Despite Assange claims, U.S. has no current case against him

[AntiFascist]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Despite claims by Julian Assange that Washington is plotting to extradite and execute him, U.S. and European government sources say the United States has issued no criminal charges against the WikiLeaks founder and has launched no attempt to extradite him.

Moreover, Obama administration officials remain divided over the wisdom of prosecuting Assange, the sources said, and the likelihood of U.S. criminal charges against him is probably receding rather than growing.

...

Assange made it more difficult for Washington to abandon what officials acknowledge is a continuing U.S. probe of Assange and WikiLeaks. Crowley said that Assange, in a speech on Saturday from an embassy balcony, had "challenged the president" to close down the investigation. But Assange's demand made it politically more difficult for President Barack Obama to do that, particularly during a presidential election season, he said.

...

Based on emails hacked from a Texas consulting firm, Assange claimed that U.S. authorities issued a secret indictment against him which could result in him being imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba or executed. But authoritative U.S. and European sources disputed this claim, saying no U.S. charges have been filed.

...

Swedish law, she said, forbids extradition in cases where the accused might face execution or where the alleged crimes could be deemed "political."










Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/22/us-wikileaks-assange-usa-idUSBRE87L12W20120822

---

Obama admin seems to admit that, politically before the election, it needs to maintain a hard(er) line on Assange.

[pnwmom]

1. Thank you very much for posting this. There is one point in the article

that really makes this whole extradite-to-Sweden-in-order-to-extradite-to-US seem even more unlikely.

Sweden's extradition law specifically prohibits extradition in political cases. So why, if the US were so intent on extradition, would they want Assange in Sweden?

[AntiFascist]

12. There was some speculation that....

Assange might face a secret military tribunal, where presumably much of this would be done in secret. Journalists also pointed out that Sweden has a history of cooperating with the US in secret renditions, etc. Now that this is receiving the light of day, and reports such as the above are making many of the facts known, the secretive process may be less likely.

[leveymg]

2. "Don't worry. Be happy." I can almost hear that Bush Sr. campaign theme being played again.

Apparently, Reuters writers have never heard of a sealed indictment or never question what they're told by unnamed authoritative U.S. and European sources."

In the area of persecution of whistle-blowers, I think this Administration may even be worse than both Bush 1 and Bush 2.

[zeemike]

7. And you can bet that seal will be broken once he lands in Sweden.

But I am not so inclined to believe it is by the wishes of Obama or Clinton...cause I don't believe that they are really the ones in control of things...the government is a great beast and has been cultivated by those that have the real power...if they really want to they can eliminate any elected official one way or the other if they cannot be controlled.
The CIA has been doing it for decades now and are well practiced at the art.
And I am sure Obama is well aware of this.

[orpupilofnature57]

3. Is Kkkarl an American ?

I think he's one of the biggest misanthropes to Plague our country ,excuse me the world, and should be in prison for Treason, Fraud, and Slander .Yet what's he up to ? Helping Sweden build a case against him as an adviser to the prosecution .Does he represent America or the NWO, and no matter what he's thought of by the worlds as an American, thats perversion.

[still_one]

6. A lot of people should be in prison for invading Iraq based on a lie and killing tens of thousands

Of people

[orpupilofnature57]

13. Most of them break bread together.

" Those who would pluck the wings of Democracy to feather their own nest . " FDR

[JDPriestly]

4. How many people here do not trust the US government on this issue?

I do not trust the US government on this issue, not at all.

Nor do I trust the Swedish government.

Sweden allegedly has a huge problem with female sex slaves, and they want to prosecute Julian Assange for the charges alleged against him?

What is their motivation.

Those charges would be nearly impossible to really prove. How could anyone determine that the woman involved insisted on sex with a condom? How do you determine the content of an intimate conversation like that. And that is just one of a number of similar questions.

Also, from what little I know about Swedish justice, Assange would only have the right to the benefit of an attorney once reasonable suspicion which I presume is the equivalent of our probably cause was found to exist. Plus, Sweden would have the right to question Assange for 6 hours and to keep him without bail.

Pre-Trial

Police and prosecutors are responsible for conducting investigations to determine whether an individual should be prosecuted for a crime. Prosecution is mandatory if guilt has been established through the investigation period.

A defendant is entitled to counsel as soon as reasonable suspicion is established during the investigation stage. The defense attorney may ask the prosecutor to conduct specific investigations on the defendant's behalf.

Any witness may be interrogated for up to six hours. In some jurisdictions such as Gotenburg, the local municipal council hires lay individuals to attend and document interrogations.

There is no right to bail in Sweden although individuals who are released without detention may have their travel restricted by court order.

http://defensewiki.ibj.org/index.php/Sweden

I understand Assange's reluctance. He has consulted with attorneys one of whom was a judge in the European civil system. Assange knows why he is refusing to go to Sweden.

The statement of the US government is not very reassuring.

Further, the US has not stated that it will not bring charges against Assange.

They do not state that they have not called a grand jury or that they will not call one.

This statement is absolutely worthless.

Empty hot air.
Assange published information on the internet. He should certainly receive the same protections that Judith Miller received (Valery Plame). Oh, wait a minute. Assange is not even an American citizen.

He published secrets of other governments, and none of them could reach him. The US is not just bullying Assange in this. It is bullying all of us who feel that our government is overly secretive and dishonest while snooping into every aspects of our lives and even filming us as we walk down the street.

[FiveGoodMen]

16. Count me in!

[hlthe2b]

26. Me... I don't trust any of the three Western governments involved

Not that I put trust in Ecuador's either... But after extraordinary rendition, torture, Gitmo, indefinite detention or "authorized" murder of even US citizens without trial-- one can't put these factors nor the very heated rhetoric back in the bottle. And for those who really really want to believe otherwise, one need only look at the treatment of Bradley Manning to know Assange is not being hyperbolic in his concerns.

[DeSwiss]

37. Raises hand.

I don't know, called me a fastidious, anal-retentive so-and-so, but maybe it was the Secret Justified Killing of Citizens Memo what done it for me.

- Hey, I'm funny that way about trusting people with the Bill of Rights.......

[24601]

8. You either trust President Obama or you don't. Even if the administration believes there may be

a case, there is complete discretion to not prosecute a case.

[Fumesucker]

9. Obama voted for the FISA bill which immunized the telecom companies from prosecution for spying..

Is he better than any Republican alternative? Absolutely.

Anyone who trusts politicians is terminally naive in my opinion.

[cstanleytech]

14. Yes he did but a veto would have been a waste of time since

it had more than enough votes to be overridden thus he issued his signing statement.
That doesnt mean the law will remain though as the courts can at any time now or in the future make a ruling against the law provided an attorney presents a good enough case against it.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

28. You are saying that "a veto" by Obama "would have been a waste of time since it had

more than enough votes to be overridden"?

You do realize, don't you, that Obama was a Senator at the time that the vote was taken to give immunity for the telecoms that spied upon all of us for the Bush Administration?

And you must realize that Senators do not have veto power. The President does. Bush II was the President at the time, not Obama.

[cstanleytech]

33. Apologies I misread it.

I thought the post was about that recent bill he signed about the NDAA, excuse me now while I thump my head on the keyboard a few times
After that I'll go and try to get some sleep assuming my $*#% shoulder will stop hurting.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

34. Either more sleep or more caffeine. We've all been there.

[cstanleytech]

36. Well, I choose sleep :p lol

Not alot of though because my brother just woke me up 20 minutes ago by pounding on my door so I am now awake with an urge to kill him, hes just lucky murder is still a crime though I suppose I could claim temporary insanity.

[roody]

11. I don't. As pointed out above,

Obama can be JFKed as well.

[FreeBC]

15. I don't trust Obama on this at all.

You can't trust the things Obama says, you need to observe the things he does.

I learned that after I believed his pledge to not use the federal government to harass medical marijuana users in states where it had become legal.

[Poll_Blind]

10. The US could, with a straight face, lie. StratFor e-mails state it is a SEALED indictment. nt

PB

[Bodhi BloodWave]

21. wasn't/isn't it speculated that those StratFor files

was a FBI sting?, i seem to recall reading about something like this here on DU.

something about the files having been located on an FBI server/computer when leaked by whatever the group was called to wikileaks?

[Poll_Blind]

22. No way. They ate StratFor alive. nt

PB

[AntiFascist]

24. A couple of Australian blog/journalism sites discuss this...

but the end result seems to be to build a case against Assange anyway, and the emails may have been genuine:

http://www.crikey.com.au/2012/03/08/federal-bureau-of-facilitation-what-was-the-fbi-doing-with-stratfor-and-wikileaks/

And then there’s the Stratfor crack late in 2011, which is where it gets interesting. The FBI was not only aware of the crack of the posturing private intelligence firm’s internal system?—?indeed, may have been aware of it before it happened?—?but provided server space to store the cracked Stratfor material before it was released. To use an analog comparison, the FBI was happy to provide storage space for stolen goods before they were distributed.

Given the sneering attitude towards official agencies of Stratfor executives revealed in their emails, the FBI might have been only too happy to see Strafor humiliated, but in doing so it actively facilitated the release of the material. That includes, by the way, the credit card details of every Stratfor subscriber, including Australian subscribers such as Malcolm Turnbull. The FBI could have prevented that breach of privacy, but chose not to.

Further, the Stratfor material eventually made its way to WikiLeaks and was released in late February. What part did the FBI play in brokering the handover between Anonymous and WikiLeaks?

The Guardian, whose senior journalists have pursued a smear campaign against WikiLeaks and Julian Assange, quickly seized on the link. “If through Sabu or information he had gleaned from other Anons the US could glean any evidence to tie Julian Assange to hacking attacks on US soil, such as Stratfor, the case for extradition would be substantially strengthened,” former WikiLeaks member-turned-critic James Ball wrote.

[struggle4progress]

35. One of those arrested seems to have flipped for the FBI rather earlier

Six Hackers in the United States and Abroad Charged for Crimes Affecting Over One Million Victims
http://www.fbi.gov/newyork/press-releases/2012/six-hackers-in-the-united-states-and-abroad-charged-for-crimes-affecting-over-one-million-victims?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[DeSwiss]

38. It's the BOFA material's release.....

...that they're afraid of. It could start the stampede that brings the whole shebang crashing down.



[center][/center]

[Agnosticsherbet]

17. Another excellent article showing why Assange needs to face his accusers in Sweden...

Assange, however, will continue to callously use his supporters to keep him above the law.

[OnyxCollie]

18. Welcome to DU.

You'll be an opinion leader in no time, LOL!

[Agnosticsherbet]

19. I lead with my left,

not with my opinion.
It is what it is.

Thanks.

[OnyxCollie]

20. You're hilarious.

Very entertaining.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

29. x2

[DeSwiss]

39. I'm pretty sure that at least one of his accusers......

... will be able to get time off her job at the CIA.




Coming to a state near you! And SOON!!!

[Agnosticsherbet]

41. Even if that is true, she is still a woman and has a right to have her charge

seen before a court of law.

Assasnge is not above the law.

[fascisthunter]

43. lol... you sound so noble and so righteous

good gawd, how unbelievable corny.

[Agnosticsherbet]

45. lol... you sound just the opposite.

willing to make any excuse so the man doesn't have to answer his accusers in a Swedish court.

[Agnosticsherbet]

42. Before you get too sure, you should read this article from raw story.

Raw Story

These accusations are all innuendo saying "she could be" but there is no "She works for the CIA." Lots of people worked for the Peace Corps, which was at times and in places used by the CIA that are not linked to or have ever worked for the CIA.

These stories have as much validity as anything printed in World Net Daily or spoken on FOX.

One of the most common accusations of women who report that a sexual impropriety has been committed against them, is to use accusation by innuendo. "Oh, well everyone knows she did it with Don." "Oh, man, she was looking for it in the bar." "She sure liked the guy when she got in his car." "She wore jeans an T-shirt without a bra."

Stories that work on might be or could be are bull.

Stick to the facts.

A warrant for her arrest has been issued by a criminal court in Sweden. This was proven in the British courts, who have said that he needs to be turned over to the Swedish authorities. Assange needs to face his accusers in a Swedish Court.

[joshcryer]

23. If true Assange should thank Manning for that.

Bradly Manning's torture to get him to rat out or make up shit on Assange will have been rendered unsuccessful.

(NOTE: I AM NOT SAYING ASSANGE WAS COMPLICIT I AM SAYING THEY VERY LIKELY TRIED TO GET MANNING TO TALK EITHER TRUE OR NOT TRUE.)

[tama]

25. They acknowledge continuing U.S. probe of Assange and WikiLeaks.

"Nuland's predecessor, P.J. Crowley, said that by taking refuge in Ecuador's embassy and demanding that the United States "renounce its witch-hunt" against WikiLeaks, Assange made it more difficult for Washington to abandon what officials acknowledge is a continuing U.S. probe of Assange and WikiLeaks.

Crowley said that Assange, in a speech on Saturday from an embassy balcony, had "challenged the president" to close down the investigation. But Assange's demand made it politically more difficult for President Barack Obama to do that, particularly during a presidential election season, he said."

[djean111]

27. That is the first interesting thing I have read

in all this relentless and weirdly voluminous Assange bash fest:
"But Assange's demand made it politically more difficult for President Barack Obama to do that, particularly during a presidential election season, he said."
Best left alone until after the election. IMO and all that. For me, reading opinions based on other opinions do not a compelling reason to change my mind make, grasshopper.

[AntiFascist]

40. I agree...

we already knew the US stand on seeking extradition, but this article makes it clear that the President is concerned about the political outcome if he should make any move one way or the other before the election. It also states that there is an "continuing probe" of Assange and that the Obama Admin remains divided about pursuing him, but the likelihood of pressing charges is receding.

[Cicada]

30. wikileaked docs prove US govt lies constantly, so why believe them now?

Given the it is a fact proven thousands of times over that the US govt lies about war and foreign policy as a matter of routine policy, why would anyone believe what they say about this? It may be true or false but the fact the US govt says it has no bearing on its truth or falsity.

[fascisthunter]

44. because some anonymous nobodies on a discussion forum are so sure he is guilty

of what exactly, they would claim to know. That's to convince any rube reading DU, and DU is their stage. Too bad their dishonesty burns too bright.

[Warren Stupidity]

31. The wording is very precise. "has not issued". Duh.

That does not mean that there isn't, for example, a sealed indictment awaiting issuance as soon as the circumstances are right.

[djean111]

32. Yes. Like "none at this time".

Which means next week or whatever.
I am amused at the claim that there cannot possibly be a secret indictment.
Look up "secret".