Trump

[pogo]

Assange has a right to do this, has tried to resolve the legal issues of the Swedish case in good faith without putting himself in what he sees as mortal danger. He's not 'avoiding justice' he's asking for the next step to be taken to see if there's even justification for a charge.

You can draw your own conclusions from that.

He appealed all the way to our Supreme Court, as was his right. He had every right to argue his case to them, and he did. But they are the highest court in the UK, so their decision is final. There is no further step. The conclusion is he should have complied with the EAW, having exhausted all steps of our legal system and been denied at each stage.

[gravy]

What's that got to do with your claim he's avoiding answering the allegations against him?

That has nothing to do with UK high court.

You're saying "He's a rapist because he refuses to be extradited"

He's saying he will cooperate with the next steps of the police investigation but in the UK or in Sweden if they guarantee he won't be extradited.

If he's guilty then I don't understand how pushing the investigation towards being charged would help him. He'd be throwing up all manner of other obstacles wouldn't he? He hasn't been

[pogo]

They can’t guarantee he won’t be extradited. There is no request to extradite him from Sweden now, obviously. But if one came in while he was in Sweden then Sweden is bound to process it based on its content.

Suppose the US came up with evidence that Assange was a mass murderer and kiddy fiddler in the US, and asked for him to be extradited to face justice. Not only would Sweden be obliged to take it seriously, but most right minded people would agree that he should be extradited. Requests for extradition always need to be decided on their merits, it is impossible to decide beforehand whether they should be respected, so a blanket commitment not to extradite him is impossible.

What he does have is the protection of the EAW. If extradited to Sweden to face these charges, or the remaining rape charge, he cannot then be extradited on to e.g. the US, unless the UK also agrees to the extradition. By going to Sweden he is much safer from extradition to the US than he is in the UK. If his only fear is extradition to the US he should surrender himself and let the EAW be carried out immediately. He is much more at risk staying here, especially as he has given the US plenty of time to prepare their case in case he leaves the embassy in 2020.

[gravy]

I didn't ask that.

I asked why you are you claiming he's avoiding justice when he's consistently pushed for the case against him to move forward?

[gumboot]

I'm surprised that a statute of limitations would still apply once the process had started. It implies that once you hear about it all you have to do is run away and hide for a few years and it'll go away. Then the law is only applicable to those without the means to hide.

[gravy]

The process hasn't really started. There are no charges against him as yet. He's been arrested in abentia to be questioned about the incident with a view to pressing charges.

[pogo]

I didn't ask that.

I asked why you are you claiming he's avoiding justice when he's consistently pushed for the case against him to move forward?

The only way for it to move forward is for him to return to Sweden, having exhausted all his appeals against the EAW.

As explained above Sweden cannot grant him immunity from further extradition, and he and his lawyers know it, so he should stop asking for it.

He cannot satisfy the Swedish authorities by questioning in London. He is not just wanted for questioning, he is wanted for arrest – otherwise there would be no arrest warrant. This was argued before and rejected by the high court, during his appeal there.

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Adm ... /2849.html

[gravy]

I didn't ask that.

I asked why you are you claiming he's avoiding justice when he's consistently pushed for the case against him to move forward?

The only way for it to move forward is for him to return to Sweden, having exhausted all his appeals against the EAW.

As explained above Sweden cannot grant him immunity from further extradition, and he and his lawyers know it, so he should stop asking for it.

He cannot satisfy the Swedish authorities by questioning in London.

They are questioning him in London.

Next week.

He is not just wanted for questioning, he is wanted for arrest – otherwise there would be no arrest warrant. This was argued before and rejected by the high court, during his appeal there.

No one's said he wasn't arrested. He's been arrested to be questioned.

Are you saying he's been asking for something the Swedish can't agree to and now been fucked up after they agree to what he asked?

EDIT

The prosecutor in the case had breached her duty in the Assange case by refusing to progress the case by questioning Assange in the UK for 5 years.

As agreed by the Swedish Supreme Court

[pogo]

Ah, I did not know. I know they’ve been talking about interviewing him there for a long time, I did not know it was actually going ahead. He’s not being questioned by Sweden though:

Swedish prosecutors said the questioning would take place on 17 October and be conducted by an Ecuadorian prosecutor. Swedish chief prosecutor Ingrid Isgren and a police investigator will be allowed to be present to ask questions through the Ecuadorian prosecutor, who will later report the findings to Sweden.

“After the report, the Swedish prosecutor will take a view on the continuing of the investigation,” Swedish prosecutors said in a statement.

So roll on Monday. That article also notes:

Even if Sweden drops the investigation, Assange is likely to be arrested for breaching bail conditions in Britain.

Though if the rape case is dropped they can’t do much except expel him from the UK.

edit: scrub that

Questioning of Julian Assange by Swedish authorities postponed

Roll on 14th November.

[gravy]

Ah, I did not know. I know they’ve been talking about interviewing him there for a long time, I did not know it was actually going ahead.:

It was mentioned earlier in the thread.

He’s not being questioned by Sweden though

Well obviously

[gumboot]

I had a dream that the election was over, last night.

I never knew dreams could be so implausible.

[pogo]

Many seem to think it’s over already, not least Trump, judging by some of his recent pronouncements. His image, or at least the one he likes to paint of himself, is a winner. Even when he is waist-deep in ruin, bankruptcy and loss he proclaims himself a winner. It’s his whole justification for running.

So now he looks like losing. Badly, to not only a woman but the least popular Democratic candidate in a very long time. And he is getting his excuses in early. It won’t be his fault he loses, it will be a the liberal press, or fraud at the polls, or Paul Ryan and other Republicans who refused to back him.

[pogo]

[k345y]

Suppose the US came up with evidence that Assange was a mass murderer and kiddy fiddler in the US, and asked for him to be extradited to face justice. Not only would Sweden be obliged to take it seriously, but most right minded people would agree that he should be extradited. Requests for extradition always need to be decided on their merits, it is impossible to decide beforehand whether they should be respected, so a blanket commitment not to extradite him is impossible.
.

That's just bollox.

Evidence outwith a trial is zero, fuck all but conjecture.
Most 'right minded' people would expect a lawful ruling on the plausibility of the evidence prior to consideration of extradition.
Gary McKinnon would have been whipped off to the US under your anti civil logic simply because the US government said they had evidence....evidence is not evidence until it is scrutinised and substantiated through proper process.

[gumboot]

Americans do all their voting at once, don't they? So if disillusioned Republicans sit this one out, does that suggest a Democrat advantage in Congress?

I was initially imagining it going the other way -- that Republicans would feel motivated to vote to keep Hillary under control -- bit I hear a lot about people sitting this one out.

But I don't know how they do it and if people would still make the trip even after giving up on casting a vote for president. There's all sorts of other stuff to vote on. Like soda tax. They do it all at once, right? In the same place?