Um, I Think It's Time for a Thread on WikiLeaks

resisting temptation to rename myself "Joe Lieberman emulates Chinese dictators, VT100"

I'm very impressed by the quality of diplomatic prose.

as ever, it's good for giving the veneer of civilization to bloodbaths.

morbius, surveying human history, what strikes you as an admirable civilization?

Iceland?

Well they don't use GM ingredients so

anything w/ a non-dogmatic, humane socialism and lack of militarism seems fine to me.

(I can imagine exactly how you're gonna twist that, nrq, don't disappoint me)

that's all very well but there aren't many examples

was tito humane?

John Lewis Partnership?

he sold his shares ages ago, and in any case waitrose no longer run slave labour coffee fields

nakh, no kiddin'

israel in the 1950s?

Sweden is badass

John Bolton admits that those who work in government are not bound by the Constitution:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNKRQN0owz0

admits?

bollton is such a cunt

I can't follow anymore - what IS Assange accused of, in Sweden? It's not rape, apparently? Raping someone without a condom?

'sex by surprise' apparently.

Stephens, told AOL News today that Swedish prosecutors told him that Assange is wanted not for allegations of rape, as previously reported, but for something called "sex by surprise," which he said involves a fine of 5,000 kronor or about $715.

***

"We don't even know what 'sex by surprise' even means, and they haven't told us," Stephens said, just hours after Sweden's Supreme Court rejected Assange's bid to prevent an arrest order from being issued against him on allegations of sex crimes.

"Whatever 'sex by surprise' is, it's only a offense in Sweden -- not in the U.K. or the U.S. or even Ibiza," Stephens said. "I feel as if I'm in a surreal Swedish movie being threatened by bizarre trolls. The prosecutor has not asked to see Julian, never asked to interview him, and he hasn't been charged with anything. He's been told he's wanted for questioning, but he doesn't know the nature of the allegations against him."

The strange tale of Assange's brief flings with two Swedish women during a three-day period in mid-August -- and decisions by three different prosecutors to first dismiss rape allegations made by the women and then re-open the case -- has more twists, turns and conspiracy theories than any of [Swedish novelist] Stieg Larsson's best-sellers.

Tuesday, international police agency Interpol said it had issued a "red notice" which allows arrest warrants issued by national police authorities to be circulated to other countries to facilitate arrests and help possible extradition.

"There is no arrest warrant against him. There was an Interpol red notice, which is not a warrant, alerting authorities to monitor his movements," Stephens told Reuters.

***

"We are in this position where we have never been told what the allegations are against him, we do know that he hasn't been charged, we do know that he has only been asked for as a witness," he said.

"We know that ... the offence is one of 'sex by surprise', which is not an offence known in England. He has not been given the evidence against him."

Stephens said Assange was willing to meet Swedish prosecutors but they did not want to meet him.
"We are in a very, very surreal situation at the moment it's like a Swedish fairytale."

"Whatever 'sex by surprise' is, it's only a offense in Sweden -- not in the U.K. or the U.S. or even Ibiza," Stephens said. "I feel as if I'm in a surreal Swedish movie being threatened by bizarre trolls.

you, the surprised

surprises from the second floor

that is the best name for a crime I have ever read

"You are wanted... for SEX BY SURPRISE"

I smell a hit single

surprises from a marriage

fanny and alexander and SURPRISE!! JULIAN ASSANGE

sounds like a My Life With Thrill Kill Kult song.

this is all getting a bit unperson

i'm sure some swedish lawyers can let assange's lawyer know what it's all about

Sex and Whispers

swedish newspapers report it as rape, plus some other minor charges. i have no idea what 'sex by surprise' is referring to, this whole thing is so embarrassing.

doubt they'd get an interpol warrant if it was something that couldn't get a custodial sentence

but it's not a warrant

they're tryna get a proper warrant aren't they?

http://images.encyclopediadramatica.com/images/a/aa/Preved-medved.jpg

http://www.interpol.int/Public/ICPO/PressReleases/PR2010/PR101.asp

he's sposed to be in the uk

chances of uk not extraditing someone hated by usa = pretty low

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6AP06Z20101203

i mean even if you think the dude is a scumbag, all of this seems pretty fishy to me.

definitely

there is supposedly a proper arrest warrant out by now http://www.thelocal.se/30606/20101203/

xp pretty fishy to say the least

not to demean the severity of the charges but the timing is just too suspicious

i mean this is exactly the sort of think i'd ~arrange~ if i was in the cia

no obvious connections to his 'work', but at worst ends up making him seem like a 'rapey kinda bro'

kind of amazing to see an actual int'l witchhunt unfold in real time, tho.

i have no doubt that he's engaged in "sexual misconduct" of SOME kind, ranging anywhere from "being a jerk" to actual rape, but to involve interpol AT ALL is sorta next level. is there anyone, anywhere, that thinks this is in any way business as usual?? crazy.

xp exactly

there are literally millions of wanted rapists skipping around the globe who do not have interpol red flags on em.

tmi dude

personally i still think that the (general) principles behind what wikileaks does are far more important than what the leaks have contained

It's that, plus the focus on Assange as figurehead, that undermines what's actually coming out in the leaks. The cables have hardly been earth-shattering, but with careful handling there are some really big stories in there, especially (for me) about how craven the UK has been -- and how heavy-handed the US has been with it. They all get lost in the noise about the process, though, which makes me start to wonder whether they actually do care about changing the behaviour of "those who use secrecy to commit unjust acts" or just like to break stuff because publication itself is the highest good. (A stance Cryptome has always taken all the way).

Can't wait for the redefinition of global history, though.

http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/12/02/when-it-comes-to-assange-r-pe-case-the-swedes-are-making-it-up-as-they-go-along/

this is written by Assange's former lawyer. Its very very disturbing. Surely the CIA or someone are behind this shitsmear campaign.

what's interesting to me is that cryptome has been doing exactly what wikileaks has been doing but for 15 years and no one's ever given a shit.

they are not headed by a Bond villain with delusions of GLOBAL HISTORY-CHANGNING grandeur