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Wouldn't he have been safer in Sweden than in the UK? If I were to bet on who were more likely to suck up to the Americans of the two, my money would be on the
by Svip 7y ago
Wouldn't he have been safer in Sweden than in the UK? If I were to bet on who were more likely to suck up to the Americans of the two, my money would be on the Brits.
- ceejayoz 7y agoNeither one is a particularly safe space if you're worried about the US. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repatriation_of_Ahmed_Agiza_and_Muhammad_al-Zery https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repatriation_of_Ahmed_Agiza_an... > Ahmed Agiza and Muhammad Alzery were two Egyptian asylum-seekers who were deported to Egypt from Sweden on December 18, 2001, apparently following a request from the United States Central Intelligence Agency. The forced repatriation was criticized because of the danger of torture and ill treatment, and because the deportation decision was executed the same day without notifying the lawyers of the asylum seekers. The deportation was carried out by American and Egyptian personnel on Swedish ground, with Swedish servicemen apparently as passive onlookers.
- Svip 7y agoSwedish policy has changed since 2001. I wonder if there are any more recent examples. But that was on par for the course for Sweden. Back during the Cold War, Sweden sent a lot of Latvians and Lithuanians back on request by the USSR. Sweden was desperately defending its status as a neutral country, and did not want to appear to take any sides. But the previous Swedish government decided to recognise Palestine as a state, which strongly suggest they are done with that now. All that besides, the US did not request his extradition until Trump became President. So he could have gone to Sweden, done his interview in the case, probably been let off with a fine, and then go on his merry way.
- ceejayoz 7y ago> All that besides, the US did not request his extradition until Trump became President. So he could have gone to Sweden, done his interview in the case, probably been let off with a fine, and then go on his merry way. Assange had no way of knowing that. The Trump admin's extradition request was sealed (we only knew of its existence in advance because it accidentally leaked in another case's court filings). That said, fleeing to the UK is a bit of a "out of the frying pan, into the fire" situation.
- Svip 7y agoI was merely arguing that the recent turn of events has not proven, Assange's theory about the consequences of being extradited to Sweden, nor that it was the right thing to jump bail.
- lucideer 7y agoI'd say his thinking was that he was safer out of custody in the UK than in custody in Sweden.
- justinmchase 7y agoHe waited in Sweden for 5 weeks to be questioned and left after he was told that he was not wanted for questioning. After he left InterPol issued an alert which made him fear that it was about more than the Swedish charges and that he would be extradited to the US. Of course, he was not in custody in the UK and they had nothing to charge him with at first. Eventually he sough asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy because, of course, the would do to him exactly what they are doing now.