There may be a ruling today on Julian Assange’s proposed extradition to Sweden to face some ridiculously flimsy accusations of “minor rape”. The threat to Assange, that the Swedish authorities will simply hand him over to the United States on espionage charges, is very real. Sweden was one of the tiny minority of 14 – the US and US vassal states – who on Monday voted against Palestinian membership of UNESCO.
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Is that the same Tracey Temple with whom Prescott was linked?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2006/may/02/pressandpublishing4
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I always wondered how that revoting speciment stayed put all those years and what it was that he had on Brown and Blair.
I don’t think Sweden is any more vassal than the UK. But it really has a very weak and politically dependent judiciary. After the Göteborg riots in 2001 some 200 people were sentenced to long prison terms, up to two years, with no evidence whatsoever, just because PM Persson said they were terrorists. Some of the accused succeeded in moving the trials to their home countries, Germany and Finland, and the courts there acquitted them readily, the German judge delivering a scathing blowback to the Swedish prosecutors for bringing such a ridiculous case to a court.
Even in nonpolitical issues Swedish courts will never judge against the state. The Association of Farmers, RLF, told my father who tried to raise a case for his native village against the state that he would never succeed, whatever his arguments were. According to them only the Supreme Court would, because the judges there have reached their carreer pinnacle and wouldn’t have the state to thank for anything more in their lives.
So I think Assange has reasons to be afraid of Swedish courts. Not because he will be delivered to the US, but because the court will do everything it can to destroy the Wikileaks, if it suits the Swedish government to do so.
Yes Mary – secrecy and lies, it all rather makes sense, doesn’t it.
“Even in nonpolitical issues Swedish courts will never judge against the state”
Just not true – google swedish court cases and you will find plenty of cases where this happens.
Was there really no criminal damage at the Gothenberg riots, so that there was no evidence whatsover against any of those who were charged? Seems very difficult to believe.
Interesting, Mark. Thanks.
Our DPM, the ex steward, gently rubbing the small end of her back whilst discussing his diary with her, folowed by unprotected sex at her pad, not something you would like to hear about straight after lunch, what billious vision.
It is so revolting that Mary has become me for a split second…. making two typos in a small sentence, I blame the sudden vision one gets of the DPM ‘trying to please her as best as he can’. 🙂
Apologies for the multiples entries of the links above. There was a problem publishing the comments on the 2nd of November!
Thank you.
Ingo, perhaps there has been some melding of consciousness, a subtle shift in the quiddity: “I am you and you are me and we are he and we are all together!” (though maybe I’ve got that lyric wrong)
Stephen, just in case you read this:
Concerning Swedish courts judging against state interests: I just quoted the Association of Farmers’ lawyer. I don’t have the expertise to tell. I suppose they have.
Concerning the Göteborg riots: There were certainly some people who committed crimes – just that the court didn’t bother to sort out who did. They sentenced on the flimsiest of pretexts. Policemen’s testimonies were treated as truths, just like this. The Finnish and German courts demanded some kind of proof – and turned the state prosecutor’s case down.
It is a shame that Swedens long support of Palestine is abandoned, especially since it only reflects the conservative opinions of the current government and not those of most people here.