Julian Assange requests asylum at Ecuador embassy - live coverage

[struggle4progress]

... There's been no evidence to support this theory, despite it being the basis of Assange's bid for asylum, but it would be a problematic one for the US: a backdoor extradition would bring a lot of disillusioned WikiLeaks supporters back into the fold, likely prompt a (grudging) defence of Assange from the New York Times and others, and give Obama serious first amendment and human rights challenges in an election year ...

The second option is greek tragedy: a world in which Assange has spent so long conflating allegations centred around his private life on a few days in Sweden with WikiLeaks' wider battles he's come to believe his own spin.

Instead of seeing a Swedish prosecution, Assange's belief it comes wider has led him to breach his bail, lose his supporters their bail money, and cause an diplomatic ruckus.

The third is soap opera: time and again during his Swedish sex case, Assange has escalated the situation – refusing to take an STD test, leading to the prosecution. Leaving the country and refusing to attend a face-to-face interview (offering only Skype or through the embassy), leading to extradition ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/jun/20/julian-assange-asylum-ecuador-embassy-live

[clang1]

1. Julian Assange requests asylum at Ecuador embassy - live coverage

Eight BIG PROBLEMS with the “case” against Assange (MUST-READ by Naomi Wolf)


http://markcrispinmiller.com/2011/02/eight-big-problems-with-the-case-against-assange-must-read-by-naomi-wolf/


7) A rape victim is never encouraged to make any kind of contact with her assailant and she may never use police to compel her alleged assailant to take medical tests.

The two women went to police to ask if they could get Assange to take an HIV test.

Sources close to the investigation confirm that indeed Assange was asked by police to take an HIV test, which came back negative. This is utterly unheard of and against standard sex crime policy. The Police do not act as medical mediators for STD testing, since rapists are dangerous and vindictive. A victim is NEVER advised to manage, even with police guidance, any further communication with her assailant that is not through formal judicial channels. Under ordinary procedures, the women’s wishes for the alleged assailant to take medical tests would be discouraged by rape victim advocates and deterred and disregarded by police.

First, the State normally has no power to compel a man who has not been convicted, let alone formally charged, to take any medical tests whatsoever. Secondly, rape victims usually fear STD’s or AIDS infection, naturally enough, and the normal police and prosecutorial guidance is for them to take their own battery of tests – you don’t need the man’s test results to know if you have contracted a disease. Normal rape kit processing–in Sweden as elsewhere–includes such tests for the alleged victim as a matter of course, partly to help prevent any contact between the victim and the assailant outside legal channels.

There is a familiar stench associated with the Assange case that isn't coming from him either.

[kenny blankenship]

2. This is worthy of its own thread