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This is a highly deceptive description of the UN human rights rapporteur's report. The report claimed nothing about the veracity of the allegations that led to

This is a highly deceptive description of the UN human rights rapporteur's report. The report claimed nothing about the veracity of the allegations that led to the Swedish investigation. Instead, it objected to the fact that Assange was detained without formal charges being made by the Swedish government. To complain that this report reveals the allegations as "complete fabrications" is in itself a complete fabrication, and you ruin your own credibility by saying it.

hedora 6y ago
The human rights rapporteur published an essay describing his experience investigating the allegations made by Assange’s lawyers. (I don’t have the link handy. It starts with a few paragraphs explaining that he did his best to avoid investigating the matter because it seemed like a politically wrought waste of time. Among other things, he concluded that the investigation conducted by the Swedish government violated many of their own standard procedures in unprecedented ways, and also, at no point did the “accuser” accuse Assange of a crime or attempt to press charges. Apparently, during consensual sex, a condom broke (I think there was slightly more to the story), and she wanted Assange to get an AIDS test. She asked the police if there was any way to compel him to get one. That somehow then escalated (against her wishes) to a rape charge and an extradition battle. So, “complete fabrication” is a slight exaggeration of the situation (the “accuser” exists, but didn’t accuse anyone of a crime). I think the facts more than support the statement that it was a “politically-motivated, fabricated accusation”.
- timmytokyo 6y ago
  There were two women who went to Swedish authorities and accused Assange of committing a crime: one who reported that Assange tore his condom intentionally before ejaculating, and a second who reported that she awoke to find Assange penetrating her without her consent. You left out the second woman. In fact it is this second woman whose lawyer requested in 2019 that the investigation by Swedish prosecutors be resumed [1]. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/may/13/sweden-reopens-case-against-julian-assange https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/may/13/sweden-reopens... So no, the allegations were not "revealed as complete fabrications" by the UN rapporteur's report, and it is more than a mere exaggeration to say they were.
wazoox 6y ago
I hadn't the right link at hand, but here we go: By Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, https://medium.com/@njmelzer/demasking-the-torture-of-julian-assange-b252ffdcb768 https://medium.com/@njmelzer/demasking-the-torture-of-julian... And an interview of the same Nils Melzer in a Swiss newspaper : https://www.republik.ch/2020/01/31/nils-melzer-about-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange https://www.republik.ch/2020/01/31/nils-melzer-about-wikilea... Quote: ...A made-up rape allegation and fabricated evidence in Sweden... "Complete fabrication" seems fair enough to me.
- timmytokyo 6y ago
  You wrote: "They [the rape allegations] were credible until they were revealed as complete fabrications by no other than the UN human rights reporter [Nils Melzer]." I had not read his blog post, so thank you for providing this. Unfortunately, his claims about Assange's accusers are so totally unsubstantiated that it's hard to believe they were written by a law professor. One of Assange's accusers didn't appreciate Melzer's attempts to tar her as a fabricator. According to Der Spiegel [1]: So he blames the victims, the woman writes; it was "a classic patriarchal technique to define the conditions for how 'a real rape victim' should behave". It also accuses the lawyer of personally slandering her and, in some cases, spreading the untruth about the investigation, such as Assange's willingness to testify about the incidents. This is "completely unacceptable, shocking and a reason to quit his job at the UN". Melzer, on being challenged by the victim, seems to have been less sure about his facts. In email correspondence with the victim, he writes, "My understanding of the situation may still be incomplete." He also writes: "I do not believe that your own information has been faked by the police." [1] https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/julian-assange-opfer-von-wikileaks-gruender-kritisiert-uno-folterexperten-nils-melzer-a-5d1882b7-945f-42fd-a7a0-ec3012dd886b https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/julian-assange-opfer-...

hedora 6y ago

The human rights rapporteur published an essay describing his experience investigating the allegations made by Assange’s lawyers. (I don’t have the link handy. It starts with a few paragraphs explaining that he did his best to avoid investigating the matter because it seemed like a politically wrought waste of time. Among other things, he concluded that the investigation conducted by the Swedish government violated many of their own standard procedures in unprecedented ways, and also, at no point did the “accuser” accuse Assange of a crime or attempt to press charges. Apparently, during consensual sex, a condom broke (I think there was slightly more to the story), and she wanted Assange to get an AIDS test. She asked the police if there was any way to compel him to get one. That somehow then escalated (against her wishes) to a rape charge and an extradition battle. So, “complete fabrication” is a slight exaggeration of the situation (the “accuser” exists, but didn’t accuse anyone of a crime). I think the facts more than support the statement that it was a “politically-motivated, fabricated accusation”.

timmytokyo 6y ago
There were two women who went to Swedish authorities and accused Assange of committing a crime: one who reported that Assange tore his condom intentionally before ejaculating, and a second who reported that she awoke to find Assange penetrating her without her consent. You left out the second woman. In fact it is this second woman whose lawyer requested in 2019 that the investigation by Swedish prosecutors be resumed [1]. [1] https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/may/13/sweden-reopens-case-against-julian-assange https://www.theguardian.com/media/2019/may/13/sweden-reopens... So no, the allegations were not "revealed as complete fabrications" by the UN rapporteur's report, and it is more than a mere exaggeration to say they were.

wazoox 6y ago

I hadn't the right link at hand, but here we go: By Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, https://medium.com/@njmelzer/demasking-the-torture-of-julian-assange-b252ffdcb768 https://medium.com/@njmelzer/demasking-the-torture-of-julian... And an interview of the same Nils Melzer in a Swiss newspaper : https://www.republik.ch/2020/01/31/nils-melzer-about-wikileaks-founder-julian-assange https://www.republik.ch/2020/01/31/nils-melzer-about-wikilea... Quote: ...A made-up rape allegation and fabricated evidence in Sweden... "Complete fabrication" seems fair enough to me.

timmytokyo 6y ago
You wrote: "They [the rape allegations] were credible until they were revealed as complete fabrications by no other than the UN human rights reporter [Nils Melzer]." I had not read his blog post, so thank you for providing this. Unfortunately, his claims about Assange's accusers are so totally unsubstantiated that it's hard to believe they were written by a law professor. One of Assange's accusers didn't appreciate Melzer's attempts to tar her as a fabricator. According to Der Spiegel [1]: So he blames the victims, the woman writes; it was "a classic patriarchal technique to define the conditions for how 'a real rape victim' should behave". It also accuses the lawyer of personally slandering her and, in some cases, spreading the untruth about the investigation, such as Assange's willingness to testify about the incidents. This is "completely unacceptable, shocking and a reason to quit his job at the UN". Melzer, on being challenged by the victim, seems to have been less sure about his facts. In email correspondence with the victim, he writes, "My understanding of the situation may still be incomplete." He also writes: "I do not believe that your own information has been faked by the police." [1] https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/julian-assange-opfer-von-wikileaks-gruender-kritisiert-uno-folterexperten-nils-melzer-a-5d1882b7-945f-42fd-a7a0-ec3012dd886b https://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/julian-assange-opfer-...