Assange Accusations in Sweden

Discussion in 'Law & Justice' started by kazenatsu, Jan 2, 2020.

  1. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    This thread is devoted to the subject of Julian Assange's sexual accusations in Sweden.

    The whole Julian Assange and Wikileaks story is very complicated and multi-faceted, and just one part of that story is the accusations that came from Sweden. So this thread is to be able to focus on and discuss only that part of the story in detail.

    It was widely reported in the English-language media that Assange had been charged with "rape" in Sweden. That is not really true. The reason has to do with a mistranslation into English from the Swedish language, as well as the very different societal views and legal situation that exists in Sweden. Considering the totality of the situation, what Assange was actually accused of in Sweden would most likely never have been prosecuted as a crime had it taken place in the UK or the US, or certainly most other parts of the world.

    If we assume that the allegations made by both women are true, Assange was just being a sexual pig. Being kind of despicable, but not in a way that is that unusual for many men. It would probably not rise to the level of being prosecuted as a crime. At least, not in a normal country. The prosecutor was also a radical feminist.

    But there is also reason to question whether these women's accounts are true, since each woman had found out Assange was sleeping with the other one, after the fact, and had then become angry at Assange, and worried about the possibility of STDs. That may likely be the primary reason the prosecutor initially dropped the arrest warrant, because further investigation discovered potential reason throwing into question the reliability of the claims of the two women.


    The sex crime allegations against Assange stem from a visit he made to Stockholm in August 2010, a few months after WikiLeaks gained international notoriety by publishing material leaked by then-Army private and whistleblower Chelsea Manning about the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Assange was visiting Sweden to meet with a political group there; according to police documents viewed by the Guardian, Ardin said she set up his visit and hosted him in her apartment.

    At her apartment, Ardin said he began stroking her leg, then removing her clothes, breaking her necklace in the process. She said she tried to put her clothes back on but he took them off again. She told police she then allowed Assange to undress her, because "it was too late to stop Assange as she had gone along with it so far."

    Assange tried to have unprotected sex with her, she said, but she asked him to use a condom. He agreed, but, she said, he had "done something" to the condom so that it ripped before he ejaculated.

    Assange told police that he had sex with Ardin but did not tear the condom, according to the Guardian.

    In the days that followed, Ardin told a friend that she was still allowing Assange to stay with her, but they were not having sex because he had "exceeded the limits of what she felt she could accept," the friend told police.

    Miss W met Assange at a seminar organized by Ardin, she told police. They later met up and went to her apartment, where they started to have sex. But Assange did not want to use a condom, Miss W said, so they stopped and eventually fell asleep. Later that night, she said, they woke up and had consensual sex, during which he "unwillingly" used a condom. But in the morning, Miss W said, she woke up to find Assange penetrating her without a condom.

    Assange has denied any wrongdoing with respect to Miss W.​

    https://www.vox.com/identities/2019...-assange-arrest-wikileaks-rape-sweden-embassy


    He stands accused of three counts of sexual molestation and “unpeace” and one count of rape, by Swedish prosecutors.
    Was it rape? Was it somewhere in the "grey zone"?
    The answers lie embedded in a 98-page crime report signed by Swedish authorities on August 26, 2010, the contents of which have been touched upon in various press reports - but never fully clarified. First, one must be familiar not only with the Swedish language, but also "Sweden". Sweden has both the most expansive rape laws (which extend all the way to marital bed nagging), as well as the highest number of reported rapes in the world.

    Fumbling, bleak and unromantic, the 98-page report details the emotional arc of the women, and often reads more like a dime-store novel than a crime report: "Julian looked at Sofia with a bemused expression. She got the feeling he did not feel that she, in her bright pink cashmere sweater, belonged among all these journalists dressed in grey."

    Neither woman ever claimed, initially, that she was "raped" by Mr. Assange - rape being våldtäkt in Swedish, but both spoke of the sex being unpleasant. They both concealed their distaste for how it had transpired - that's usually what women do. In the case of Ms. Ardin, she kept him as a houseguest for six nights after the incident, and even threw a crayfish party for him. In the case of Ms. Wilen, she and Mr. Assange, after a night of sex, joked about the broken condom, and his promise that if she got pregnant he would move to Sweden, pay off her student loans, and they "could name the baby Afghanistan."

    She then went out and bought the two of them breakfast oats and orange juice.

    When Ms. Ardin learned Mr. Assange had also slept with Ms. Wilen, and when he failed the golden rule of elemental post-coital communications, they locked arms and went to the police - not to charge him with rape, but to see if he could be compelled to take an HIV test, on a Saturday, in Stockholm.

    The report contains several testimonies - Ms. Ardin, Ms. Wilen, two Swedish male journalists, Ms. Wilen’s ex boyfriend, brother, and several friends and colleagues of the two women. Finally, Mr. Assange himself. It closes with grainy photographs of a broken condom, as well as a condom tip - and the forensic analysis of experts from "Staten's Kriminaltekniska Laboratorium" (The State's Criminal Technological Laboratory) - offering forensic results about the exact conditions along the broken edge of the condom. (Ruled not to have been broken by an "instrument", but to have failed by natural means.)

    After the incidents for which he is wanted for questioning took place, in mid-August 2010, Mr. Assange remained in Sweden for five weeks, until September 27, during which time Swedish prosecutors once dropped the case altogether, only to re-open it days later. Prosecutor Marianne Ny was quoted in the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter as having said: "Even if I’m wrong, I won't give up."

    Mr. Assange was originally under arrest in absentia (but not charged) for four counts of sexual offense: one of unlawful coercion, two of molestation and one of rape. In August of 2015, all counts expired due to the statute of limitations, except for the rape charge, which will remain intact until 2020.

    It was Ms. Ardin who offered to have Mr. Assange stay in her apartment, to save the organization some money. The whole milieu has this kind of collegiate feel: mattresses on the floor, shifting plans, boozy nights, people coming and going—and of course, a crayfish party.

    Mr. Assange's first encounter was with Anna Ardin—an ardent feminist, Social Democrat, Christian, animal rights activist, pro-lifer and scholar on Latin America. Ms. Ardin described herself online as somebody who, somewhat alarmingly, "burns for justice, solidarity and equality", and she once wrote a paper on "The 7 Steps To Revenge", against men who "dump you".

    Journalist Johann Wahlstrom’s comments in the police report that Mr. Assange was a “total magnet” for women, saying they "just glued themselves to him". He describes Mr. Assange as gentlemanly, distracted and consumed with his political thoughts and discussions. "Women," Mr. Wahlstrom said, "so many of them, they did everything they could to wind up in bed with him." When asked by the police interrogator what kvinnosyn (view of women) Mr. Assange had, Mr. Wahlstrom says, "I didn’t notice anything noteworthy about that…on the other hand, there was a bizarre view of men in Anna Ardin’s circle."

    Asked to elaborate, he goes on to give a halting, nervous monologue about what he’s talking about:

    "I got…well, once again, like I said, I got strange vibes. It happens now and then especially in academic circles, that you run into…actually I don’t know quite how to express this…but it happens that you run into young women who have taken like a…they've fulfilled a journey in the name of feminism, and become chauvinists, like the worst kind of chauvinism among men, but on the feminist spectrum. These young women speak of men as sexual tools, and they say they’re not necessary for intellectual discussions…and that it's only women who need one another. Maybe it’s more a matter of my generation, maybe you have never run into this. But I’ve encountered it often in academic circles. And I got this feeling among Anna’s friends."

    "Anna told her it was the worst lay she ever had, and told Kajsa she could have him."


    Ms. Ardin’s portion of the police report relays the events of the previous night like this:

    They were drinking tea. Mr. Assange stroked Ms. Ardin’s leg, and she "initially" welcomed his advances. He suddenly became a little too aggressive—removing her clothes and in the process, snapping off her necklace. The sex that followed is described by Ms. Ardin as "uncomfortable", as it had all progressed "too fast." She says Mr. Assange pinned her arms back, at the same time as she reached for a condom. She did not want to have sex without a condom, so pulled her legs together. He asked her why she was doing that, and she replied that she wanted him to wear a condom. He stopped, put a condom on—she checked with her hand to make sure it was on properly—and the sex continued. Ms. Ardin describes her feeling at this point as "just wanting to get it over with."

    She checked again to make sure the condom was on right, and was reassured that it was. Still, after Mr. Assange ejaculated, she saw that the condom was empty, and felt something running down her leg.

    After this night, Ms. Ardin declined having any more sex with Mr. Assange, who, she said, continued to make advances the next few nights. She is repeatedly asked by male colleagues over the next week if she would like Mr. Assange to move to another dwelling and she repeatedly declines.

    Mr. Assange himself testifies that Ms. Ardin invited him to sleep in her bed, that she made the first overture, that they had sex "several" times, and that she had two orgasms. They both reported that Ms. Ardin pointed to a wet spot on the sheets; that she said, "Is that you?" and that he replied, "No, it must be you."

    His interpretation was kind of forlorn, and you feel bad for him: “Maybe she was trying to point out how loving the sex had been.”

    Mr. Assange stayed at Ms. Ardin’s apartment until the following Friday, and says, in the police report, that they continued to sleep in the same bed, had no further intercourse, but did have "sexual interactions".

    He is told, in the interrogation, that he stands accused of deliberately breaking the condom he and Ms. Ardin used, and he replies: "That’s not true."

    He is asked if he checked the condom before sex and replies: "I am not in the habit of checking them [condoms] before I put them on." When asked who removed the condom he says he does not remember, but that it is "unusual for the woman to do so."

    "Kajsa said the impression she got was that Anna felt it was unpleasant but not frightening or threatening."

    "Based on Anna’s story, when she called me, she said "we had sex" and that's what happened, and she made no reference to any kind of assault… She did not want to go to the police. My sense is that she [Ardin] did not experience this as serious, but got pissed off."

    —Donald Bostrom, pp. 60

    "She [Ardin] was joking about Julian, saying he’s a strange guy. Suddenly in the middle of the night he’s gone, and he’s sitting in the bathroom with his laptop. Um..she was joking very hard and rough, but in a funny way….and at the crayfish party [Ardin turned to Assange and said], "I woke up in the middle of the night and you were gone, I felt dumped." That word made me jump a little. Um…why did she feel dumped if…you see in my mind they had no relations, but she said she felt dumped."

    —Donald Bostrom


    Question: Did she ever express a desire for him to move out of her apartment?

    Answer: I asked her every day, actually…she said no of course he can continue to stay with me.

    —Johann Wahlstrom, pp. 39

    Ms. Wilen had become increasingly upset, and fearful she might have contracted HIV from Mr. Assange. She repeatedly called him and said she wanted him to go get an HIV test. He said he would do so but not under these circumstances - under pressure. She then called Ms. Ardin, and told her what had happened between herself and Mr. Assange. Ms. Ardin became enraged, and took on a protective role toward Ms. Wilen. Ms. Ardin accompanied Ms. Wilen to the police station on August 20, playing a supporting role. Neither of them intended to press any criminal charges against Mr. Assange. They wanted to compel him to take an HIV test. Once they were at the police station and told their stories, the female police commissioner informed them that this all fell within "rape" law, and soon thereafter—that Mr. Assange was going to be arrested. Ms. Ardin and Ms. Wilen were upset when they heard this.

    A careful analysis by Swedish judicial writer Marten Schultz, writing in a magazine called NEO, clarified that as draconian as Swedish rape laws are, it is not rape, even in Sweden, to remove a condom, or even to break a condom during the act.​

    https://observer.com/2016/02/exclus...-on-julian-assange-rape-charges-in-stockholm/
    Observer, "Exclusive New Docs Throw Doubt on Julian Assange Rape Charges in Stockholm", Celia Farber, February 5, 2016
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2020
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  2. chris155au

    chris155au Well-Known Member

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    Are you saying that there wasn't sufficient evidence to obligate him to face the charges in Sweden?
     
  3. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    You will have to read the story to decide for yourself.

    I certainly do not believe what he is alleged to have done in Sweden should be prosecuted as a crime.
    However, it would technically be a crime under Swedish law if the allegations were true. Sweden has some very strange (what many would consider "whacky") sexual consent laws, due to the strong influence of radical feminists in that country's politics.

    If I can summarize for you, his alleged crime with Ms. Ardin was that he slipped off his condom before entering her, without her knowledge that the condom had been removed. Assange claims that the condom tore when he put it on, and that is the reason why he removed it.
    She actually did realize that there was no condom about a minute after the sexual intercourse had already begun, but at that point she did not say anything and the sexual intercourse continued (according to her own claims in the police report).
    Under Swedish law this would still be considered a sexual crime because she did not consent to sex without a condom, and had not been aware he was not wearing a condom when he went into her.
    Swedish law requires affirmative consent. That is, the absence of a "no" does not necessarily imply the consent on the part of the woman.
     
    Last edited: Jan 2, 2020
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  4. Eleuthera

    Eleuthera Well-Known Member Donor

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  5. chris155au

    chris155au Well-Known Member

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    Should he not at least face the justice system? If it's as weak a case as you believe it to be, then he should be cleared of any wrongdoing, right?

    Yeah, that's a stupid law.

    Any idea how the law determines whether there was "affirmative consent?"
     
  6. Eleuthera

    Eleuthera Well-Known Member Donor

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    He already did face the authorities. He reported to the police station several times, and was told he could leave the country as he pleased.

    If you bothered to inform yourself on such matters you would have some measure of credibility.
     
  7. chris155au

    chris155au Well-Known Member

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    No, I knew that, but the fact is that he was called back. As outrageous as it might be that he was called back, he should've just gone back and cleared his name.
     
    Last edited: Jan 5, 2020
  8. Eleuthera

    Eleuthera Well-Known Member Donor

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    If you had already been told by the Swedish authorities that you could leave the country, and you knew the sex had been completely consensual, and you knew Sweden was friendly and complicit to the US which had an indictment for you, would YOU go back?

    Walk a few miles in his shoes.
     
  9. chris155au

    chris155au Well-Known Member

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    Would I have committed a crime which led to the US indictment against me?
     
  10. Eleuthera

    Eleuthera Well-Known Member Donor

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    Are you even capable of having an adult conversation?

    Exposing the crimes of government, as is the duty of journalism and the purpose of part of the First Amendment, is doing one's civic duty. It is NOT a crime.
     
    Last edited: Jan 6, 2020
  11. chris155au

    chris155au Well-Known Member

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    You seem to be unaware that the charge is for hacking.
     
  12. Eleuthera

    Eleuthera Well-Known Member Donor

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    You are utterly unaware that DNC was not hacked, it was leaked. That, from a group of men who did careers with NSA before becoming whistleblowers.

    Is that clear enough for comprehension? The DNC material was not hacked, it was leaked. That can be seen with a close analysis of the material, including the download time. The time is much to short for hacked material. It could have been done only from the inside, a leak.
     
  13. chris155au

    chris155au Well-Known Member

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    You seem to be unaware that this doesn't change the fact that the charge is for hacking, even if the DNC wasn't hacked.
     
  14. Eleuthera

    Eleuthera Well-Known Member Donor

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    Are you saying you don't understand what "false charges" are?
     
  15. chris155au

    chris155au Well-Known Member

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    They might be false charges. In that case, even if he DID commit rape in Sweden, wouldn't you say that
    he shouldn't go to Sweden to face those charges because he will likely be extradited to the US on false charges?
     
    Last edited: Jan 9, 2020
  16. Eleuthera

    Eleuthera Well-Known Member Donor

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    The 'charges' as described by mainstream media ARE false. He raped nobody. When he went to the police station, they told him there were no charges and he could leave the country.

    Yes, his fear of being extradited to the US were well founded. In fact, his counterpart Manning sits today in a US prison for the 'crime' of remaining silent in a US Kangaroo Court Grand Jury.
     
  17. chris155au

    chris155au Well-Known Member

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    Okay, so then he shouldn't go to Sweden to face those charges even if he DID commit rape in Sweden?
     
  18. Poohbear

    Poohbear Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    She said no.
    He forced her legs apart
    ....
    How many young academic ladies claim to have been "raped" on campus?
    Here the definition of rape is quite loose. Worse, the word "rape" is entirely political.
    Assange is off the hook for doing what would lose you your job, reputation, degree or tenure.
    Just because he's on the side of the Left.

    original-20661-1429115586-8.jpg
     
  19. kazenatsu

    kazenatsu Well-Known Member Past Donor

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    To summarize the original story, Assange was accused by two women in Sweden of "sexual violation", but he did not want to go to Sweden because he was afraid Sweden would be more likely to extradite him to the US than the UK, since public opinion was very much on his side in the UK at that time.
    It was later revealed that the two women were acquaintances, and he had previously been having entirely consensual sex with both of them. And furthermore what the women accused him of doing would probably not be prosecuted as a crime in the UK or most of the US. And they initially were not even seeking for him to be punished, but a feminist prosecutor talked them into it after they went to authorities trying to compel him to take an HIV test after they found out that he had been sleeping with both of them and then they were angry about it.
    The UK issued a warrant, and Assange turned himself in to police, and was then granted bail and released, while he tried to fight it out in court hoping to prevent extradition to Sweden. When he realized things in court were not going his way and he would probably be extradited, he panicked.
    Assange then stayed in the Ecuadorian embassy, located in the UK, for 7 years, and the UK authorities were unable to go in there to arrest him, until finally pressure was exerted on the country of Ecuador and the President of Ecuador allowed the UK police to go in there and grab Assange. It was a virtual prison for him for 7 years, but he was afraid to leave because the UK wanted to extradite him to Sweden, where he believed he would then be extradited to the US.

    If he had actually been convicted of raping a woman in Sweden ( "real rape", which this situation was obviously not), he would probably only have been sentenced to 4 or 5 years. Sweden has some of the most lenient sentences for rape in the world. It would probably have been a lot less in this case. Of course Assange did not know the exact details against him at the time he entered the embassy, but given the details of both women's accusations against him, in my opinion there is no way he would have been sentenced to more than 3 years, and that is at the very maximum of what would have been realistically possible. The punishment could realistically have been 6 months for the condom and then maybe another 9 months for having sex with the other woman even though she was reluctant (him having already had consensual sex with her before and sleeping in the same bed with her that night).

    The point is, even if Assange knew exactly what he was being accused of, even if you view him as absolutely guilty, the fact that Assange was holed up in a self-made prison in the embassy for 7 years should clearly prove that Assange was not worried about punishment for the rape accusations in Sweden; or that was only a much smaller overall factor. There would have been no rational logical reason to stay in that embassy for 7 years if the only or main reason had been fear of facing punishment for what he knew he did in Sweden.
     
  20. Eleuthera

    Eleuthera Well-Known Member Donor

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    An unusual turn of events, with this post you reveal considerable ignorance about the Assange story.

    He was IN Sweden when that complaint was filed by the women, they were both reluctant witnesses. Assange was given permission by the Swedish police to leave the country, and he eventually did.

    Watch this video and you will become more informed: Sex, Lies and Julian Assange - Four Corners (abc.net.au)
     

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