Julian Assange, free speech and rape (Worker's Liberty)
Submitted on 21 August, 2012 - 21:52
Author:
Mark Osborn
... Workers' Liberty considers Assange innocent of the rape charges until proven guilty. We do not know if he is guilty or not, and we know he denies the charges. But we certainly think he should go to Sweden and answer the allegations.
Secondly, whether he is guilty or not of publishing US secret documents, we are certainly against him spending time in jail for it. We do not regard the printing of such documents by WikiLeaks as a crime. (In power this is something a workers’ government would do, on a much grander scale, as a matter of course).
The problem now is that the way Assange and some of his supporters are presenting themselves minimises the importance of the sexual allegations against him, treating them as either minor details or as part of a conspiracy by the US to discredit Assange and/or make it easier for the US to extradite him. (Or, in the case of George Galloway, treating the alleged rapes as both minor matters and as part of a US conspiracy).
The Swedish state’s legal system is independent and does not simply deliver verdicts at the whim of Swedish politicians or, still less, Washington. Swedish law requires evidence showing “probable cause” for believing the crime was committed, before any extradition request can be made. In other words we have every reason to believe Assange has a serious case to answer ...
http://www.workersliberty.org/story/2012/08/21/julian-assange-free-speech-and-rape
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