A question about Assange and Sweden

[andrewducker]

Can someone tell me why people think that it would be easier for the US government to extradite Assange from Sweden than the UK? Particularly when very similar people keep telling me that the UK will ship people off to the US based on nothing more than the word of US officials.

Because it's something I keep bumping into - claims that Assange can't go to Sweden because when he gets there he'll go straight to the USA. And I can't see any way that this makes sense - am I missing something?

Comments

[matgb]

am I missing something?

Nope.

Not that I'm aware of anyway. John Band said something in ocmments to Tim's blog about there being some obsruce Swedish thing to do with trial hearings, but under terms of extradition Sweden can't send him on elsewhere without UK permission anyway.

[ironjeff]

I seem to recall that in Sweden he faces felony sexual assault charges... NB: Sweden's laws on sexual crimes are reportedly very different from most other countries (to the extent that the charges would not be charges most anywhere else), and this reply is IN NO WAY intended as a smear against Mr Assange.

[major_clanger]

With respect, that is not the case. The High Court considered the question of whether the offences Assange was accused of would be offences under English law in some detail - I suggest you take a look at paragraphs 73 to 127 of the judgment, where the conduct alleged is examined in great detail:

http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Admin/2011/2849.html

Short version: on the facts as alleged, all would be offences under our law too.

People believe what they want to believe

[thejeopardymaze]

There is an element of group think and psychology even activist groups are prey to, but I never got around to borrowing books on the subject matter.

And yes, I think he's guilty and should rot in prison.

What not enough activists seem to get though about him

[thejeopardymaze]

He's not anti-capitalist, he's obviously a libertarian judging from a Forbes interview, and it's kind of sad to see socialist commies want to knee jerk rally behind someone like that.

Judging from his past he clearly comes from a Geek Libertarian mindset, with all the negativity attributed to those subcultures, and I wish more people would be honest about themselves, but face it, we're hierarchical group primates who really aren't good at that.