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His confinement to the Embassy of Equador since 2010 amply qualify as both imprisonment and torture [0]. If you like to argue that it does not literally qualif

His confinement to the Embassy of Equador since 2010 amply qualify as both imprisonment and torture [0]. If you like to argue that it does not literally qualify then I suggest you don't in the interest of not wasting everybody's time. [0] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-48473898 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-48473898

allemagne 5y ago
Are we not ignoring the fact that any internet argument regarding Julian Assange where we can seemingly only deal in maximalist, black-and-white terms is also tantamount to torture?
Angostura 5y ago
I'll take that argument on - he was charged by the Swedish Prosecution Authority, extradition was agreed by the UK authorities and he sought sanctuary in the Ecudorian embassy which granted him sanctury. So which of these imprisoned him? Presumably not Ecuador. The UK for agreeing to extradict him? Sweden? Similarly - what who was the perpetrator of the torture? Ecuador for not offering sufficiently spacious accomodation in the embassy?
- throwawayay02 5y ago
  The US as I'm sure you are not that naive.
varjag 5y ago
By making these ridiculous comparisons you only erase experiences of real torture victims.
iso1210 5y ago
He literally chose to be there - skipping bail to do so. It's like saying that a criminal on the run hiding out in the woods is being tortured.
ChrisKnott 5y ago
Nils Melzer dismissed the fact that he was free to leave by making the analogy that someone in shark tank is "free to leave" their boat - but what is the analogy to being eaten by sharks here? Just the normal experience of being in prison in the UK? Is it the position of the UN that every person in prison in the UK is being "tortured"?
- patrec 5y ago
  > but what is the analogy to being eaten by sharks here? https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/sep/27/senior-cia-officials-trump-discussed-assassinating-julian-assange https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/sep/27/senior-cia-off...
  - ChrisKnott 5y ago
    But so far this has been shown to be nonsense, right? He's just being processed like a normal person awaiting extradition.
nobody9999 5y ago
>His confinement to the Embassy of Equador since 2010 Assange, as a bail jumper and fugitive, requested and received asylum from Ecuador. He could have, at any time, left the Ecuadorian embassy. In fact, had he done so, he'd likely have been investigated, prosecuted and potentially convicted of the charges against him. Had that come to pass, it's entirely likely that Assange would have completed any sentence of incarceration years ago and have been back to banging Swedish girls for quite a while. As we'll see, Assange might be convicted of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act[0] which, under these specific circumstances (n.b.: IANAL) would carry a sentence of not more than five years, with the opportunity to reduce that sentence[1] by more than six months, assuming he is not given parole. As to the completely bogus "charges" of violating the Espionage Act of 1917[2], no journalist has ever been convicted under that law. As such, had Assange not decided for himself to jump bail and become a fugitive, he would most likely have been a free man for at least several years right now. [0] https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1030 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1030 [1] https://www.carmichaellegal.com/federal-sentencing-reductions https://www.carmichaellegal.com/federal-sentencing-reduction... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espionage_Act_of_1917 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espionage_Act_of_1917 Edit: Fixed typo. I need to do better proofreading before I post. :(
- entropea 5y ago
  Except for the part where the CIA had plans to extrajudically assassinate him. >“That the CIA also conspired to seek the rendition and extrajudicial assassination of Julian Assange is a state-sponsored crime against the press,” she added. >In response, the CIA and the White House began preparing for a number of scenarios to foil Assange’s Russian departure plans, according to three former officials. Those included potential gun battles with Kremlin operatives on the streets of London, crashing a car into a Russian diplomatic vehicle transporting Assange and then grabbing him, and shooting out the tires of a Russian plane carrying Assange before it could take off for Moscow. (U.S. officials asked their British counterparts to do the shooting if gunfire was required, and the British agreed, according to a former senior administration official.) Saying he could've just come out at any time is absurd. https://news.yahoo.com/kidnapping-assassination-and-a-london-shoot-out-inside-the-ci-as-secret-war-plans-against-wiki-leaks-090057786.html https://news.yahoo.com/kidnapping-assassination-and-a-london...

allemagne 5y ago

Are we not ignoring the fact that any internet argument regarding Julian Assange where we can seemingly only deal in maximalist, black-and-white terms is also tantamount to torture?

Angostura 5y ago

I'll take that argument on - he was charged by the Swedish Prosecution Authority, extradition was agreed by the UK authorities and he sought sanctuary in the Ecudorian embassy which granted him sanctury. So which of these imprisoned him? Presumably not Ecuador. The UK for agreeing to extradict him? Sweden? Similarly - what who was the perpetrator of the torture? Ecuador for not offering sufficiently spacious accomodation in the embassy?

throwawayay02 5y ago
The US as I'm sure you are not that naive.

varjag 5y ago

By making these ridiculous comparisons you only erase experiences of real torture victims.

iso1210 5y ago

He literally chose to be there - skipping bail to do so. It's like saying that a criminal on the run hiding out in the woods is being tortured.

ChrisKnott 5y ago

Nils Melzer dismissed the fact that he was free to leave by making the analogy that someone in shark tank is "free to leave" their boat - but what is the analogy to being eaten by sharks here? Just the normal experience of being in prison in the UK? Is it the position of the UN that every person in prison in the UK is being "tortured"?

patrec 5y ago
> but what is the analogy to being eaten by sharks here? https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/sep/27/senior-cia-officials-trump-discussed-assassinating-julian-assange https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/sep/27/senior-cia-off...
- ChrisKnott 5y ago
  But so far this has been shown to be nonsense, right? He's just being processed like a normal person awaiting extradition.

nobody9999 5y ago

>His confinement to the Embassy of Equador since 2010 Assange, as a bail jumper and fugitive, requested and received asylum from Ecuador. He could have, at any time, left the Ecuadorian embassy. In fact, had he done so, he'd likely have been investigated, prosecuted and potentially convicted of the charges against him. Had that come to pass, it's entirely likely that Assange would have completed any sentence of incarceration years ago and have been back to banging Swedish girls for quite a while. As we'll see, Assange might be convicted of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act[0] which, under these specific circumstances (n.b.: IANAL) would carry a sentence of not more than five years, with the opportunity to reduce that sentence[1] by more than six months, assuming he is not given parole. As to the completely bogus "charges" of violating the Espionage Act of 1917[2], no journalist has ever been convicted under that law. As such, had Assange not decided for himself to jump bail and become a fugitive, he would most likely have been a free man for at least several years right now. [0] https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1030 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/1030 [1] https://www.carmichaellegal.com/federal-sentencing-reductions https://www.carmichaellegal.com/federal-sentencing-reduction... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espionage_Act_of_1917 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espionage_Act_of_1917 Edit: Fixed typo. I need to do better proofreading before I post. :(

entropea 5y ago
Except for the part where the CIA had plans to extrajudically assassinate him. >“That the CIA also conspired to seek the rendition and extrajudicial assassination of Julian Assange is a state-sponsored crime against the press,” she added. >In response, the CIA and the White House began preparing for a number of scenarios to foil Assange’s Russian departure plans, according to three former officials. Those included potential gun battles with Kremlin operatives on the streets of London, crashing a car into a Russian diplomatic vehicle transporting Assange and then grabbing him, and shooting out the tires of a Russian plane carrying Assange before it could take off for Moscow. (U.S. officials asked their British counterparts to do the shooting if gunfire was required, and the British agreed, according to a former senior administration official.) Saying he could've just come out at any time is absurd. https://news.yahoo.com/kidnapping-assassination-and-a-london-shoot-out-inside-the-ci-as-secret-war-plans-against-wiki-leaks-090057786.html https://news.yahoo.com/kidnapping-assassination-and-a-london...