Julien Assange could be granted asylum in Ecuador - a blow to the Swedish legal system?

Wednesday, 15 August 2012
As Julian Assange, the founder of Wikileaks, the online portal  which exposed through various cable releases, leaks of secret diplomatic information that really embarrassed countries including the USA, wants to avoid extradition to Sweden to face charges of sexual assault, the question we are asking is why is the Swedish legal system feared? 

The shameful thing here is that the Swedish legal system supposed to be found internationally to be fair, democratic and that Sweden is a free country with its own strong independent integrity. Otherwise, why is Assange refusing to go to a free, independent county that respect human right such as Sweden and prefer to hang around in the UK and now seeking asylum in Ecuador.
 
It is now clear that Mr. Assange will be granted asylum in Ecuador, according to a government source of that country, reports the British newspaper, The Guardian. Some authorities though are contesting the report.

According to The Guardian , President Rafael Correa has agreed to grant the Wikileaks founder asylum, who has been living now for several weeks in Ecuador's embassy in London. The Guardian refers to a government official in Ecuador.

Assange sought political asylum in Ecuador, after England's highest court rejected his request to reconsider the decision to extradite him to Sweden, where he is accused of rape. Assange fear is that the accusation is smoke screen to lull him to Sweden and then later  he will be arrested and sent to the USA, where he fears he will be sentenced to death.

According to the Guardian, the source is reported to have said that Ecuadorian diplomats believe that "Assange is at risk of being extradited from Sweden to the US, where he could face the death penalty. Assange's supporters claim the US has already secretly indicted him following WikiLeaks' release in 2010 of US diplomatic cables, as well as classified Afghan and Iraq war logs."

"We perceive Assange request as a humanitarian issue. The Ecuadorian government and Wikileaks has been in contact since May 2011 ... We see a parallel between his work and our own struggle for national sovereignty and democratization of international relations," the Ecuadorian authority said.

Assange was living in Sweden in the 2010 after having what he said to be a normal relations with some two Swedish women he was later accused to have raped one of them and sexually molesting the other.

Assange moved to England and in December 2010 he was arrested by British police but was soon released on bail. In February 2011 it was decided that Assange be extradited to Sweden, which he contested that it was a ploy for Sweden to extradite him to the USA where he would be tortured and send to the death bed.


As such he sought  asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London on 19 June this year.

Now if he was granted asylum, it will be difficult for the Swedish legal system to get hold of him, as Sweden and Ecuador has no extradition treaty.

Sweden has however not made it clear that Assange would not be extradited to the USA via Sweden. This means Sweden has not given its word to Julian Assange that if you come to Sweden and be prosecuted for the rape which you are suspected to have had, that will be the only area where you will be dealt with and nothing more.

Instead some Swedish has some legal experts dismissed his extradition to the USA as unlikely. So should Ecuador receive him, it will would be for political reasons and not for humanitarian reasons, according to Swedish legal experts, report Swedish television.
Ove Bring, Professor of International Law, told Swedish television after Assange asylum application that "No country that is the Council of Europe could extradite him to America, in my opinion. Assange is living in his  own political world, but he has no basis for that," said Brink.

So why is Sweden not making this clear to him. Why are there doubts about the Swedish political and legal system? If we are open and transparent in Sweden we should be trusted as seen and people like Assange should believe that here in Sweden they will get justice and nothing less.

The professor added that "for legal reasons Assange should not be granted political asylum because he is not threatened with death or is under political persecution or torture. I do not trust the Ecuadorian government and believe that there may be political reasons, and no international legal basis, which is behind the upcoming decision."

That the Ecuadorian president, Rafael Correa is acting this way because he has a "beef" against the United States and is very critical of the Washington government.
by Scancomark.se Team