The extradition hearing and pending appeal has heard argument and evidence over the procedural propriety and motives surrounding the Swedish extradition case against Julian Assange but reports out this week from Swedish paper Expressenclaim that the investigating police officer who initiated the case against Assange was in fact a friend an politically allied to one of the two accusers in this alleged case.
According to the report in Expressen, the police officer and victim had been in contact for over a year before the allegations first materialised. There is a further suggestion that the police officer in question had also posted negative commment about Assange online before his having proceeded with a case against him.
While extradition has been granted on legally (Mediabeak would argue sustainable though questionable) legal grounds - these latest revelations, if true, do call into question the integrity and credibility of the charges underlying the extradition request. Assange's private life may prove not to be angelic but that does not preclude his right to the proper administration of justice, due process and a fair hearing. Just because certain persons and their associated political forces may not like the leaks he has facilitated, does not of itself mean he is - as is being suggested - a sexual malfeasant - nor does it mean he can be randmomly charged and extradited for a not proven allegation/crime in a bid to seek to snare him into the net of a wider audience that may seek to suppress the true facts his network may seek to publish.
No comments:
Post a Comment