Should WikiLeaks Co-founder Julian Assange be freed?
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Punishment for bail jumping (Score:4, Informative)
He should be jailed for jumping bail in the UK. No opinion on other possible charges.
The Social Contract is Two Way (Score:3, Interesting)
If one party is clearly acting against the terms that rather absolves the target of their responsibilities under the contract.
Assange was clearly targeted, and what he did or didn't do wasn't/isn't an issue something would be found.
Doesn't warrant jailtime. (Score:2)
I'm pretty sure bail jumping could be settled with a fine in the UK and in his case it would be pretty easy to make that argument in an unbiased court. He had pretty valid reasons for skipping bail.
Option: other (Score:2)
Other = he should get a trial.
Re: Option: other (Score:1)
In what court will he get a fair triall?
Re: (Score:3)
I'm pretty sure bail jumping could be settled with a fine in the UK and in his case it would be pretty easy to make that argument in an unbiased court.
You are right that the crime of skipping bail "ought" to be settled with a fine. Except: he's a con man. All that would happen is that he would get somebody else to pay the fine. Again. So, I'm not sure how this would really be punishment of him; it would more be punishment of the people who are foolish enough to support him.
He had pretty valid reasons for skipping bail.
He did not. He jumped bail to avoid answering a charge of rape. That's not "valid reasons" for skipping bail.
He was self-aggrandizing. He claimed that if he were extradited to Swed
Re: Doesn't warrant jailtime. (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
A fine??? The people who covered his bail lost all the money they committed towards it!
There is no such legal thing as a valid reason to abrogate a bail contract.
Re: (Score:2)
The issue with bail jumping is not about fairness. Bail is a contractual agreement between the court and the accused to not wait in prison until after the trial is concluded. The hundreds of thousands to million dollars/pounds the defendant or his benefactors puts into escrow as collateral is to ensure they show up for trial. When they don't show up for trial, whomever puts up the bail money loses the bail money!
The point of court penalties for bail jumping is not to "punish" untrustworthiness. The per
Re: Punishment for bail jumping (Score:1)
I think the crimes that he help to point out are far greater and completely dwarf skipping bail. That being said, of course skilling bail is wrong. So i suggest the following comprise: Aasange walks free until people responsible for the crimes that he pointed out are in prison
Re: (Score:3)
Under UK law, you cannot be jailed for jumping bail if the criminal complaint ceases to exist. So Sweden no longer sought extradition and hence, you can not arrest him for failing to appear in court case that does not exist.
The core of the US argument is, it is a criminal activity to report the crimes of US agents across the globe ie if I saw a US agent murder someone in Australia, the US would consider it a crime to report that murder and testify against them. They have baulked at this, although they will
Serve time for bail, and Sweden... (Score:2)
He should serve time in the UK for bail jumping, and possibly be extradited to Sweden. But, as much as I'm not a fan of Julian himself, I am yet to see a compelling reason for him to be extradited to the US, and failing clear and compelling evidence otherwise, don't think he should be.
Re: (Score:1)
The rules are made by a certain type of person and apply to everyone else.
Should a member of the latter group (which coincidentally has no input), be expected to adhere to the rules?
Re: (Score:2)
Straw man, the answer is of course that it's unreasonable for one caste to force their will on another caste.
Bear in mind that the reason Assange is being targeted is because he's provided a platform whereby corruption, control and monitoring mechanisms etc, may be exposed.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
The shoa worked because you do not need many persons for an industrial killing process. It has nothing to do with mindlessness and involved breaking the rules to make it happen.
In the case of jumping bail it is clear that he has to suffer the consequences from that. He was fully aware of the consequences.
Concerning the extradiction to the US no one knows if that is going to happen. An extradiction to Sweden is completely harmless. But be sure that Brexit will make Assange a trade chip for their USUK FTA. As
Re: (Score:1)
Being interested in himself doesn't justify incarceration.
He is not a US national, so he can't be charged for not respecting US laws. Nor was he in the US when the leaks occurred.
He can't stand trial for being a foreign agent either, he doesn't represent a nation and he didn't commit any crimes on US soil.
So these whole extradition charges on the part of the US are ridiculous.
Besides, didn't the UK (and the US) say several times that no extradition requests were received and that he doesn't risk extraditio
Re: (Score:1)
How soon they forget, *sigh* [youtube.com]
Re: Really? (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
If another nation entered into an extradition treaty agreement with North Korea to turn over people charged with crimes defined outside of their nation, then that nation is expected to turn over the accused to North Korea (and vice versa). The point is that no nation (other than China) is willing to make such an agreement with a nation such as North Korea.
Extradition treaties is a legal agreement between nations. Nations abrogate their treaty when they don't honor them. The UK and the EU have extradition
Re: ... or are you a totalitarian fascist? (Score:1)
How are millennials so ignorant/blind to recent history..?? WikiLeaks exposed corruption and evil in the US government, period.
It amazes me how easily some of you guys believe the narratives (just like Russian collusion) NPCs everywhere!
Re: (Score:2)
...They got a girl in Sweden to lie that she's been raped just to ruin him (She later admitted to having lied, having been pressured into it and she said she is sorry.
It was not "a" girl"(it was two), and they did not "admit to having lied."
Just in case your "news" source was remakably quiet about that.), and ruined his freaking life.
You might check your news sources. Here's the Guardian article: https://www.theguardian.com/me... [theguardian.com]
Or try wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
In any case, he was not skipping out on being arrested. He was skipping out on even being questioned.
Re: (Score:2)
Wrong Question (Score:4, Insightful)
SHOULD Assange be freed? Absolutely.
WILL Assange be freed? Absolutely NOT.
He's embarrassed too many political figures across the spectrum and around the world. Therefore, he'll wind up an example of happens to those who dare disturb the Powers That Be.
Re: (Score:2)
This is my "First Post (reaction)" for over 20 years I never answered, posted or reacted on whatever post, opinion or reaction. I was extremely passive. Now I feel it is time to support the "Wrong Question". I fully commit and agree to his post. For me, Assange could be punished for his hiding in the Ecuador embassy. But he already had his time in this embassy, so he could be freed immediately. For being a non American all other accusations are void.
Re: (Score:3)
Trump doesn't know much about Wikileaks. He's just not into it. Sad.
Re:Answer questions about the 2016 election... (Score:4, Funny)
In Assange's case though, I'd take this particular about-face to mean he's pretty much screwed.
Re: (Score:2)
"About the only consistent thing about his answers to questions are that they are usual the most self-serving response possible at the specific moment in time that the question was asked, even when demonstrably false. Or just completely banal/inane."
So his answers have nothing to do with Heisenberg but more with good and healhy self-centeredness and narcism.
Re: Answer questions about the 2016 election... (Score:2)
Too accurate.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
He already distributed the keys to people he trusts.
Now he is waiting to see if 'they' blink. If they don't the keys get released.
As the information will be largely damaging to the Ds, Trump isn't going to blink. He wants the dirt dumped, we all should. That sucks for Assange.
Prison time or penalty for *what*? (Score:2)
Face the charges (Score:3, Insightful)
As for the other charges around Wikileaks, you'd think Assange would like his chance to face off with the legal beagles of governments to make his case.
Re: (Score:2)
From memory, Sweden were pressured into bringing charges against Assange, by Team Amerikkka World Po-Lice.
Re:Face the charges (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: Face the charges (Score:1)
Re: Face the charges (Score:1)
> There is no actual evidence of this other than Assangeâ(TM)s protestations ...protestations which were eerily prophetic.
Assange: "America will make up an excuse to get me to America"
Your kind: "lololol conspiracy"
Reality: Within three hours of him being expelled (against the constitution of Ecuador), the USG had come up with a reason to extradite him, based on a convo that Assange may or may not have had with Manning (re-imprisoned indefinitely, btw), where Assange may or may not have explained h
Re: (Score:3)
The problem with that is that it's a false memory with no evidence backing it, but Assange and his supporters have done exceedingly well to ingrain it into the narrative such that people think it's actual historic fact these days. That and the "it's only rape in Sweden due to their odd laws" argument as well (it isn't - all four counts in the EAW were found to have dual criminality in the UK as well and thus valid for extradition).
Re: (Score:2)
I agree; regardless of the reasons the charges were brought up if they are legitimate he should face a trial for sexual assault. The issues with the US I agree are more gray. He didn't steal the information so shouldn't be charged there but if he posted information that he knew would be dangerous and cause people to get hurt or killed he should be charged for that.
Re: (Score:2)
What is worse: the US torturing and killing random people, or people being killed because someone shows those terrible deeds to the world?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4944... [nbcnews.com]
Re: (Score:2)
“Don’t tase me bro’!”
That should be enough. Happens every day. And I don’t need to mention the police shooting innocent black people dead and getting away with it, do I?
Re: (Score:2)
They're mutually exclusive; releasing info showing things happening has nothing to do with releasing info with names of people who are still in a sensitive location that would be in danger should information be released.
Thus, why I said he shouldn't be charged for releasing information in general but only if what he released endangered the lives of people.
Re: (Score:2)
I disagree.
The dumbass essentially self-jailed himself for 7 years. Most of the things he's accused of would have sentences less than that in the countries he committed them in.
Let him go with no charges, no more trials, and make him feel like a dunce for wasting that much of his life. That's an extra sweet bit of punishment on top of what he already accepted for himself.
Not all punishment needs to be clinical and proscribed. I'm ok with creative punishment, and even better if someone self-punishes accident
Re: Face the charges (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
RATM was right about everything (Score:2)
He turned the power to the have-nots, and then came the shot!
(Or in this case, jail.)
My answer is "Sort of, and his cat, too!" (Score:2, Insightful)
I actually think it's a relatively improved use of the Slashdot poll to use the poll to address more thoughtful topics such as this one. The original story fell off the front page too quickly. This comment is basically my slightly considered analysis of the situation. (Then I'll look at the other comments to see if anyone else is thinking along similar lines.)
First of all, I think Assange is guilty of two slightly original sins, but neither of them should be punished by jail time or otherwise.
(1) Bad journa
Re: (Score:2)
Hmm... Apparently a controversial comment, but no suggested improvements or points of disagreement?
Missing option: What about the cat? (Score:2)
Per my longer comment on the victimization of the cat as a new hostage, I think the missing "happy ending" option is:
Let the cat adopt Cowboy Neal.
Weird bug in the poll? (Score:2)
If you click on "Comments Filter" options, it normally takes you to that category of comment, based on the primary moderation and ignoring the total points. If there is no comment in that category, it shows no comments, which is a reasonable response. That works for the comments on the stories and the polls, except... Right now when I click on the category "Interesting" it jumps to the "All" setting and shows all the comments (with scores above my filter setting).
Hmm... I should test to see if anything has
Re: (Score:2)
Correction in the bug report: It does NOT filter for total score when it is in the weird state. All of the comments appear. At first I thought that meant it was confused about all of the comments having become interesting, but now I have no idea...
Re: (Score:2)
Confirmed that the problem does not affect comments on regular stories, either for the "Interesting" tab acting like "All" or for the display of low-score comments.
Audacity (Score:2)
If I might rephrase the question to "if I would perform a citizen's arrest seeing him sitting in a park?" Well I frankly do not know. I think his actions caused more harm than good and I do not mean Clinton's mails, he caused worldwide harm, in several different countries. He is reckless, irresponsible and caused freedom of information to gain a bad reputation in general public's eye, which is more important t
Re: (Score:2)
Present time Watergate? (Score:1)
With today's age laws and practices it is impossible to do any kind of investigative journalism regarding government's wrongdoing.
How would journalist protect it's sources without ending in jail and/or their publications closed?
A fair, legal and public trial ... (Score:2)
... in front of an international court that has the power and authority to put US imperialistic tendencies into perspective and account for them in this special case.
If they conclude jail tone is due (probably on probation) I'd say that's the best we can do.
These two cents come courtesy of Captain Obvious.
I think it should be up to a fair trial (Score:2)
I'm sure as hell not going to pass sentence on him based solely on what I've read in the media; that's no way to judge anybody.
Not if he's convicted of crimes (Score:2)
He's already proclaimed that he is an activist and haxor and not really a journalist. If he's stupid enough to be caught doing crimes and arrested (and being thrown out of an embassy giving him shelter!), then, sorry... due process for you! I was a fan of Wikileaks until it became all about Assange... I thought it was supposed to be about a popular movement for transparency and justice, not an egotistical nut-job spinning conspiracy theories.
Punishing Whistleblowers (Score:3)
Talk about straining at a gnat and swallowing a camel! The people who are so hot on throwing the book at Assange (and Manning before him) seem utterly uninterested in punishing the people who committed the war crimes Manning uncovered.
Julian Assange is probably not alive anymore (Score:1)
ntr
Re: (Score:2)
I don't think anyone want to execute the whole government and most likely all the still living members of the previous governments.
Re: (Score:3)
I mean.. does it realy seem like a bad idea?
Re: (Score:1)
Well, it's not really necessary, and it does release an inordinate amount of carbon into the atmosphere, unless you quickly bury the body. We could just vote them out and be done with them. A mere push of the button, and *poof*
Re: (Score:2)
It sounds like a good idea, but it hasn't worked in well over 100 years.
Re: (Score:1)
It works just fine. The people that win the vote occupy the office. That's the way it's supposed to be. Whatever flaws you see are much closer than they appear.
Re: (Score:2)
Similarly I had no sympathy for the attention whore, until he released the emails and helped us dodge that bullet. Thank dog!
Re: (Score:1)