while back. I'll bet the ambassador is thrilled to have to give up scant space to harbor this guy.

To get a sense of how much room is available in the entire facility, here's another flat in the building that was on the market recently:

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/property-history/flat-3c/3-hans-crescent/london/sw1x-0ln/21134933

[riderinthestorm]

28. A sure sign that Snowden and Assange's cases in the world of global opinion

are seen for what they are - unjust US persecution of whistleblowers.

[Nye Bevan]

29. I wasn't aware that there was any US involvement in the Assange case,

let alone any "persecution". Is there some new development regarding this?

[Nye Bevan]

32. France said "non" pretty quickly to Assange.

Perhaps this is indeed a reflection of what "global opinion" is.

http://www.thelocal.fr/20150703/wikileaks-founder-assange-asks-france-for-asylum

[Recursion]

36. What does the US have to do with Assange?

He's not wanted by any US law enforcement agency, and AFAIK he's never been accused of breaking US law.

[brooklynite]

37. Has anyone noticed that Bernie Sanders has said nothing about pardoning Snowden?

[trillion]

38. While I would like them to do it, I don't believe they will. They're a pawn for the United States.

From what I could tell on Democracy Now when they talked about this, they had already denied Assange and then said he could apply as in it was giving him lip service. Most likely it's lip service to appease the population that support Assange. I expect they'll come up with a lame reason why they can't and it will be something like a technicality in law or clerical that makes them just not able to.