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I’m not sure whether you’re really making a blanket statement about what all observers had to say. But if you are, your recollection is incorrect. The issue of

I’m not sure whether you’re really making a blanket statement about what all observers had to say. But if you are, your recollection is incorrect. The issue of capital punishment aside, many voices chimed in to say (especially in the early going) that the United States would not hold these cards close to its chest for such a long time and that he should just go face justice in Sweden.

rootusrootus 7y ago
The terms "many observers" and "many voices" are weasel words, and also blanket statements. Your argument would be much better if you could be more specific about who you are referring to.
gamblor956 7y ago
Back then, I and a number of the other legal dudes on HN were saying that the US would definitely try to extradite Assange no matter how long he tried to stay in the embassy.[1] We all generally agreed he should face justice in Sweden (if he was innocent, as he claimed) because Sweden does not extradite for the crimes he is now charged with...but the UK does. While it's possible Sweden might have deported him to Australia after whatever happened in Sweden, that scenario was never brought up. [1] We're still trying to extradite Polanski, even though he's been a fugitive for decades. The US legal system has patience, largely because everything takes so long anyways.
- rmtech 7y ago
  So why didn't he go to Sweden? Even if guilty and they can prove it, a Swedish jail is probably nicer than a US one and I doubt he would go down for longer for the alleged crimes in Sweden than for those in the US. What was it - sex without a condom? Versus the espionage in the US?
  - sjwright 7y ago
    Because there is a history of Sweden quietly allowing the US to perform extraordinary rendition there.
  - myrryr 7y ago
    Because he thought they would hand him to the us.
    - rmtech 7y ago
      it's certainly possible. I guess we'll never know.
  - belorn 7y ago
    When people are out to get you and you see irregular behavior from people in the government, what is a rational behavior? The case had gone through not one but two prosecutor, both which dropped the case. Rumors of US influence and a third prosecutor picks up the case. Could be nothing of course and just part of normal operation by the legal system. Just because people were out to get him doesn't mean he should had reacted paranoid about it.

rootusrootus 7y ago

The terms "many observers" and "many voices" are weasel words, and also blanket statements. Your argument would be much better if you could be more specific about who you are referring to.

gamblor956 7y ago

Back then, I and a number of the other legal dudes on HN were saying that the US would definitely try to extradite Assange no matter how long he tried to stay in the embassy.[1] We all generally agreed he should face justice in Sweden (if he was innocent, as he claimed) because Sweden does not extradite for the crimes he is now charged with...but the UK does. While it's possible Sweden might have deported him to Australia after whatever happened in Sweden, that scenario was never brought up. [1] We're still trying to extradite Polanski, even though he's been a fugitive for decades. The US legal system has patience, largely because everything takes so long anyways.

rmtech 7y ago
So why didn't he go to Sweden? Even if guilty and they can prove it, a Swedish jail is probably nicer than a US one and I doubt he would go down for longer for the alleged crimes in Sweden than for those in the US. What was it - sex without a condom? Versus the espionage in the US?
- sjwright 7y ago
  Because there is a history of Sweden quietly allowing the US to perform extraordinary rendition there.
- myrryr 7y ago
  Because he thought they would hand him to the us.
  - rmtech 7y ago
    it's certainly possible. I guess we'll never know.
- belorn 7y ago
  When people are out to get you and you see irregular behavior from people in the government, what is a rational behavior? The case had gone through not one but two prosecutor, both which dropped the case. Rumors of US influence and a third prosecutor picks up the case. Could be nothing of course and just part of normal operation by the legal system. Just because people were out to get him doesn't mean he should had reacted paranoid about it.