"The hiding-from-rape argument has been pretty much debunked by the 7 year timeframe. I don't know what Assange was up for in Sweden, but it beggars belief that

"The hiding-from-rape argument has been pretty much debunked by the 7 year timeframe. I don't know what Assange was up for in Sweden, but it beggars belief that he would get more than 7 years jail for a non-violent crime. A fine and community service, maybe. Most aspects of the case must be almost evidence-free and would be a struggle to prove if he says 'didn't happen that way'." Isn't rape usually considered a violent crime by default? Apparently rape is between 4 and 10 years in prison in Sweden so it could certainly have been more than 7 if the Swedes decided to throw the book at him. Having made them wait, they might have been more willing to do so. But think that even if it was certainly less than that Assange's actions don't disprove the accusation. The embassy was arguably more comfortable than prison and effectively allowed him to continue his political activity (despite the Ecuadorans request that he not do so,) and more importantly, there's a bit of a sunk cost impulse: he probably didn't enter the embassy with the expectation of staying for 7 years.