Organization of American States to meet over Assange row - Polidicks

[url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19303615[/url] [quote=BBC News][B]Foreign ministers from across the American continent will meet next Friday to discuss the impasse between the UK and Ecuador over Julian Assange.[/B] Ecuador has granted political asylum to the Wikileaks founder who took refuge at Ecuador's embassy in London in June. He faces extradition to Sweden over sexual assault claims, which he denies. Twenty-three members of the OAS (Organization of American States) voted to have the meeting in Washington DC. The US was one of three to oppose it. On Thursday, Ecuador announced it had granted Mr Assange asylum but the UK has said it will not allow him safe passage out of the country. The South American country has said Mr Assange's human rights could be violated if he is sent to Sweden to be questioned over allegations that he sexually assaulted two ex-Wikileaks volunteers in Stockholm in 2010. Australian Mr Assange, 41 - whose Wikileaks website has published a mass of leaked diplomatic cables embarrassing countries including the US - fears he would then be passed on to authorities there. At emergency talks held by the OAS in Washington, US envoy Carmen Lomellin said a meeting of foreign ministers "would be unhelpful and harmful to the OAS' reputation as an institution". She said the US - which was joined in a no vote by Canada, and Trinidad and Tobago - did not "recognise the concept of diplomatic asylum as a matter of international law". Britain's permanent observer to the OAS, Philip Barton, said the UK would continue to work with Ecuador "to bring this matter to an amicable and successful conclusion". The UK Foreign Office has said it will follow its obligations, under the Extradition Act, to arrest Mr Assange if he leaves the embassy.[/quote]

It's one thing if they wanted to extradite him for espionage or something, but the sexual assault charges are bullshit and the rest of the world knows it.

[QUOTE=DamagePoint;37293001]It's one thing if they wanted to extradite him for espionage or something, but the sexual assault charges are bullshit and the rest of the world knows it.[/QUOTE] Really? I'm glad you've already conducted the trial and weighed all the evidence.

[QUOTE=King Tiger;37293044]Really? I'm glad you've already conducted the trial and weighed all the evidence.[/QUOTE]Well, he's not a court of law so he's not required to.

Its funny they haven't done the trial in abstinentia(spelling?). If they really wanted him, they'd just do that.

[QUOTE=King Tiger;37293044]Really? I'm glad you've already conducted the trial and weighed all the evidence.[/QUOTE] I believe in coincidences, but not ones this convenient, especially when everyone is fighting tooth and nail to get him.

[QUOTE=DamagePoint;37293001]It's one thing if they wanted to extradite him for espionage or something, but the sexual assault charges are bullshit and the rest of the world knows it.[/QUOTE] welp time to post this again this was what assange's own lawyer said about the incident: (trigger warning) [sp]“[The complainant] was lying on her back and Assange was on top of her … [she] felt that Assange wanted to insert his penis into her vagina directly, which she did not want since he was not wearing a condom … she therefore tried to turn her hips and squeeze her legs together in order to avoid a penetration … [she] tried several times to reach for a condom, which Assange had stopped her from doing by holding her arms and bending her legs open and trying to penetrate her with his penis without using a condom. [She] says that she felt about to cry since she was held down and could not reach a condom and felt this could end badly.”[/sp] [editline]18th August 2012[/editline] he also had sex with a woman who was asleep, which means he didn't have consent

[QUOTE=DamagePoint;37293001]It's one thing if they wanted to extradite him for espionage or something, but the sexual assault charges are bullshit and the rest of the world knows it.[/QUOTE] In Sweden? [editline]18th August 2012[/editline] Sweden is like the best example of the nordic model so I mean you really don't get more fucking fair than them.

[QUOTE=DamagePoint;37293001]the sexual assault charges are bullshit[/QUOTE] feel free to post your evidence anytime

i understand the idea that letting him be extradited means he could fall into american hands and be prosecuted for wikileaks activities but you can't just let him go free on any charges levied against him? i mean i love wikileaks and i think assange has done a great thing but that doesn't excuse him from any other crimes he's committed. i think the international community should find some way to guarantee that his extradition concerns the sexual assault charges and nothing else. let him face court without worrying that americans will swoop in and take him to gitmo for his work with wikileaks. sweden should have the authority to say "while he's here in our country, leave him alone", no?

He's wanted for questioning, he isn't formally charged. If Sweden had any interest in the case they would have sent someone to the Ecuadorian Embassy long ago.

[QUOTE=yawmwen;37296757]He's wanted for questioning, he isn't formally charged. If Sweden had any interest in the case they would have sent someone to the Ecuadorian Embassy long ago.[/QUOTE] Uh yes he is. There's a European warrant out for his arrest and Sweden has been [url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/02/ecuador-julian-assange-asylum-sweden_n_1730372.html]back and forth with Ecuador[/url] over the ability to question him. As is, Ecuador is shielding him from legal prosecution in Sweden.

Ecuador generally does not like the west, so they're doing this more out of spite then anything I think.

[QUOTE=Kopimi;37296549]i understand the idea that letting him be extradited means he could fall into american hands and be prosecuted for wikileaks activities but you can't just let him go free on any charges levied against him? i mean i love wikileaks and i think assange has done a great thing but that doesn't excuse him from any other crimes he's committed. i think the international community should find some way to guarantee that his extradition concerns the sexual assault charges and nothing else. let him face court without worrying that americans will swoop in and take him to gitmo for his work with wikileaks. sweden should have the authority to say "while he's here in our country, leave him alone", no?[/QUOTE] assange will play fairly when western governments play fairly.

[QUOTE=Bobie;37298975]assange will play fairly when western governments play fairly.[/QUOTE] well if you've got evidence the sexual assault charges are an immense conspiracy i'd love to see it, really, but until then i'm going to say he deserves to stand trial for the crimes he's been charged with as an aside, i find the whole thing ridiculous. really, the entire "FREE JULIAN" idea requires one to believe that julian assange will be extradited from sweden on political grounds to the US (requiring sweden and australia (home country) to support, and i'm pretty sure australia doesn't do political extraditions), upon which julian will be swiftly convicted of (what? is there really a clear-cut crime he can be charged with, given he's a foreign citizen and only head of a whistleblowing agency?) and then, according to his lawyer, be sent to gitmo to be tortured. given the already-massive public outcry, i can't see that happening. in fact, gillard (aus pm) has already explicitly stated the US hasn't approached aus regarding extraditing assange, meaning that this story now also requires gillard to be lying to australia on the telly. finally - why assange? jailing assange would be great for US kicks, sure, but it's not like it'll actually make a difference - wikileaks will still exist, and more secrets will get out. notbuyingit/10

[QUOTE=gra;37296435]welp time to post this again this was what assange's own lawyer said about the incident: (trigger warning) [sp]“[The complainant] was lying on her back and Assange was on top of her … [she] felt that Assange wanted to insert his penis into her vagina directly, which she did not want since he was not wearing a condom … she therefore tried to turn her hips and squeeze her legs together in order to avoid a penetration … [she] tried several times to reach for a condom, which Assange had stopped her from doing by holding her arms and bending her legs open and trying to penetrate her with his penis without using a condom. [She] says that she felt about to cry since she was held down and could not reach a condom and felt this could end badly.”[/sp] [editline]18th August 2012[/editline] he also had sex with a woman who was asleep, which means he didn't have consent[/QUOTE] Obviously this is a lesson to us all to practice safe sex.

[QUOTE=Bobie;37298975]assange will play fairly when western governments play fairly.[/QUOTE] Until then he'll be stickin' it in women regardless of situation I guess

[QUOTE=thisispain;37296498]feel free to post your evidence anytime[/QUOTE] So you honestly think that all these countries are freaking out over 1 man because of some measly sexual assault charges that happened IN ANOTHER COUNTRY?

[QUOTE=thisispain;37296498]feel free to post your evidence anytime[/QUOTE] insurance.aes256

[QUOTE=scout1;37297315]Uh yes he is. There's a European warrant out for his arrest and Sweden has been [url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/02/ecuador-julian-assange-asylum-sweden_n_1730372.html]back and forth with Ecuador[/url] over the ability to question him. As is, Ecuador is shielding him from legal prosecution in Sweden.[/QUOTE] Assange's legal team and Ecuador have repeatedly offered to meet with the Swedish prosecution for questioning, they refused to both without giving any reasons. [url]http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/16/julian-assange-asylum-ecuador[/url] [url]http://www.npr.org/2012/08/17/158981939/the-nation-why-ecuador-granted-assange-asylum[/url]

[QUOTE=scout1;37296472]In Sweden? [editline]18th August 2012[/editline] Sweden is like the best example of the nordic model so I mean you really don't get more fucking fair than them.[/QUOTE] The americans are obviously illegally bribing the judges in Sweden and if they would still lose the case they would forcefully take him to the Us anyway.

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