Assange Swedish fears 'sheer fantasy': Australia
Published: 26 Feb 13 07:49 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/46406/20130226/
Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr has dismissed as "fantasy" claims by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange that Sweden's case against him is a conspiracy to have him extradited to the United States.
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Carr told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation late on Monday that Assange, an Australian citizen, would be safer in Sweden than Britain.
"The Swedes say 'it is our policy... that we never extradite someone on a matter related to military or intelligence'," Carr told ABC television.
"They just don't do it."
"To suggest that the Swedes are after him as a CIA conspiracy to get him to Stockholm and allowing him to be bundled off to Langley, Virginia (CIA headquarters) is sheer fantasy," Carr said.
"If the Swedes had him in Stockholm it would be even more hard for the US to extradite, if that's what they want to do, than he's been for the last two years in the United Kingdom."
Assange fled to Ecuador's embassy in June after losing his legal battle against extradition to Sweden. Ecuador granted him asylum in August but Britain has refused to allow him safe passage.
Britain told Ecuador's President Rafael Correa on Monday that it remained committed to finding a diplomatic solution to the case.
Assange founded the WikiLeaks anti-secrecy website that enraged Washington by releasing cables and war logs relating to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in the biggest security breach in US history.
Correa, speaking on Sunday night after declaring victory in the Ecuadoran election, called on "Europe" to settle the fate of the former computer hacker.
"It's a diplomatic situation for which a solution must be found...as quickly as possible," Correa said.
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"The Swedes say 'it is our policy... that we never extradite someone on a matter to related to military or intelligence'," said Messrs al-Zari and Agiza. "They just don't do it.To suggest that the Swedes were after us as a CIA conspiracy to get us to Stockholm and allowing us to be bundled off to Egypt and tortured by the CIA is sheer fantasy".
Messrs al-Zari and Agiza went on to explain the huge amount of money that they later received from the Swedish state in 2011 was not compensation for their suffering. "We actually both won Postkodlotteriet" they said.
A representative of the Swedish foreign office said "Anyone who says Sweden kidnaps people off the streets and delivers them into the hands of the CIA for torture is a fantasist. We have never done that. Ever!"
The alleged United Nations' ruling in 1996 that Sweden violated its global torture ban in its involvement in the CIA transfer of Messrs al-Zari and Agiza from Sweden to Egypt was also dismissed as "fantasy". "It was all just a bad dream shared by the entire United Nations and never actually happened." said the Swedish foreign office.
He has been called in for questioning.
What a great judicial system in Sweden LOL.
If he is wanted for questioning, go and question him.
The point is, he is a threat to governments and the more important thing is to try and reduce the threat he poses. Otherwise if this was about questioning, Sweden would have gone over and questioned him.
The is no doubt that the EAW issued in Sweden did contain such a statement. which satisfied the courts. Still, the case, as presented in the media, seems pretty weak.
Whilst you may not like it 99.9% of people in Europe follow the rule of law. Unlike Ecuador for example.
They had to come up with a fake rape excuse to get Assange and punish him for daring to expose the naked hairy "butt" of the big brother..
Tomorrow they will claim that Assange leaked nuclear weapon secrets to Iran and regularly read tweets from N. korea presidents!
A real (innocent)??? man would have stepped up to the plate head held high right off the bat and faced his accusers head on.