http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/assange-to-face-sex-charges-after-losing-extradition-fight-20110225-1b7bu.html
Assange to face sex charges after losing extradition fight Julia May LONDON February 25, 2011 Julian Assange ... heading to court yesterday. Photo: Reuters A LONDON judge has ruled that the WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange be extradited from Britain to Sweden to face sexual assault charges. Lawyers for the Australian said he would appeal the decision handed down yesterday in the Belmarsh Magistrates Court. Mr Assange, 39, sat in the dock showing no emotion as Judge Howard Riddle granted the extradition request. ''I have specifically considered whether the physical or mental condition of the defendant is such that it would be unjust or oppressive to extradite him,'' Judge Riddle said. ''I am satisfied that extradition is compatible with the defendant's convention rights. I must order that Mr Assange be extradited to Sweden.'' The judge granted the extradition despite attempts by Mr Assange's legal team, led by Geoffrey Robertson, QC, to pick technical holes in the arrest warrant. Judge Riddle said the warrant was valid and there was no reason to expect that Mr Assange would not face a fair trial. During hearings earlier this month, Mr Robertson claimed Mr Assange would not get a fair trial in Sweden and questioned the authority of the Swedish prosecutor to issue a European arrest warrant. He raised doubts over whether the acts, which are alleged to have been committed in Stockholm against two women last August, constituted offences at all. Mr Robertson also claimed Mr Assange, 39, could face the death penalty if extradited from Sweden to the United States, where he is wanted for publishing leaked American diplomatic cables and many other sensitive documents from governments and other organisations via the WikiLeaks website. But Judge Riddle found that the Swedish prosecutor, Marianne Ny, did have jurisdiction to issue the European arrest warrant and he said he was satisfied Mr Assange would face prosecution in Sweden, contrary to defence arguments that the warrant was issued to pursue Mr Assange for questioning, thereby breaching extradition guidelines. The judge said he was satisfied that the four alleged offences, of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion, were extradition offences. Mr Assange's mother, Christine Assange, , said the extradition order had put her son in a ''David and Goliath'' situation. She said he had been abandoned by the Australian government and left to operate under a flawed legal process. ''You've got misuse of the European arrest warrant - first time ever that it's been used this way,'' she said. ''I would say that what we're looking at here is political and legal gang rape of my son.'' Supporters of Mr Assange claim that the case has been brought against him as revenge for the release of the WikiLeak and other sensitive documents. His lawyers have previously signalled an intention to appeal to Britain's highest courts, and potentially even the European Court of Human Rights. with AAP [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
