Bail for Assange

[Gladeian]

He has just been granted bail - but there is a doubt whether he will be released pending an appeal by the Swedish Authorities. Is this something new ? As I understand it the prosecution cannot normally appeal a decision to grant bail - if remanded in custody he can apply to Judge in Chambers but not the same right for prosecutors if granted bail to ask a Judge to remand in custody. New Judge ??

[craft1948]

I am in no way condoning what Assange has done via Wickileaks but this whole thing stinks of a stitch-up.

[rojash]

"this whole thing stinks of a stitch-up. "
It certainly does - guy wanted for murder granted bail, guy suspected of (but not charged with) having sex without a condom, remanded. I wouldn't be surprised if all this is in order to keep him available for rendition to the Yanks.

[ABerrant]

Extradition proceedings allow for the requesting territory to appeal against a judge's decision to grant a person bail provided representations were made against bail before it was granted.

[Coldicote]

I'm confused. According to website http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradley_Manning ......

It's one named Bradley Manning who allegedly did the leaking that we should be more concerned about. Why all the fuss about Assange - is it really because of the Wikileaks website, or alleged sex offences in Sweden?

[Invictas]

Just to add that stink that craft can(rightly) smell seems to be emmenating fron the USA!(as usual)

[birdie1971]

If we go back to first principals, as Coldicote has alluded to above, the reason for the leaks stem from the USA's inability to stop secret documents being made available to every Tom, Dick and Harry. Bradley Manning, who downloaded all the secret documents, wasn't some high ranking government official with privileged security status – he was a Private in the US army working in the area of 'intelligence'...

If a Private in the US army can access all these confidential documents legitimately (ie. there was no 'hacking' involved) then what does that say about the USA's security protocols? I would suggest that the term 'grossly inadequate' would be a fairly accurate description.

I believe that the Swedish allegations are really the result of US political manipulation. I have heard it said that the US may try to get Assange deported to face trial in the States. I don't think that this will happen – not because they couldn't pull it off if they wanted to, but because I don't think they'd be successful in their prosecution due to the First Amendment. Far easier to have the guy locked up elsewhere on some spurious charge – because that'll stop the dissemination of the information over the internet... won't it?

[boxtops]

LOL birdie of course, that's why more documents have been leaked this evening - good plan, eh?!

[bazwillrun]

The ultimate irony... a wikileak about who is leaning on who to make sure that julian assange is kept under lock and key no matter what, and at any cost, leave no legal stone unturned but dont let him go, and then if for some strange reason all our threats dont work and he is let out then make sure he, his friends , his associates anybody who he is likely to be in contact with, are monitored for every second of every day.

The authorities hate this man because he is making monkeys of the lot of them, he is the ultimate thorn in their side because they cant control him and are schit scared of what else he has to show them up with for what they really are.

[jomifl]

How many other governments can get UK citizens locked up under false pretences. Whatever happened to 'presumed innocence'.

[ChuckFickens]

"UK citizens"

He's Australian.

[DrFilth]

U.S. state department spokesperson P. J. Crowley announced that the U.S. govt. has won the right to host "World Press Freedom Day". The event will be held in Washington D.C.
Crowley said that this would prove U.S. commitment to "expand press freedom and the free flow of information in this digital age," Of course the release does not mention that the U.S. is doing everything it can do stop the press release of classified cables by Wikileaks. Although it has done nothing to prevent newspapers such as the NY Times from releasing selected classified cables.
However the State Department is championing attempts to silence the release of classified cables showing a variety of crimes by officials. It has even warned some university students that they had better not read or discuss the Wikileaks releases if they do not want to endanger their future careers. Discussing the leaks would be a bad move for any U.S. citizen. The justice is setting creative lawyers to work trying to find out what might be illegal about what Wikileaks is doing.

( what might be illegal ), you could not make this up, fluffing brilliant




what might be illegal you could not make this up

[rov1200]

The cats out of the bag now so whatever they do to Julian Assange there will always be someone to take his place.

Leaks from our own government departments have been going on for quite a while now, promises are made to catch the perpetrator but nothing ever results in finding him. The freedom of information bill has done a lot in this country to get more information so stopping the leaker in their tracks.

Maybe this is the way to stop people like Assange getting prominence. We need an international freedom of information!