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Interview with the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture about Assange (everybody should read)

AmFreak

AmFreak

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,506
«A murderous system is being created before our very eyes»
A made-up rape allegation and fabricated evidence in Sweden, pressure from the UK not to drop the case, a biased judge, detention in a maximum security prison, psychological torture – and soon extradition to the U.S., where he could face up to 175 years in prison for exposing war crimes. For the first time, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer, speaks in detail about the explosive findings of his investigation into the case of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

www.republik.ch

«A murderous system is being created before our very eyes»

For the first time, Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur, speaks at length about his investigations into the case of Julian Assange. And he provides explosive evidence.
www.republik.ch www.republik.ch

Teaser for the interview:
 
WedgeX

WedgeX

Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,168
I'm not familiar with Republik, but it seems this is otherwise only being carried by Russia Today-level sites?
 
Puroresu_kid

Puroresu_kid

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
9,465
I don't really understand why he is still being held at Belmarsh.

They could bail him pending extradition.
 
Mivey

Mivey

Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,818
Assange is certainly a flawed character. WikiLeaks could have been an effective, impartial source for leaks against all kinds of tyranny in the world. Instead it was always a vanity project for him, first and foremost. That was always going to undermine it eventually. In this sense, Assange is very much responsible for the kind of mess he finds himself in, he played with fire and got his hands burned.

However, that in no way justifies how the charges against him have been handled by both Swedish and UK officials, The UN isnt a Russian stooge, and if they literally call you out on torture, well that should be a warning sign to anyone who cares about elementary freedoms, especially as we talking about Western democractic countries here.
But I guess as long as it happens to someone on our collective shit list, its A-okay to ignore systematic abuse and lack of transparency. Stay classy, Era
 
Puroresu_kid

Puroresu_kid

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
9,465
PJV3 said:
After hiding in an embassy for years?
I don't think he needs to be in a high security prison but I would have thought his behaviour would automatically make bail off limits.
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Well yes their is that but putting him in a category A prison just seems like they want to break him.

Breaking bail conditions should see him in a Category C prison at worst.
 
Masoyama

Masoyama

Attempted to circumvent a ban with an alt account
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
5,648
This assange defense force is really sad and pathetic
 
Quantza

Quantza

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
641
Thanks, also found this recently.
Not sure why many are not reading the article and pre-judging.
Puroresu_kid said:
I don't really understand why he is still being held at Belmarsh.

They could bail him pending extradition.
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Same reason he was trapped in an embassy for years. Punishment.
But that's just my opinion.
 
NuMiQ

NuMiQ

Member
Oct 25, 2017
599
The Netherlands
Mivey said:
Assange is certainly a flawed character. WikiLeaks could have been an effective, impartial source for leaks against all kinds of tyranny in the world. Instead it was always a vanity project for him, first and foremost. That was always going to undermine it eventually. In this sense, Assange is very much responsible for the kind of mess he finds himself in, he played with fire and got his hands burned.

However, that in no way justifies how the charges against him have been handled by both Swedish and UK officials, The UN isnt a Russian stooge, and if they literally call you out on torture, well that should be a warning sign to anyone who cares about elementary freedoms, especially as we talking about Western democractic countries here.
But I guess as long as it happens to someone on our collective shit list, its A-okay to ignore systematic abuse and lack of transparency. Stay classy, Era
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This is a pretty good post that sums up my feelings on the subject quite well. A lot of people's willingness to overlook their own flaws cause of the hateboner for this man is frankly kind of scary.
 
RussTC3

RussTC3

Banned
Nov 28, 2018
1,878
AmFreak said:
«A murderous system is being created before our very eyes»
A made-up rape allegation and fabricated evidence in Sweden, pressure from the UK not to drop the case, a biased judge, detention in a maximum security prison, psychological torture – and soon extradition to the U.S., where he could face up to 175 years in prison for exposing war crimes. For the first time, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Nils Melzer, speaks in detail about the explosive findings of his investigation into the case of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

www.republik.ch

«A murderous system is being created before our very eyes»

For the first time, Nils Melzer, UN Special Rapporteur, speaks at length about his investigations into the case of Julian Assange. And he provides explosive evidence.
www.republik.ch www.republik.ch

Teaser for the interview:
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Lmao.

Nah I'm good.
 
Glasgow Mega-Snake

Glasgow Mega-Snake

Member
Oct 28, 2017
2,962
El Bombastico said:
We stanning for Assange now? Really?
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Masoyama said:
This assange defense force is really sad and pathetic
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No need to 'stan' or form a 'defense force' for him. But the way he's been treated since his capture is objectively terrible, no matter if you like the guy or not. There was no need to put him in solitary confinement, that's an awful practice several human rights organisations rate as torture. Wrong in Chelsea Manning's case and equally wrong in Assange's.

For years the argument was that Assange had basically imprisoned himself in the embassy and should have just faced the rape allegations in Sweden, while there was no evidence that he would be extradited to the US as he claimed.

I was pretty critical of Assange and WikiLeaks, the way they just dumped tons of documents online without context wasn't what I'd call journalism. But I have to admit that now a lot of what his supporters claimed regarding his status has happened.
The rape investigation was dropped while the US want to put him on trial for what he did with WikiLeaks, and he's waiting to be extradited to th States like he always claimed he would be. And looking at Chelsea Manning's verdict and recent repeated imprisonment after she had been pardoned I can understand perfectly well why he'd want to avoid a trial in the US.
 
amanset

amanset

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,577
Regarding the Sweden thing, well, whether there was a rape or not that is a VERY biased view of what went on.

He refused to return to Sweden. His argument was that two people, years before, had been renditioned for the CIA. That was a HUGE political thing here and it would have been political suicide for any government to have done the same with a high profile case life Assange's. Even then, "he demanded diplomatic assurance that Sweden would not extradite him to the U.S.". When you have rape allegations held against you you don't get to make those sort of demands. Who the hell does he think he is?

But even then ... he goes to the UK. The UK that has a fast track extradition system to the US and a history of using it. If extradition to the US was what he was really scared about he went to the second worst place in the world, after the US.

Sorry, I have no time for him. The facts remain that he refused to go to Sweden to face charges of rape, whether those were credible allegations or not. We shoudl not be defending people liek that, especially when their argument for not going is basically paranoid rambling.
 
SeeingeyeDug

SeeingeyeDug

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,004
He broke laws to help give us Trump as president, which itself has produced a system of torture for immigrant families.
 
CoolOff

CoolOff

Avenger
Oct 26, 2017
3,437
"A made-up rape allegation and fabricated evidence in Sweden"

Fabricated evidence huh?
 

trunx81

Banned
Feb 12, 2018
136
Suddenly, that which always happened to the other – unpunished torture, rape, expulsion and murder – can just as easily happen to us or our children. And nobody will care. I can promise you that.
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One of the most scary and important articles of this fresh year. Long, but a must read for everyone.
 

Deleted member 10612

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,774
Mivey said:
Assange is certainly a flawed character. WikiLeaks could have been an effective, impartial source for leaks against all kinds of tyranny in the world. Instead it was always a vanity project for him, first and foremost. That was always going to undermine it eventually. In this sense, Assange is very much responsible for the kind of mess he finds himself in, he played with fire and got his hands burned.

However, that in no way justifies how the charges against him have been handled by both Swedish and UK officials, The UN isnt a Russian stooge, and if they literally call you out on torture, well that should be a warning sign to anyone who cares about elementary freedoms, especially as we talking about Western democractic countries here.
But I guess as long as it happens to someone on our collective shit list, its A-okay to ignore systematic abuse and lack of transparency. Stay classy, Era
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Quality post.
 
excelsiorlef

excelsiorlef

Bad Praxis
Member
Oct 25, 2017
73,316
Love to see the first thing in an OP about a white supremacist be:

"A made-up rape allegation and fabricated evidence in Sweden"

Followed by but read the article


Is it 2010 again?

We gonna pretend we're super progressive and start writing the names of his accusers again?

That was fun in 2010... let's do it 10 years later.
 
Ogodei

Ogodei

One Winged Slayer
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,256
Coruscant
SeeingeyeDug said:
He broke laws to help give us Trump as president, which itself has produced a system of torture for immigrant families.
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Bingo. Likewise he put himself through his long detainment in that embassy, all to do what, dodge some rape charges?

I can buy that there was a credible threat of him getting extradited to the US, but the place to fight that was in the Swedish courts, after facing justice for the rape allegations, not hiding out in the Ecuadorian embassy while becoming a stooge of the Russian government.
 
Stinkles

Stinkles

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
20,459
So the UN Rapporteur has been campaigning on behalf of assange for a year now. That's less troubling than his glib dismissal of rape in his own words:


Surely, I thought, Assange must be a rapist! But what I found is that he has never been charged with a sexual offence. True, soon after the United States had encouraged allies to find reasons to prosecute Assange, Swedish prosecution informed the tabloid press that he was suspected of having raped two women. Strangely, however, the women themselves never claimed to have been raped, nor did they intend to report a criminal offence. Go figure. Moreover, the forensic examination of a condom submitted as evidence, supposedly worn and torn during intercourse with Assange, revealed no DNA whatsoever — neither his, nor hers, nor anybody else's. Go figure again. One woman even texted that she only wanted Assange to take an HIV test, but that the police were "keen on getting their hands on him". Go figure, once more. Ever since, both Sweden and Britain have done everything to prevent Assange from confronting these allegations without simultaneously having to expose himself to US extradition and, thus, to a show-trial followed by life in jail. His last refuge had been the Ecuadorian Embassy.
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One of the victims who still wants charges pressed - in her statement and repeatedly since - says she awoke to find Assange having unprotected sex with her against her will. Not sure that matches Nils description brehs.

TL;DR

torture is choosing to hide in a nice building with Internet, a cat and a skateboard.

rape is uh well I'm not sure based on his description.
 
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Kinthey

Kinthey

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
22,272
Assange may be a terrible human being but that doesn't mean he can't be done wrong.

To dismiss someone who works for the UN as "stanning" is pretty childish
 
amanset

amanset

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,577
Mivey said:
However, that in no way justifies how the charges against him have been handled by both Swedish and UK officials, The UN isnt a Russian stooge, and if they literally call you out on torture, well that should be a warning sign to anyone who cares about elementary freedoms, especially as we talking about Western democractic countries here.
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Yeah, about that "torture".

"Julian Assange has been intentionally psychologically tortured by Sweden, Britain, Ecuador and the U.S. First through the highly arbitrary handling of proceedings against him. The way Sweden pursued the case, with active assistance from Britain, was aimed at putting him under pressure and trapping him in the embassy. Sweden was never interested in finding the truth and helping these women, but in pushing Assange into a corner."

That could all have been solved by, you know, going to Sweden and facing the allegations. Assange decided by himself not to do that. You can't blame the UK or Sweden for that.

Regarding it only being a "bail violation" ... well he has been charged with an offence and is a rather bloody obvious flight risk, so what do you expect the UK to do? Shake his hand and say "see you in a few months in court". Would you trust him after what he has pulled?
 
excelsiorlef

excelsiorlef

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Oct 25, 2017
73,316
One thing that needs to be considered before anyone says made up rape, the women didn't even try to pursue it... is that immediately their names and pictures were leaked, and published... Fuck I mean a once respectable feminist, like Naomi Wolf, even decided to publish an Op-Ed in the Guardian calling for the end of rape shield laws and that women who make accusations of rape should have their names and faces published.

2010 was batshit fucking crazy in response to these women who were also accused of being CIA agents or CIA assets

Nothing I could find says these women recanted their stories, what I could find was stories about dismay that the charges were initially dropped.

The woman who accused Julian Assange of rape has said she is "shocked" by Sweden's decision to drop the seven-year investigation.

A lawyer representing the woman, who met the WikiLeaks founder at a 2010 conference in Stockholm, said that claimant's view was that no decision to end the case "can make her change that Assange exposed her to rape".
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So it's weird to write them out of the story and declare the way it's being done in this interview
 
Greg NYC3

Greg NYC3

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Oct 26, 2017
12,467
Miami
The fact that Assange helped conspire to give us Trump makes me believe that maybe he's not all that interested in combating corruption.
 
excelsiorlef

excelsiorlef

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Oct 25, 2017
73,316
One of the accusers has since gone public but is steadfast that she wanted him to face the music



Like it's really weird how their voices are completely erased and their desires are transferred to being a product of the "Man"

Like from the interview you'd believe they went in when it happened, went home and had no interest in it further, and it was all the government agencies that ran with it from there.
 
El Bombastico

El Bombastico

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
36,030
excelsiorlef said:
One of the accusers has since gone public but is steadfast that she wanted him to face the music



Like it's really weird how their voices are completely erased and their desires are transferred to being a product of the "Man"
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We need to lock this thread. Article is conspiracy bullshit dismissing rape and OP hasn't showed their face since posting it.
 
Kinthey

Kinthey

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
22,272
excelsiorlef said:
One thing that needs to be considered before anyone says made up rape, the women didn't even try to pursue it... is that immediately their names and pictures were leaked, and published... Fuck I mean a once respectable feminist, like Naomi Wolf, even decided to publish an Op-Ed in the Guardian calling for the end of rape shield laws and that women who make accusations of rape should have their names and faces published.
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That's the argument he makes in the article. That the police tried to push it. Not that the women are lying.
 
Kinthey

Kinthey

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
22,272
User Banned (1 Month): Dismissing concerns around sexual assault
excelsiorlef said:
So it was a made up invented rape allegation ... but the women who still seek justice, aren't lying?
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I mean in the tweet you posted she calls it misconduct, not rape. The first woman just wanted the police to force him to get an HIV test.
 
collige

collige

Member
Oct 31, 2017
12,772
I fully believe he's been tortured since his arrest and prolonged solitary confinement as a whole should be banned. That said, fucker is still probably guilty and he completely played himself by going to the UK in the first place and he completely played himself with that with this whole goose chase, so Melzer is just weakening his position with that bullshit.
 
excelsiorlef

excelsiorlef

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Member
Oct 25, 2017
73,316
Kinthey said:
I mean in the tweet you posted she calls it misconduct, not rape. The first woman just wanted the police to force him to get an HIV test.
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And yet they want charges filed, they want justice

But ok

They still are calling for him to face justice how does that fly with the basic implication that this was all made up by the police and Swedish government.
 
Kinthey

Kinthey

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
22,272
excelsiorlef said:
And yet they want charges filed, they want justice

But ok
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Maybe look at the article to see the argument

On Aug. 20, 2010, a woman named S. W. entered a Stockholm police station together with a second woman named A. A. The first woman, S. W. said she had had consensual sex with Julian Assange, but he had not been wearing a condom. She said she was now concerned that she could be infected with HIV and wanted to know if she could force Assange to take an HIV test. She said she was really worried. The police wrote down her statement and immediately informed public prosecutors. Even before questioning could be completed, S. W. was informed that Assange would be arrested on suspicion of rape. S. W. was shocked and refused to continue with questioning. While still in the police station, she wrote a text message to a friend saying that she didn't want to incriminate Assange, that she just wanted him to take an HIV test, but the police were apparently interested in «getting their hands on him.»
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