4 ms·

Far more important, however, in converting Assange from being portrayed as a heroic fighter against state secrecy into a figure beyond the pale, were the allega

Far more important, however, in converting Assange from being portrayed as a heroic fighter against state secrecy into a figure beyond the pale, were the allegations of rape made against him in Sweden in 2010. It's extraordinary the power of even absurd allegations as those to ruin a man's life.

himinlomax 6y ago
Rape allegations are the ideal way to slander any man. As they hinge on the alleged victim's consent, which resides entirely within their mind, they are near impossible to disprove when thrown by a determined, malicious opponent. Even when they are indeed disproved, they still leave a long lasting stain. Whether Assange committed a sexual crime or not, it is incontrovertible that accusing him of one was the most effective and least risky way to discrete him. It wouldn't even have required any lying accuser either; manipulating a pissed off lover into reframing their relationship with him as less consensual than it was at the time would be a rather simple exercise for a spymaster.
- HashingtheCode 6y ago
  Allegations are enough in this new left world order to destroy a man's life. Evidence and due process is irrelevant.
- sleepysysadmin 6y ago
  In 2018, Sweden made their rape laws significantly worse. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_in_Sweden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_in_Sweden No threats, coercion, or violence need to be involved. You must have explicit consent for every sexual encounter. Not just intercourse. So, if you do something sexual but you failed to get her to sign a contract. She later reports the sexual encounter as not having the signed contract. You are a rapist going to prison.
- torified 6y ago
  Some presidents seem to have done ok, even with some pretty damn horrible accusations (much much much worse than the ridiculous crime that Assange was accused of). Read it for yourself: https://www.ericschwartzman.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/child-abuse-assualt-battery-1.pdf https://www.ericschwartzman.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/c...
  - himinlomax 6y ago
    What is the argument here? That something that can have negative consequences not always does? That's a tautology.
slg 6y ago
What was absurd about those allegations?
- ictebres 6y ago
  A lot especially how the police went around to make those allegations. I recommend reading: 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...
  - slg 6y ago
    > the police went around to make those allegations I'm not sure I follow this. It seems like there were two complaints, one of them was clearly a complaint of rape (I'm not saying a rape definitively occurred, but the accusation was intentionally breaking a condom and not using protection against the wishes of a partner is considered rape in Sweden) and one was a potential claim of rape (it is unclear in the other complaint if the preference for protection was a retroactive regret or something established before sex). Anything that transpired after that, no matter how shady, is irrelevant to the initial allegations. There were obviously people who wanted to use those allegations to achieve some political end. However that doesn't invalidate the accusations which deserve to be evaluated on their own merits.
    - oh_sigh 6y ago
      What I want to know is how exactly could any of this be successfully prosecuted, save for explicit admission from the alleged perpetrator? Would a valid Assange defense be simply "She said to not wear a condom"?
      - slg 6y ago
        It is often incredibly difficult to prosecute sexual crimes like this that don't involve a violent struggle. There is almost never any evidence that can distinguish beyond a reasonable doubt non-consensual sex from consensual sex. It is almost always the word of one party against the word of another. However, like the previous examples of police impropriety, that has no bearing on the validity of the accusations. Victims should feel welcome to come forward with their experiences regardless of the likelihood of their accusations resulting in a conviction.
tasogare 6y ago
And interestingly enough, this is a method used by Russian services as well.

himinlomax 6y ago

Rape allegations are the ideal way to slander any man. As they hinge on the alleged victim's consent, which resides entirely within their mind, they are near impossible to disprove when thrown by a determined, malicious opponent. Even when they are indeed disproved, they still leave a long lasting stain. Whether Assange committed a sexual crime or not, it is incontrovertible that accusing him of one was the most effective and least risky way to discrete him. It wouldn't even have required any lying accuser either; manipulating a pissed off lover into reframing their relationship with him as less consensual than it was at the time would be a rather simple exercise for a spymaster.

HashingtheCode 6y ago
Allegations are enough in this new left world order to destroy a man's life. Evidence and due process is irrelevant.
sleepysysadmin 6y ago
In 2018, Sweden made their rape laws significantly worse. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_in_Sweden https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_in_Sweden No threats, coercion, or violence need to be involved. You must have explicit consent for every sexual encounter. Not just intercourse. So, if you do something sexual but you failed to get her to sign a contract. She later reports the sexual encounter as not having the signed contract. You are a rapist going to prison.
torified 6y ago
Some presidents seem to have done ok, even with some pretty damn horrible accusations (much much much worse than the ridiculous crime that Assange was accused of). Read it for yourself: https://www.ericschwartzman.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/child-abuse-assualt-battery-1.pdf https://www.ericschwartzman.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/c...
- himinlomax 6y ago
  What is the argument here? That something that can have negative consequences not always does? That's a tautology.

slg 6y ago

What was absurd about those allegations?

ictebres 6y ago
A lot especially how the police went around to make those allegations. I recommend reading: 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...
- slg 6y ago
  > the police went around to make those allegations I'm not sure I follow this. It seems like there were two complaints, one of them was clearly a complaint of rape (I'm not saying a rape definitively occurred, but the accusation was intentionally breaking a condom and not using protection against the wishes of a partner is considered rape in Sweden) and one was a potential claim of rape (it is unclear in the other complaint if the preference for protection was a retroactive regret or something established before sex). Anything that transpired after that, no matter how shady, is irrelevant to the initial allegations. There were obviously people who wanted to use those allegations to achieve some political end. However that doesn't invalidate the accusations which deserve to be evaluated on their own merits.
  - oh_sigh 6y ago
    What I want to know is how exactly could any of this be successfully prosecuted, save for explicit admission from the alleged perpetrator? Would a valid Assange defense be simply "She said to not wear a condom"?
    - slg 6y ago
      It is often incredibly difficult to prosecute sexual crimes like this that don't involve a violent struggle. There is almost never any evidence that can distinguish beyond a reasonable doubt non-consensual sex from consensual sex. It is almost always the word of one party against the word of another. However, like the previous examples of police impropriety, that has no bearing on the validity of the accusations. Victims should feel welcome to come forward with their experiences regardless of the likelihood of their accusations resulting in a conviction.

tasogare 6y ago

And interestingly enough, this is a method used by Russian services as well.