WikiLeaks founder accused of rape, molestation in Sweden

[alienlovechild 75]

Stockholm, Sweden (CNN) -- The founder and editor of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, is wanted in Sweden after accusations of rape and molestation, a spokeswoman for the Swedish prosecutor's office told CNN Saturday.

Spokeswoman Karin Rosander said Assange was arrested in absentia Friday night, and faces charges in relation to two separate instances, but she didn't have more detail about when the alleged crimes occurred or who the alleged victims are.

Assange denied the allegations in a posting Saturday on the WikiLeaks Twitter page, saying, "The charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing."

A rape charge carries a possible prison sentence, while a molestation charge would not, Rosander said. In Sweden, a crime of molestation is not limited to child victims.

Assange was in Sweden last weekend, but Rosander said it's not clear whether he is still in the country. She said police have been unable so far to make contact with Assange.

"The next step is to get in contact with him and interview him," Rosander said. He won't be formally charged until he appears before court.

An elusive figure, Assange reportedly lives part-time in Sweden. He told the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet this week that he chose Sweden to host several servers for WikiLeaks because of the country's privacy laws.

He also told the paper, in an interview published Monday, that he had been in Sweden because he wanted a safe place to go after the high-profile leak of U.S. documents related to the war in Afghanistan.

WikiLeaks has sparked major controversy by posting some 76,000 pages of those documents online last month, in what was called the biggest leak since the Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam War.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates criticized the leak, saying it would have a significant negative impact on troops and allies, revealing techniques and procedures.

Assange has defended the leak by saying it can help shape the public's understanding of the war. He said the material was of no operational significance and that WikiLeaks tried to ensure the material did not put innocent people at risk.

Assange reportedly has spent his life developing the tech skills needed to set up WikiLeaks. When he was a teenager in Melbourne, Australia, he belonged to a hacker collective called the International Subversives, according to the magazine Mother Jones.

He eventually pleaded guilty to multiple counts of breaking into Australian government and commercial websites to test their security gaps, but was released on bond for good behavior," the magazine said.

In a news conference following the release of the Afghan documents, Assange said the site has 800 part-time volunteers and a loose network of 70,000 "supporters."

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/08/21/sweden.wikileaks.charge/index.html?hpt=T1&iref=BN1

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Sex allegations to discredit someone - its been done before

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I wonder what the Swede's get in return?

Sex allegations to discredit someone - its been done before

works for Republicans. Enhances the resume for Democrats.

[Peikko 1,575]

It may be true, due process will unfold. It matters not in terms of the veracity or otherwise of the claims made on wikileaks, but I am sure someone will claim that if he can molest and rape then everything else he has touched turns to dust. Would that life were so simple eh?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

It may be true. But given the people that this guy and his group have pissed off, I doubt it. Quite a few stories like that from the Cold War era.

[Peikko 1,575]

I don't rule that possibility out either. It is reasonable to wonder if it is too convenient.

Still, one would hope that in Sweden the trial, should it come to that would be held without prejudice giving one confidence in the ultimate outcome, but in the meantime, the pot will be truly stirred.

[alienlovechild 75]

Sex allegations to discredit someone - its been done before

A warrant for arrest goes beyond a mere allegation as there has to be some legitimate grounds to seize the suspect.

Assange has defended the leak by saying it can help shape the public's understanding of the war. He said the material was of no operational significance and that WikiLeaks tried to ensure the material did not put innocent people at risk.

He doesn't or care about what happens in Afghanistan as long as he exposes one side's "war crimes". The leaks don't matter as far as the public goes, the Taliban/Al Qaeda decided to draw first blood and can't claim the moral high ground as they've rountinely killed more innocent civilians than the allied coalition. A public tired of a long inconclusive war might change things and leave Afghanistan to the fate of guys in the mountains again. I'm sure Assange will sleep soundly when the massacres start taking place as the Taliban won't document their killing grounds online and the press won't be around either.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

It's not difficult to fit someone up for a crime. On the other hand it might be true.

[Peikko 1,575]

A warrant for arrest goes beyond a mere allegation as there has to be some legitimate grounds to seize the suspect.

He doesn't or care about what happens in Afghanistan as long as he exposes one side's "war crimes". The leaks don't matter as far as the public goes, the Taliban/Al Qaeda decided to draw first blood and can't claim the moral high ground as they've rountinely killed more innocent civilians than the allied coalition. A public tired of a long inconclusive war might change things and leave Afghanistan to the fate of guys in the mountains again. I'm sure Assange will sleep soundly when the massacres start taking place as the Taliban won't document their killing grounds online and the press won't be around either.

You know him personally?

[HAL 9000 96]

Case closed.

Sweden drops rape accusation against WikiLeaks founder

Stockholm, Sweden (CNN) -- Swedish authorities say they have revoked an arrest warrant that had alleged rape against the founder and editor of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, Julian Assange.

Assange is "no longer wanted" and "is not suspected of rape," Chief Prosecutor Eva Finne said in a statement posted on the agency's official website Saturday. He is also no longer arrested in absentia, the statement said.

The arrest warrant filed Friday had also mentioned a molestation charge, but molestation is not a crime punishable behind bars in Sweden.

Earlier, Karin Rosander, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, said Assange was arrested in absentia Friday night, and faced charges in relation to two separate instances, but she didn't have more detail about when the alleged crimes occurred or who the alleged victims are.

*More at link above*

[Danno 1,228]

Sex allegations to discredit someone - its been done before

Gay man under attack..... MADHOUSE to the rescue.

[Peikko 1,575]

Gay man under attack..... MADHOUSE to the rescue.

Gay man? Who is the gay man under attack Danno?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Gay man under attack..... MADHOUSE to the rescue.

Are feeling all right?

[Peikko 1,575]

How could he possibly feeling alright with all the gay threats to his manhood around every corner? You have to be very, very vigilant in our babalonic society, gayness oozing everywhere ready to strike the minute you turn the other way

Edited August 21, 2010 by Madame Cleo

[Danno 1,228]

Gay man? Who is the gay man under attack Danno?

It was a little humor off his name... relax Cleo.