Assange - who are we trying to please?

[pdq1]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-19259623

Is it the US or Sweden?
if he does get extradited to Sweden its expected they will hand him over to the US with a possible death penalty being enforced.

Won't we then be accused of rendition?

[bazwillrun]

US.....as usual

We need to stop bowing and scraping at their feet and fulfilling every wish and command

[anotheoldgit]

/// "Today we received from the United Kingdom an express threat, in writing, that they might storm our embassy in London if we don't hand over Julian Assange," he said. ///

Storm the Ecuadorian embassy??????????????????

I wonder if they would have made this threat if Julian Assange had been holed-up in the Chinese or Russian embassy?

[NOX]

I hope Ecuador don't back down.

[bazwillrun]

Shame they dont show the same zeal when it comes to getting rid of some of the real filth we have in this country.

"I wonder if they would have made this threat if Julian Assange had been holed-up in the Chinese or Russian embassy? "

Or the US embassy !

[anotheoldgit]

bazwillrun

I was going to add the US embassy, but seeing that it is them who want him, I thought perhaps not.

[murraymints]

just been on news..Ecuador has granted him asylum !

[sandyRoe]

If they issued him with a diplomatic passport could he travel safely to the airport and then on to exile in South America?

[murraymints]

just been on news..no safe passage to exit the country will be tolerated and he will be nabbed as soon as he peeps round the door !!..unless he is smuggled out in a crate of course..and...anything is possible !

[sandyRoe]

Would the UK government go to such lengths if the Wikileaks business wasn't in the background?
Cameron really is acting like Obama's poodle

[AliceTickband]

I'm with Bazwillrun on this one.

I am heartily sick of hearing our PM (any and all) saying 'how high' when the US says 'jump'.....mind you, didn't Harold Wilson say no when asked by US to join them in Vietnam? or am I remembering wrong?

If I am remembering right could someone clone that bit of him and inject it into all politicians?

[Ellipsis]

I think we're going to see him living in that embassy for a long time.

He's wanted in Sweden on assault and rape charges. Who's the victim here? Is somebody (Ecuador?) seriously suggesting that Sweden has made those charges up so that they can grab him and extradite him to the US (who haven't even asked for his extradition)? Sweden??? Hello ...

In 2011, Sweden ranked fourth in the world in The Economist's Democracy Index (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index
).
The UK was 18th, the US 19th and Ecuador 89th.

[bazwillrun]

@Ellepsis

If i'm correct hes not actually been charged as such yet, they just want to question him in Sweden, which makes it even worse as far as I'm concerned

and as to the realities of it all I wouldnt hestitate to believe that the USA is leaning on the Swedes or anybody for that matter, UK for instance to arrest him.

why are we so "keen" to arrest him ? not like hes some wanted terrorist or accused of crimes against humanity is it

[jake-the-peg]

He's wanted for *questioning* about offences classified as rape in Sweden

The supposed victim threw a party for him the next day

[bazwillrun]

Do you seriously believe that the USA wont try and get him once hes in Sweden ?

The reason they havent asked for him is because they dont want to be seen as bully boys, they a far clever and more insidious than that

America gets what America wants....one way or another

[Ellipsis]

OK let me put it another way ...

If he wasn't involved with Wikileaks, would you have any objection in him being extradited to Sweden?

[jake-the-peg]

I think his involvement in Wikileaks and the suspicion that this is all a ruse by the Americans to sieze him legally is the prime plank in the argument not to extradite him.

There are a number of minor issues like whether the "offense" he is wanted for actually stands up - see the circumstantial evidence I allude to above- and why exactly the Swedish Police can't question him here.

But my knowledge of the legal system isn't quite strong enough to judge that

[bazwillrun]

yes

i'd rather we concentrated on getting terrorists and people that are a real danger to the UK out first.

Assange is no fool he knows and will have been "advised" of the consequences of going back to Sweden, and its not because of the "sex charges", he knows that the USA want him desperately, like Osama they probably wont let it lie !

[Ellipsis]

OK, so the concern is that the fourth most democratic country in the world will mess up and extradite him to the US ...

IMO, fine, but that would be Sweden's problem, not ours. Our responsibility is to extradite him to Sweden. It would be a different matter if they weren't the fourth most democratic country in the world, but (say) the 89th ...

[bazwillrun]

You cannot be serious can you, that list means nothing.

We cant get rid of qatada or whatever his name is because he may not get treated fairly in Jordan, yet you say its our duty to give Assange to Sweden who in turn will "allow" the USA to get him, the same USA that set up Guatanamo and keeps people without charge for years on end, and god only knows what other things they get up to ?

[bazwillrun]

Sorry did I forget to mention waterboarding ?!.....yeah that list is reliable, what are the criteria for the list , I take it waterboarding isnt included !

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterboarding