Aa
Rape allegations
Source-ninemsn
9 news
2.41pm Sunday August 22 2010
Swedish prosecutors have withdrawn an arrest warrant for the founder of WikiLeaks, saying less than a day after the document was issued that it was based on an unfounded accusation of rape.
They said that for the moment Julian Assange remains suspected of the lesser crime of molestation in a separate case.
The accusations have been labelled a dirty trick by Julian Assange and his group, who are preparing to release a fresh batch of classified US documents from the Afghan war.
Swedish prosecutors had urged Assange - a nomadic 39-year-old Australian whose whereabouts were unclear - to turn himself in to police to face questioning in the case involving suspicions of rape and the other based on an accusation of molestation.
"I don't think there is reason to suspect that he has committed rape," chief prosecutor Eva Finne said on Saturday in announcing the withdrawal of the warrant.
Karin Rosander, a spokeswoman for the Swedish Prosecution Authority, said Assange remains suspected of molestation.
"The prosecutor hasn't made a decision" on that count, Rosander said. "The investigation continues."
Assange had dismissed the allegations in a statement on WikiLeaks' Twitter page, saying: "The charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing."
He was in Sweden last week seeking legal protection for the whistleblower website, which angered the Obama administration for publishing thousands of leaked documents about US military activities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The first files in Wikileaks' `Afghan War Diary' revealed classified military documents covering the war in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2010. Assange said on Wednesday that WikiLeaks plans to release a new batch of 15,000 documents from the Afghan war within weeks.
The Pentagon says the information could risk the lives of US troops and their Afghan helpers and has demanded WikiLeaks return all leaked documents and remove them from the Internet.
Assange has no permanent address and travels frequently - jumping from one friend's place to the next. He disappears from public view for months at a time, only to reappear in the full glare of the cameras at packed news conferences to discuss his site's latest disclosure.
Assange declined to talk about his background at a news conference in Stockholm a week ago. Equally secretive is the small team behind WikiLeaks, reportedly just half a dozen people and casual volunteers who offer their services as needed.
A WikiLeaks spokesman, who says he goes by the name Daniel Schmitt in order to protect his identity, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Iceland that the "extremely serious allegations" came as a complete surprise.
Apart from the comment from Assange, WikiLeaks' Twitter page had a link to an article in Swedish tabloid Expressen, which first reported the allegations.
"We were warned to expect 'dirty tricks'. Now we have the first one," it said.
Assange was in Sweden partly to apply for a publishing certificate to make sure the website, which has servers in Sweden, can take full advantage of Swedish laws protecting whistle-blowers.
He also spoke at a seminar hosted by the Christian faction of the opposition Social Democratic party and announced he would write bimonthly columns for a left-wing Swedish newspaper.
9 news
2.41pm Sunday August 22 2010
Swedish prosecutors have withdrawn an arrest warrant for the founder of WikiLeaks, saying less than a day after the document was issued that it was based on an unfounded accusation of rape.
They said that for the moment Julian Assange remains suspected of the lesser crime of molestation in a separate case.
The accusations have been labelled a dirty trick by Julian Assange and his group, who are preparing to release a fresh batch of classified US documents from the Afghan war.
Swedish prosecutors had urged Assange - a nomadic 39-year-old Australian whose whereabouts were unclear - to turn himself in to police to face questioning in the case involving suspicions of rape and the other based on an accusation of molestation.
"I don't think there is reason to suspect that he has committed rape," chief prosecutor Eva Finne said on Saturday in announcing the withdrawal of the warrant.
Karin Rosander, a spokeswoman for the Swedish Prosecution Authority, said Assange remains suspected of molestation.
"The prosecutor hasn't made a decision" on that count, Rosander said. "The investigation continues."
Assange had dismissed the allegations in a statement on WikiLeaks' Twitter page, saying: "The charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing."
He was in Sweden last week seeking legal protection for the whistleblower website, which angered the Obama administration for publishing thousands of leaked documents about US military activities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The first files in Wikileaks' `Afghan War Diary' revealed classified military documents covering the war in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2010. Assange said on Wednesday that WikiLeaks plans to release a new batch of 15,000 documents from the Afghan war within weeks.
The Pentagon says the information could risk the lives of US troops and their Afghan helpers and has demanded WikiLeaks return all leaked documents and remove them from the Internet.
Assange has no permanent address and travels frequently - jumping from one friend's place to the next. He disappears from public view for months at a time, only to reappear in the full glare of the cameras at packed news conferences to discuss his site's latest disclosure.
Assange declined to talk about his background at a news conference in Stockholm a week ago. Equally secretive is the small team behind WikiLeaks, reportedly just half a dozen people and casual volunteers who offer their services as needed.
A WikiLeaks spokesman, who says he goes by the name Daniel Schmitt in order to protect his identity, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Iceland that the "extremely serious allegations" came as a complete surprise.
Apart from the comment from Assange, WikiLeaks' Twitter page had a link to an article in Swedish tabloid Expressen, which first reported the allegations.
"We were warned to expect 'dirty tricks'. Now we have the first one," it said.
Assange was in Sweden partly to apply for a publishing certificate to make sure the website, which has servers in Sweden, can take full advantage of Swedish laws protecting whistle-blowers.
He also spoke at a seminar hosted by the Christian faction of the opposition Social Democratic party and announced he would write bimonthly columns for a left-wing Swedish newspaper.
Im guessing there's something that falls under the Geneva Convention that would allow punishment of this guy, but I dont know.
A fish and a Croc can't be wrong! LOL
Yes I saw the croc.
On a TV footy show here they used a Mexican walking fish that also picked Julia Gillard.We are waiting now for preference votes to be counted.
On a TV footy show here they used a Mexican walking fish that also picked Julia Gillard.We are waiting now for preference votes to be counted.
I read a funny story earlier about an alligator who chose the winner:
DARWIN, Australia (AP) — A crocodile that picked the winner of the soccer World Cup has predicted Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard will be re-elected.
The saltwater croc named Dirty Harry made his choice Thursday in his enclosure in the northern city of Darwin when he snatched a chicken carcass dangling beneath a caricature of Gillard. Opposition leader Tony Abbott's chicken was left hanging.
Analysts say Australia's elections Saturday could be the closest contest since 1961 when a single seat decided who governed.
The crocodile used a similar technique to correctly predict that Spain would defeat the Netherlands in the World Cup last month. He joined an octopus named Paul in Germany, said to have correctly picked the winner for the final plus seven other games.
http://charter.net/news/read.php?id=16496474&ps=1020&srce=news_class&action=2&lang=en&_LT=UNLC_WINWU00L2_UNEWS
DARWIN, Australia (AP) — A crocodile that picked the winner of the soccer World Cup has predicted Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard will be re-elected.
The saltwater croc named Dirty Harry made his choice Thursday in his enclosure in the northern city of Darwin when he snatched a chicken carcass dangling beneath a caricature of Gillard. Opposition leader Tony Abbott's chicken was left hanging.
Analysts say Australia's elections Saturday could be the closest contest since 1961 when a single seat decided who governed.
The crocodile used a similar technique to correctly predict that Spain would defeat the Netherlands in the World Cup last month. He joined an octopus named Paul in Germany, said to have correctly picked the winner for the final plus seven other games.
http://charter.net/news/read.php?id=16496474&ps=1020&srce=news_class&action=2&lang=en&_LT=UNLC_WINWU00L2_UNEWS
Some of the leaked documents actually affected the campaigning by our major parties in the lead up to the election.They had to answer questions about what was in some of the documents,off course they just said it was not helpful to national security to discuss anything that was leaked.
What a shame,
2 more Australian servicemen have just been killed in Afghanistan it brings Australian casualties to over 20.
We fight side by side with the US,they are saying he is an Australian so maybe our government can do something.
Only problem is we went to an election yesterday and there is no clear leader as yet,looks like it could be a hung parliament,it could take days to work out who will be our Prime Minister,the last time this happened was during the 2nd world war.We'll have to wait and see.
2 more Australian servicemen have just been killed in Afghanistan it brings Australian casualties to over 20.
We fight side by side with the US,they are saying he is an Australian so maybe our government can do something.
Only problem is we went to an election yesterday and there is no clear leader as yet,looks like it could be a hung parliament,it could take days to work out who will be our Prime Minister,the last time this happened was during the 2nd world war.We'll have to wait and see.
I don't think he can. Only the American soldier who leaked it can. But I don't think we can charge a third party especially of another nationality under our treason law. Too bad. He's doing a really damaging evil thing. He is assisting the Taliban. I can only suppose that he sympathizes with them and shares their views.
This man puts not only American and Coalition forces in danger but also those Afghans who oppose the Taliban. He should be ashamed of himself. Even liberal bloggers and reporters have condemned his actions.
If the leaks are detrimental to US security can he be charged with treason if he's not a US citizen?
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