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I don't see what this will change. If this lady didn't really want to press charges, she's had a few years to publicly tell people that. Even if such a text ex

I don't see what this will change. If this lady didn't really want to press charges, she's had a few years to publicly tell people that. Even if such a text exists, it doesn't mean she couldn't change her mind. Or maybe she was lying in the text for some reason.

seren 12y ago
And there is still someone else pressing charge, isn't it ? I don't think the headline makes any sense.
- hga 12y ago
  Yes. It took some time to confirm this starting from the relevant Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assange_v_Swedish_Prosecution_Authority https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assange_v_Swedish_Prosecution_...), because the suspected offenses were changed/lowered (he's not been formally charged yet, in Swedish law arrest happens before that), but this http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKSC/2012/22.html http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKSC/2012/22.html U.K. Supreme Court decision a year and a half after that confirms it: "The offences of which he is accused and in respect of which his surrender is sought are alleged to have been committed in Stockholm against two women in August 2010."
rmc 12y ago
And does it matter if she didn't want him arrested? Sometimes you can't choose to not press charges. The USA changed their law about child abuse & choosing to press charges after Micheal Jackson paid off someone to withdraw charges. The article further states he's wanted for rape of 2 women. So if it's reduced to 1, he'd still be extradited.
- efdee 12y ago
  He's not "wanted for rape". They want to "ask him some questions".
  - mpyne 12y ago
    Which is a formal part of the Swedish legal process, unless you're trying to imply that English-style common law should be the one and only legal system practiced in any country?
    - rmc 12y ago
      English-style common law isn't even practiced in the whole of the UK! Scotland has a different system.
  - panarky 12y ago
    There are many ways to "ask him some questions" that don't involve traveling to Sweden in the custody of the police. Phone call, video conference, written correspondence, etc.
  - rmc 12y ago
    It's the UK equivalent of arrest.
Fuxy 12y ago
That is assuming that the rape actually happened however she being shocked of the arrest would imply a amicable relationship not a I don't want to press charges relationship. Not to put down rape or anything but any woman in your life could say you raped her and if she's a good enough actress you could go to prison without any proof. Or she could just get payed off to get him into the country for a different purpose which judging by the fact that he was granted asylum seems very likely to me.
- collyw 12y ago
  Having done jury service in the UK, we were instucted to base the decision on evidence. It was disturbing to see how many other members of the jury ignored that and went on "gut feeling".
- king_jester 12y ago
  > Not to put down rape or anything but any woman in your life could say you raped her and if she's a good enough actress you could go to prison without any proof. This is such a myth and I'm really tired of hearing it. The fact is the vast majority of sexual assault and rape prosecutions and charges do not end in any conviction. Also, rates of false accusations are far, far smaller than rates sexual assault and rape, so the reality is that it is rare when something like that happens. Most women you attempt to press for a sexual assault charge are often unable to get one on the very basis on which you seem to think they can magically send you to jail: people don't believe them, proof is often hard to come by due to the nature of sexual assault, and misogynistic cultural stereotypes are often held up as reasons why sexual assault couldn't have possibly happened.
  - mafribe 12y ago
    Exactly on what objective evidence do you base your claim that "rates of false accusations are far, far smaller than rates sexual assault and rape"? The subject of rape and/or sexual assault is highly controversial: to give you but one example, a lot of black men were lynched in the US because they allegedly raped white women. If you were to take your claims seriously, then you would have to agree with the Ku Klux Klan on this matter. Do you really want to do that?
XorNot 12y ago
The state in almost every country can, for certain crimes, independently press a case for the exact reason that witness intimidation is a very real problem (and has been in full force against the women involved in this case via the internet hate machine).
- LaGrange 12y ago
  And, in fact, rape is often one of those, exactly because there's a lot of pressure on victims to not press charges. We don't know the details, we don't know the actual texts, but "she did not want to press charges against him for rape" sounds so familiar it's enough to make one shudder inside. And it's very, very different from "she didn't consider it a rape". Which might be the actual content of the text itself, but we don't know that.

seren 12y ago

And there is still someone else pressing charge, isn't it ? I don't think the headline makes any sense.

hga 12y ago
Yes. It took some time to confirm this starting from the relevant Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assange_v_Swedish_Prosecution_Authority https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assange_v_Swedish_Prosecution_...), because the suspected offenses were changed/lowered (he's not been formally charged yet, in Swedish law arrest happens before that), but this http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKSC/2012/22.html http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKSC/2012/22.html U.K. Supreme Court decision a year and a half after that confirms it: "The offences of which he is accused and in respect of which his surrender is sought are alleged to have been committed in Stockholm against two women in August 2010."

rmc 12y ago

And does it matter if she didn't want him arrested? Sometimes you can't choose to not press charges. The USA changed their law about child abuse & choosing to press charges after Micheal Jackson paid off someone to withdraw charges. The article further states he's wanted for rape of 2 women. So if it's reduced to 1, he'd still be extradited.

efdee 12y ago
He's not "wanted for rape". They want to "ask him some questions".
- mpyne 12y ago
  Which is a formal part of the Swedish legal process, unless you're trying to imply that English-style common law should be the one and only legal system practiced in any country?
  - rmc 12y ago
    English-style common law isn't even practiced in the whole of the UK! Scotland has a different system.
- panarky 12y ago
  There are many ways to "ask him some questions" that don't involve traveling to Sweden in the custody of the police. Phone call, video conference, written correspondence, etc.
- rmc 12y ago
  It's the UK equivalent of arrest.

Fuxy 12y ago

That is assuming that the rape actually happened however she being shocked of the arrest would imply a amicable relationship not a I don't want to press charges relationship. Not to put down rape or anything but any woman in your life could say you raped her and if she's a good enough actress you could go to prison without any proof. Or she could just get payed off to get him into the country for a different purpose which judging by the fact that he was granted asylum seems very likely to me.

collyw 12y ago
Having done jury service in the UK, we were instucted to base the decision on evidence. It was disturbing to see how many other members of the jury ignored that and went on "gut feeling".
king_jester 12y ago
> Not to put down rape or anything but any woman in your life could say you raped her and if she's a good enough actress you could go to prison without any proof. This is such a myth and I'm really tired of hearing it. The fact is the vast majority of sexual assault and rape prosecutions and charges do not end in any conviction. Also, rates of false accusations are far, far smaller than rates sexual assault and rape, so the reality is that it is rare when something like that happens. Most women you attempt to press for a sexual assault charge are often unable to get one on the very basis on which you seem to think they can magically send you to jail: people don't believe them, proof is often hard to come by due to the nature of sexual assault, and misogynistic cultural stereotypes are often held up as reasons why sexual assault couldn't have possibly happened.
- mafribe 12y ago
  Exactly on what objective evidence do you base your claim that "rates of false accusations are far, far smaller than rates sexual assault and rape"? The subject of rape and/or sexual assault is highly controversial: to give you but one example, a lot of black men were lynched in the US because they allegedly raped white women. If you were to take your claims seriously, then you would have to agree with the Ku Klux Klan on this matter. Do you really want to do that?

XorNot 12y ago

The state in almost every country can, for certain crimes, independently press a case for the exact reason that witness intimidation is a very real problem (and has been in full force against the women involved in this case via the internet hate machine).

LaGrange 12y ago
And, in fact, rape is often one of those, exactly because there's a lot of pressure on victims to not press charges. We don't know the details, we don't know the actual texts, but "she did not want to press charges against him for rape" sounds so familiar it's enough to make one shudder inside. And it's very, very different from "she didn't consider it a rape". Which might be the actual content of the text itself, but we don't know that.