Julian Assange Calls on U.S. to 'End Its Witch Hunt' Against WikiLeaks Organization

[Hissyspit]

Last edited Mon Aug 20, 2012, 02:20 AM - Edit history (2)

Source: Associated Press

@AP BREAKING: Julian Assange calls on United States to 'end its witch hunt' against WikiLeaks organization.

19 August 2012 Last updated at 09:42 ET

Julian Assange makes statement from embassy balcony

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has made his first public statement since entering the Ecuadorean embassy in London in June to seek asylum.

He called on US President Barack Obama to "do the right thing" and for his government to "renounce its witch hunt against Wikileaks."

Mr Assange spoke from a balcony at the embassy and thanked Ecuador's president, who has granted him asylum.

- snip -

Mr Assange said: "As Wikileaks stands under threat, so does the freedom of expression and the health of all our societies. We must use this moment to articulate the choice that is before the government of the United States of America. Will it return to and re-affirm the revolutionary values it was founded on? Or will it lurch off the precipice, dragging us all into a dangerous and oppressive world in which journalists fall silent under the fear of prosecution and citizens must whisper in the dark."

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19310335#TWEET200143

---

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/W/WIKILEAKS_ASSANGE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-08-19-09-41-35

Aug 19, 9:41 AM EDT

ASSANGE MAKES 1ST PUBLIC APPEARANCE IN 2 MONTHS
BY DAVID STRINGER
ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON (AP) -- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has called on President Barack Obama to end a "witch hunt" against his secret-spilling website, after appearing in public for the first time since he took refuge inside Ecuador's embassy in London two months ago.

The 41-year-old Australian was on Thursday granted asylum by Ecuador as he seeks to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over sexual misconduct allegations.

"I ask President Obama to do the right thing, the United States must renounce its witch hunt against WikiLeaks," Assange said Sunday, speaking from a small balcony.

He also called on the U.S. to release Pfc. Bradley Manning, the U.S. soldier who has been charged with aiding the enemy by passing the secret files to WikiLeaks and is awaiting trial.Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/19/julian-assange-us-wikileaks_n_1806482.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003

Julian Assange: U.S. Must End 'Witch Hunt' Against Wikileaks

The Huffington Post | By Alana Horowitz
Posted: 08/19/2012 9:31 am Updated: 08/19/2012 9:54 am

- snip -

Assange said the U.S. is it at a crossroads.

"Will it return to and re-affirm the revolutionary values it was founded on? Or will it lurch off the precipice, dragging us all into a dangerous and oppressive world in which journalists fall silent under the fear of prosecution and citizens must whisper in the dark."

He also addressed the recent incarceration of Russian punk rock group Pussy Riot.

"There is unity in the oppression, there must be absolute unity and determination in the response," he said.

Full comments: https://twitter.com/RTLondonBureau/status/237180703266205697/photo/1/large

https://twitter.com/RTLondonBureau/status/237180872229543936/photo/1/large

"The FBI must dissolve its investigation. The United States must vow that it will not prosecute our staff or its supporters. The United States must pledge before the world that it will not pursue journalists for shining a light on the secret crimes of the powerful."

[xchrom]

1. du rec. Nt

[Robb]

2. ...

[Dragonfli]

3. You and Kenneth Starr should get right on that. Stat! /nt

[Hissyspit]

4. Actually what I noticed is that Assange called for protecting others

and didn't mention himself.

And also didn't make any failed attempts at humor.

[riderinthestorm]

11. I noticed that as well. K&R nt

[RZM]

5. Doesn't he know anything about appearing on a balcony?

Where was the dangling infant?

[Robb]

6. "Ee's not the messiah! Ee's a very naughty boy!!"

[dipsydoodle]

7. This is Julian

not Brian.

[randome]

8. "That's it for this month!"

"Join me again next month when my featured guests will be Pussy Riot!"

[The Doctor.]

14. It's funny....

When the haters systematically lose ground against the steadily revealed proof of both Assange's persecution and contributions and all they are left with is flaccid, anemic derision.

It's actually kind of sad to watch, but there is amusement as well.

[sabrina 1]

36. I feel sad for them. I also wonder about them. When Wikileaks first appeared on

the scene, it was like a dream come true for Democrats. After years of our compliant media refusing to tell the truth, which they knew, about the Bush criminals, it was hard to have to admit they would get away with it all because our media was part of the game.

I remember when people first read about the idea of Wikileaks and we were all thrilled hoping that maybe someone would use their services to expose the lies finally, that it was an organization they could not control. But the irony is, people thought that maybe Wikileaks was pro-Bush/America because they had not published any exposures on the US. Someone asked Assange that question and his response was 'we haven't received anything from America, if we do we will publish it'.

Now they've done that, done what everyone was hoping for, exposed the war crimes and torture, the absolute scam those wars were. And what happened? Some lefties are attacking the messenger. I don't get it. The outrage should be that not a thing has been done about the crimes that were exposed. Or any of the other revelations, such as our support for Dictators, and so much more.

Makes me wonder why anyone would want to protect the Bush gang and go after the messenger. Most of what was revealed so far, was about the Bush years, so why is the Left not united in demanding that those crimes, actual real rape and torture and murder, finally be investigated??? Is it a ploy to distract from the crimes that were revealed?

[Dragonfli]

37. You already know the answer to your last question Sabrina.

"why anyone would want to protect the Bush gang and go after the messenger. Most of what was revealed so far, was about the Bush years, so why is the Left not united in demanding that those crimes, actual real rape and torture and murder, finally be investigated??? Is it a ploy to distract from the crimes that were revealed"?

It is because the current Administration refuses to demand "that those crimes, actual real rape and torture and murder, finally be investigated" and for some reason, they feel that supporting Democratic ideals from within the Democratic party means ignoring what is right and what is wrong and simply defending what the captain of our "football team" calls right , or calls wrong, even when it ignores, and thereby condones, "actual real rape and torture and murder".

That is the sad and simple truth that you already know.

[Fuddnik]

9. Kick and Rec.

Viva Assange!

[qb]

10. K&R Well-spoken

[struggle4progress]

12. ... The WikiLeaks founder did not refer in his statement to the Swedish allegations against him ...

August 19, 2012 9:39 AM
Assange to Obama: Stop WikiLeaks "witch hunt"
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57496016/wikileaks-assange-makes-first-appearace-in-asylum/

Last I looked, he had holed up in the embassy to escape extradition to Sweden where he stands accused of certain sexual crimes including rape

[progressoid]

13. Sure, because this is all about "certain sexual crimes"....

NOT.

He said that Ecuador had come to its decision after failing to obtain assurances from Sweden that it would not extradite Assange to the U.S.

“Ecuador requested some guarantees from Sweden that he wouldn’t be extradited to the U.S., and they rejected any commitment in this sense,” Patino said.

On Saturday, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that it had obtained heavily redacted diplomatic cables showing that the Australian embassy in Washington was aware of an ongoing criminal investigation against Assange and that the Australian government considered the prospect of Assange’s extradition to the U.S. from Sweden sufficiently likely that its diplomats sought answers from the U.S. on “the direction and likely outcome of the investigation.” Diplomats also requested “early advice of any decision to indict or seek extradition of Mr Assange” so that Australian authorities could prepare their response to it.

The cables indicated that the U.S. could bring possible charges against him for espionage, conspiracy, unlawful access to classified information and computer fraud...

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/08/assange-speech-at-embassy/

[The Doctor.]

15. Allow me to repeat what has been said in case it didn't get through the first time:

The reason he didn't mention being 'accused of certain sexual crimes including rape' is because that is not what he is 'hiding' from.

In the avalanche of evidence and outright proof that the rape accusations are not the reason Sweden wants him, you might have missed the evidence and outright proof that the rape accusations are not the reason Sweden wants him.

It requires either profound stupidity or willful ignorance to continue to think that rape has anything to do with this. But I'll give you the BotD and assume you're just having us on and are actually aware that the US cabled Sweden about getting a hold of him, that the Swedes refuse to promise NOT to extradite him to the US, and that the Swedes have also turned down invitations to interview him at the embassy (That's all the Swedes say they want and he has not been charged with anything).

Just knowing that alone would reveal, to a thinking person, that the rape allegations are not at the center of what is going on here.

Add that the Brits are willing to cause an international incident over very dubious allegations of what would amount to a lesser crime than rape (if true), and yes... you'd have to be a moron not to realize that this is entirely without precedent.

So, since you are not a moron, and now that there is no question you have enough of the facts at your disposal to realize that this whole thing is about the US getting a hold of Assange on the pretense of Sweden's rape allegations, I'm sure you can stop trying to pull one over on us by pretending you're either ignorant or stupid. Because we all know that you are not.

It was a nice try anyway! Cheers!

[struggle4progress]

16. Oh, yah? Then why doesn't he just head right over to Sweden and clear his name?

[Hissyspit]

18. ???

[struggle4progress]

19. If he's not hiding from the sexual allegations, why doesn't he go clear things up?

It doesn't seem to be a terribly tricky dichotomy:

either he's willing to go clear up the sexual allegations or he's not; if he's willing to go clear them up, then he goes to clear them up; if he won't go clear them up, then he's obviously not willing to go clear them up

[Matilda]

21. We could also ask, if the Swedes want to talk to him about sexual abuse,

why don't they take up the Ecuadorian offer of a meeting in the Embassy? They could achieve all they want by doing that.

But they want him in Sweden, and they're not prepared to issue a statement that Assange won't be extradited from there to the U.S.

Doesn't take much to figure out what's going on. I wouldn't trust them either.

[struggle4progress]

23. No, he's wanted for a criminal process in Sweden, roughly comparable to the early stages

of a prosecution in the UK, as the UK courts have found

The Ecuadorians ought not shelter a fugitive from UK justice in their embassy and then ask why the UK didn't just come arraign the fugitive at the embassy, nor can they suggest that the Swedish process should begin inside Quito's London embassy

[Matilda]

24. And it should be simple for the Swedes to promise that he won't be extradited to the U.S.

But apparently not.

Why is that?

[struggle4progress]

27. Assange if concerned about this possibility could have argued it during his contest of the warrant

The only testimony on the topic, during the court case, came from one of Assange's own witnesses, who said extradition of Assange from Sweden to the US was impossible

Under UK law, Assange, not having argued the matter timely, forfeits that point

Sweden subsequently won the case. Assange then jumped bail and is a fugitive from justice. From PoV of both the UK and Sweden, Assange has had his opportunities to discuss the matter and the matter is now settled at law. Neither the UK nor Sweden will think a fugitive from justice has any right, having lost at every level, can demand concessions from the lawful authorities

[Matilda]

30. The U.K. court case was carried out to determine the legality

of the Swedish extradition request. Assange's lawyers could argue only on the legalities of the
Swedish prosecutor's request, not on future possibilities.

But his lawyers always said that extradition to the U.S. was what he feared.

[struggle4progress]

32. You should actually read the documents before pretending to know what's in them

[The Doctor.]

20. Wow. Really?

Ahhh! You almost had me there!

For a moment I thought you were really, actually either stupid or ignorant. I get it, I get it.

You're doing an excellent parody of a really stupid person! No one, after being handed all of that information, is so steadfastly ignorant that they wouldn't know the answer to that question.

Wow... you really had me going for a moment. For a few seconds there, I really believed you were completely fucking stupid.

But we both know that the reason he can't go to Sweden is because after they pretend to interview him about the rape allegations, he'll be on an unchartered, unnamed flight to a US detention facility where he faces certain torture.

[struggle4progress]

22. How do we know these things you claim? Do we know because the psychic ability to foretell

the future runs in our family, and everybody in the family has it, except the redheads like Aunt Zelda? Or do we know because we can always hear the packages in the fruits and nuts aisle at the grocery store warning us, provided we don't take those little blue pills that the head-shrinker is always trying to foist on us?

How do we know these things?

[Matilda]

25. We know these things because we can read, listen, and think.

Some of us anyway.

[struggle4progress]

28. Practice makes perfect

[The Doctor.]

38. You have several threads to practice with.

You're pretty far behind at the moment, so you'd better get started.

[Dragonfli]

34. You are correct, it is indeed an excellent parody, I think I now know the username of Stephen Colber

Or perhaps the onion, maybe some new talent even, in any event I have to admit it is a brilliant performance and should be acted out on some show that appears on the comedy channel!

Pure gold.
Incredible talent, I salute the author of the parody!!! Well Done!!!!

[sabrina 1]

39. Very well said. I think any doubt that this was about sex allegations was

wiped completely away even for many who weren't sure before, when the world saw the Brits ready to raid an Embassy just to get their hands on him.

No doubt anymore about why had to seek asylum.

[ChazII]

17. K&R n/t

[orpupilofnature57]

26. I Believe he's crying to the right choir.

President Obama has detained three times more informers than all the other presidents combined.

[struggle4progress]

29. As Benjamin Franklin once said: "90% of the statistics on the internet are fabricated"

[hack89]

31. Wasn't that Abe Lincoln? nt

[struggle4progress]

33. *sigh* No. Lincoln wasn't computer literate

[Dragonfli]

35. True, but Ben was a rightouus hacker, well known for his coding AND social engineering skills! /nt