6 ms·

It doesn't say where he is going to go. It seems to be a plea for support rather than a bone fide plan. Can't imagine being constrained to the same place for 2

by vjvj 12y ago

It doesn't say where he is going to go. It seems to be a plea for support rather than a bone fide plan. Can't imagine being constrained to the same place for 2 years, horrible stuff.

jacquesm 12y ago
He's most likely going to Sweden. Assange won't have much say in where he's going to but the British authorities do.
presty 12y ago
the better question is: how is he going to leave? iirc uk police were waiting outside for him to leave. he'll get detained once he sets foot outside of the embassy.
- glfharris 12y ago
  The UK government is trying to get him to Sweden.
- bebna 12y ago
  Just some fiction: In the two years Assange was imprisoned in a Embassy, he lifted 5 times a week. He also changed his wardrobe to black suits and black shades. His hair also changed: It was now completely missing, Julian now wore a bald head. Today was the day. He had to leave the Embassy and step out to Great Britain's soil. These Brits where always waiting for him outside, always eager to attain him. But lucky for Assange, nobody expected him to be a personal body guard of a leaving diplomat. He just walked outside with the other guards and nobody checked his papers. No Officer recognized him or expected a nerd with muscles. After some meters, he split up from the group and vanished in the streets of London. Rumors say, even today he is roaming the streets, assassinating US spies and lobbyists.
  - presty 12y ago
    MI5 probably has access to the embassy's CCTV feed and has been monitoring him ;) I prefer the version where Anonymous sends 1000 Julian Assange lookalikes to flood the embassy's entrance and that allows for Julian to escape through the sewer
    - andregoiano 12y ago
      Thomas Crown style?
  - dan_bk 12y ago
    The UK spends $12 million [0] of tax payer money just to monitor this 1 person. I do think that's stupid, but they are probably not stupid enough to let him slip through, after all this. [0] http://rt.com/news/178276-assange-police-cost-embassy/ http://rt.com/news/178276-assange-police-cost-embassy/
    - presty 12y ago
      I wonder if US is footing the bill
Lazare 12y ago
> Can't imagine being constrained to the same place for 2 years, horrible stuff. Yep. A lot like prison, in fact. Which raises an interesting question: As this drags on, at some point wouldn't it have been easier for him to cooperate, go to Sweden, and take his lumps? He could just about be out on parole by now; instead he still has it hanging over his head. The whole thing seems very short sighted; the UK and Sweden aren't going to just get bored. Is he hoping to drag things out until he dies, or what?
- jacquesm 12y ago
  It wasn't going to Sweden and taking his 'lumps' that Assange was afraid of, it was being extradited to the US under a to-be-unveiled charge sprung after being moved to Sweden. Assange (rightly or wrongly) believed strongly that the chances of Sweden doing such an extradition were more likely than the UK doing something similar. There is a lot of stuff about the rape charges that is fairly suspicious, I'm not sure if the risk of extradition today is as large as it was back when this all went down and maybe that figures into Assange's decision to exit the embassy now. If he goes to Sweden (which I would consider highly likely if he in fact does exit the embassy and gets apprehended by the UK authorities) I suspect the chances of him doing any significant jail time as a result of the case there are slim, so then the only thing that he should still be worried about is eventual extradition to the US on charges still to be brought, but the spotlight will be very much on Sweden pulling any fast ones in the extradition process there. Time will tell.
  - Lazare 12y ago
    > it was being extradited to the US under a to-be-unveiled charge sprung after being moved to Sweden. That's entirely impossible under EU law. If extradited to UK to Sweden, he can ONLY be extradited from Sweden with the consent of the UK. Scenario A: The UK would agree (in which case, he didn't need to be extradited to Sweden, as he was already in UK custody). Scenario B: The UK would not agree (in which case, he cannot be extradited from Sweden). Nobody has ever been able to outline any way in which being extradited to Sweden could have increased his risk of being extradited to the US. If the US even wanted him; the UK is well known for rolling over to US extradition requests, and he was in UK custody for an extended period of time. The obvious conclusion is that the US is not especially eager to get their hands on him, since they didn't actually try. "Any extradition from Sweden to the United States would actually be more difficult. [...] there is no evidence whatsoever that the United Kingdom would not swiftly comply with any extradition request from the United States [...] the best opportunity for the United States for Assange to be extradited is whilst he is in the United Kingdom." Source: http://www.newstatesman.com/david-allen-green/2012/08/legal-myths-about-assange-extradition http://www.newstatesman.com/david-allen-green/2012/08/legal-...
muyuu 12y ago
He's been able to work in Wikileaks these 2 years, but effectively he's been imprisoned for 2 years and it didn't even compute as serving a prison sentence.

by vjvj 12y ago

It doesn't say where he is going to go. It seems to be a plea for support rather than a bone fide plan. Can't imagine being constrained to the same place for 2 years, horrible stuff.

jacquesm 12y ago

He's most likely going to Sweden. Assange won't have much say in where he's going to but the British authorities do.

presty 12y ago

the better question is: how is he going to leave? iirc uk police were waiting outside for him to leave. he'll get detained once he sets foot outside of the embassy.

glfharris 12y ago
The UK government is trying to get him to Sweden.
bebna 12y ago
Just some fiction: In the two years Assange was imprisoned in a Embassy, he lifted 5 times a week. He also changed his wardrobe to black suits and black shades. His hair also changed: It was now completely missing, Julian now wore a bald head. Today was the day. He had to leave the Embassy and step out to Great Britain's soil. These Brits where always waiting for him outside, always eager to attain him. But lucky for Assange, nobody expected him to be a personal body guard of a leaving diplomat. He just walked outside with the other guards and nobody checked his papers. No Officer recognized him or expected a nerd with muscles. After some meters, he split up from the group and vanished in the streets of London. Rumors say, even today he is roaming the streets, assassinating US spies and lobbyists.
- presty 12y ago
  MI5 probably has access to the embassy's CCTV feed and has been monitoring him ;) I prefer the version where Anonymous sends 1000 Julian Assange lookalikes to flood the embassy's entrance and that allows for Julian to escape through the sewer
  - andregoiano 12y ago
    Thomas Crown style?
- dan_bk 12y ago
  The UK spends $12 million [0] of tax payer money just to monitor this 1 person. I do think that's stupid, but they are probably not stupid enough to let him slip through, after all this. [0] http://rt.com/news/178276-assange-police-cost-embassy/ http://rt.com/news/178276-assange-police-cost-embassy/
  - presty 12y ago
    I wonder if US is footing the bill

Lazare 12y ago

> Can't imagine being constrained to the same place for 2 years, horrible stuff. Yep. A lot like prison, in fact. Which raises an interesting question: As this drags on, at some point wouldn't it have been easier for him to cooperate, go to Sweden, and take his lumps? He could just about be out on parole by now; instead he still has it hanging over his head. The whole thing seems very short sighted; the UK and Sweden aren't going to just get bored. Is he hoping to drag things out until he dies, or what?

jacquesm 12y ago
It wasn't going to Sweden and taking his 'lumps' that Assange was afraid of, it was being extradited to the US under a to-be-unveiled charge sprung after being moved to Sweden. Assange (rightly or wrongly) believed strongly that the chances of Sweden doing such an extradition were more likely than the UK doing something similar. There is a lot of stuff about the rape charges that is fairly suspicious, I'm not sure if the risk of extradition today is as large as it was back when this all went down and maybe that figures into Assange's decision to exit the embassy now. If he goes to Sweden (which I would consider highly likely if he in fact does exit the embassy and gets apprehended by the UK authorities) I suspect the chances of him doing any significant jail time as a result of the case there are slim, so then the only thing that he should still be worried about is eventual extradition to the US on charges still to be brought, but the spotlight will be very much on Sweden pulling any fast ones in the extradition process there. Time will tell.
- Lazare 12y ago
  > it was being extradited to the US under a to-be-unveiled charge sprung after being moved to Sweden. That's entirely impossible under EU law. If extradited to UK to Sweden, he can ONLY be extradited from Sweden with the consent of the UK. Scenario A: The UK would agree (in which case, he didn't need to be extradited to Sweden, as he was already in UK custody). Scenario B: The UK would not agree (in which case, he cannot be extradited from Sweden). Nobody has ever been able to outline any way in which being extradited to Sweden could have increased his risk of being extradited to the US. If the US even wanted him; the UK is well known for rolling over to US extradition requests, and he was in UK custody for an extended period of time. The obvious conclusion is that the US is not especially eager to get their hands on him, since they didn't actually try. "Any extradition from Sweden to the United States would actually be more difficult. [...] there is no evidence whatsoever that the United Kingdom would not swiftly comply with any extradition request from the United States [...] the best opportunity for the United States for Assange to be extradited is whilst he is in the United Kingdom." Source: http://www.newstatesman.com/david-allen-green/2012/08/legal-myths-about-assange-extradition http://www.newstatesman.com/david-allen-green/2012/08/legal-...

muyuu 12y ago

He's been able to work in Wikileaks these 2 years, but effectively he's been imprisoned for 2 years and it didn't even compute as serving a prison sentence.