Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I don't know what the fuck to believe anymore about the Assange case. [View all]proverbialwisdom
(4,959 posts)136. Let the whistleblower experts do the vetting and look for consensus.
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2012/8/20/craig_murray_and_tariq_ali_speak_in_support_of_wikileaks_julian_assange_outside_ecuadorean_embassay
AUGUST 20, 2012
Craig Murray and Tariq Ali Speak In Support of WikiLeaks Julian Assange Outside Ecuadorean Embassy
VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT
See Craig Murray, the former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, and writer and activist Tariq Ali, speak outside the Ecuadorean embassy, where WikiLeaks Julian Assange spoke Sunday. "The invasion of a diplomatic premises is a crime in international law and a crime in the state whose premises are invaded," says Murray of the United Kingdoms threat to raid the embassy to arrest Assange. "So any policeman who forcibly enters the premises of the embassy of Ecuador will find himself liable for extradition to Ecuador as soon as he leaves the United Kingdom." Click here to see all of our WikiLeaks coverage.
CRAIG MURRAY: We should not forget what this is about. This is about the persecution of an individual who has made life much more simple and more productive for whistleblowers in the information age and in an age when, as Western governments become increasingly authoritarian and civil liberties are diminished, we need whistleblowers more than ever to protect the rights of all of us.
We have heard of the areas where WikiLeaks have been active, not only the prosecution of illegal war in Iraq, but the revealing of individual war crimes carried out within that war, the targeting of people for assassination throughout the world and the collusion of governments of different stripes in that targeting for torture and rendition of individuals.
Now consider this. I blew the whistle on torture and extraordinary rendition and the collusion of the CIA and MI6. I was, in consequence, immediately charged with extortion for sexual purposes and blackmailing people into sex in exchange for British visas. It took me one-and-a-half years to clear my name of those charges, because they routinely charge and try to defame and fit up whistleblowers, and that is what is happening to Julian Assange, just as it happened to me.
I shared a platform across the United States with a very brave lady, Brigadier Janis Karpinski, who was the senior woman in the United States Army. She blew the whistle on the fact that she had seen documents signed personally by Donald Rumsfeld authorizing the torture at Abu Ghraib. The very next day, she was charged with shoplifting.
I could name five or six examples straightaway of individual whistleblowers who are always immediately charged with offenses which dont relate to whistleblowing at all, because in the United States and the United Kingdom and apparently Sweden today, just as used to always happen in authoritarian and totalitarian countries, dissidents are not charged with political offenses, they are fitted up with criminal offenses. That is the state our society has come to.
<...>
http://www.democracynow.org/2012/8/17/daniel_ellsberg_i_congratulate_ecuador_for
FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2012
Daniel Ellsberg: I Congratulate Ecuador for Standing Up to British Empire to Protect Julian Assange
VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT
Daniel Ellsberg, the most famous whistleblower in the United States, praises Ecuador for granting political asylum to Julian Assange to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning over sex crime accusations. "I congratulate Ecuador, of course, for standing up to the British Empire here, for insisting that they are not a British colony, and acting as a sovereign state ought to act," says Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers in 1971, the secret history of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. On Thursday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Assange would be arrested if he left the embassy, saying Britain is "under a binding obligation to extradite him to Sweden." Ellsberg adds: "[Assange] has every reason to be wary that the real intent here is to whisk him away to America, where it really hasnt been made as clear what might be waiting for him." [includes rush transcript]
FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 2012
Daniel Ellsberg: I Congratulate Ecuador for Standing Up to British Empire to Protect Julian Assange
VIDEO AND TRANSCRIPT
Daniel Ellsberg, the most famous whistleblower in the United States, praises Ecuador for granting political asylum to Julian Assange to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning over sex crime accusations. "I congratulate Ecuador, of course, for standing up to the British Empire here, for insisting that they are not a British colony, and acting as a sovereign state ought to act," says Ellsberg, who leaked the Pentagon Papers in 1971, the secret history of the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. On Thursday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Assange would be arrested if he left the embassy, saying Britain is "under a binding obligation to extradite him to Sweden." Ellsberg adds: "[Assange] has every reason to be wary that the real intent here is to whisk him away to America, where it really hasnt been made as clear what might be waiting for him." [includes rush transcript]
Edit history
Please sign in to view edit histories.
145 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
RecommendedHighlight replies with 5 or more recommendations
I don't know what the fuck to believe anymore about the Assange case. [View all]
Odin2005
Aug 2012
OP
The Swedish criminal process is not the same as the process in the UK
struggle4progress
Aug 2012
#43
The Swedish investigation into the Assange matter has reached the point at which the authorities
struggle4progress
Aug 2012
#105
The worse thing that could happen to the Assange apologists at this point
Nuclear Unicorn
Aug 2012
#134
"... It's embarrassing to say so, given that even a single man, as I was, is liable
struggle4progress
Aug 2012
#110
What part of 'support whistle blowing and Wikileaks' do you choose to not read?
randome
Aug 2012
#55
Good grief. Blowing the whistle involves breaking some rules, violating some
rhett o rick
Aug 2012
#86
Do you know of evidence that Assange "talked" Manning into providing the documents?
JDPriestly
Aug 2012
#97
Wow, just wow! Not only do you use unsubstantiated accusation about Assange's involvement
idwiyo
Aug 2012
#98
Assange in February 2011 said the BoA stuff just wasn't interesting:
struggle4progress
Aug 2012
#111
UK protected Pinochet from extradition. Assange not charged w/any crime
WillYourVoteBCounted
Aug 2012
#12
WikiLeaks' Most Terrifying Revelation: Just How Much Our Government Lies to Us
WillYourVoteBCounted
Aug 2012
#13
I appologize. My statement wasnt polite. I have periods of frustration. nm
rhett o rick
Aug 2012
#44
And some would argue that conservatives shouldnt be allowed on progressive boards
rhett o rick
Aug 2012
#54
My favorite part of this: Wikileaks unearthed that the Tunisians were 1st in arab world to oust
cherokeeprogressive
Aug 2012
#32
i agree, i haven't waded off into the assange business here until today
arely staircase
Aug 2012
#19
no wikileaks released what they thought were steve job's medical records
arely staircase
Aug 2012
#34
I believe it is misogynistic to assume that women, unlike men, can never be wrong.
sabrina 1
Aug 2012
#63
This is not the reason for the doubts about these women's testimony. The doubts arise from
sabrina 1
Aug 2012
#81
I think a good starting point for a rape victim is them saying "i was raped"
Warren DeMontague
Aug 2012
#66
they can't make such a promise since it would go against international law
Bodhi BloodWave
Aug 2012
#103
International law is guided by the specific treaty between the US and Sweden...
AntiFascist
Aug 2012
#108
why request a promise for something that goes against the treaty by its own words?
Bodhi BloodWave
Aug 2012
#115
I'm sure everyone accused of a crime would like a 'Get Out Of Jail Free' card for any other crimes.
randome
Aug 2012
#85
And Bush and Cheney enjoy their retirement although they started the War in Iraq on a pretext
JDPriestly
Aug 2012
#101
"right after he threatened to publish some stuff that would make the Banksters look bad"
NCTraveler
Aug 2012
#120
The actions of the governments involved make no sense in historical context
TheKentuckian
Aug 2012
#132