All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[JackDaw]

I’m surprised the Brits give a damn one way or another about Assange and would want him gone. That makes the conspiracy geek in me suspect he has something that could embarrass the hell out of your country if it’s released. What that something could be, I have no idea.

He’s not one of the “burning issues” of the day...COVID has put practically everything else in the shade, and Brexit also constantly attracting attention.

But think most people would like him out of the country...there’s a sort of suspicion that he’s not exactly a saint, and security arrangements around him have cost many millions of quid.

On other hand some people don’t want to extradite for various reasons...for example, some believe UK/ USA extradition tends to be a bit one sided, with US making it very difficult to extradite people that we’d like to try here.

And...of course...the legal profession love to spend public money on complex legal cases...I suspect it’s that rather than him having something that could embarrass UK government that is keeping him here. (To be fair government always seemed keen on getting him to Sweden.)

[Coin Biter]

I’m surprised the Brits give a damn one way or another about Assange and would want him gone. That makes the conspiracy geek in me suspect he has something that could embarrass the hell out of your country if it’s released. What that something could be, I have no idea.

Well, it‘s the District Judge‘s decision. I‘m probably naive, but I do have a pretty strong faith in the independence of the British judiciary.

Anyway, section 92(2) of the Extradition Act 2003 provides that the District Judge must deny extradition if „the physical or mental condition of the person is such that it would be unjust or oppressive to extradite him“. She held that it would be unjust or oppressive, given the medical evidence that was presented to her, in particular evidence that he would commit suicide given the likelihood that he would be subject to restrictive special administrative measures in the US.

If anyone’s interested, Joshua Rozenberg has quoted the relevant parts of the judgment on his twitter account. The actual judgment is very lengthy

He would probably leave the UK in fairly short order if the US dropped the appeal against the denial of the extradition. I seriously doubt he would want to stay here, and would ASAP relocate himself to a jurisdiction which doesn‘t have an extradition treaty with the US. As it is, he will be detained pending the appeal.

I have no particular drum to beat on behalf of Assange, and I could be entirely wrong in this assumption, but I‘m sceptical that an appeal would be successful.

[Kirby101]

See a British judge has ruled that Julian Assange cannot be extradited to US because he might commit suicide in in US jail...that strikes me as a strange argument, because that must be true every time some one is considered for extradition. (Guess something about his mental state must make judge think he’s a likely suicide risk.)

I suppose some high principle must be at stake...but must admit I’d like him out of UK, just on basis that he’s an enormous burden on UK taxpayers, the tax money spent on him could have funded a primary school, and I can’t see any benefit he confers on UK.

Maybe the Judge is concerned Assange will "commit suicide" in an American jail. If you get my drift.

[DrNewGod]

idiotic person. unfortunately, there are millions more like her, ideologically.

there have to be legal consequences against these senators who plan to contest the certification of the Electoral college votes; and there also needs to be legal consequences to the latest stunt by 45 in his taped phone call. There has to be some kind of prosecutoin and sanction.

I've leaned toward the opinion that doing after The Orangutan In Chief at the federal level would do more harm than good. This has turned me around. This is unambiguous evidence of either a) criminal action with intent, or b) mental illness of a degree that requires legally declaring him incompetent.

[DrNewGod]

Maybe the Judge is concerned Assange will "commit suicide" in an American jail. If you get my drift.

A reasonable suspicion. I wouldn't be surprised if someone in the UK is also concerned that the US will try to hit Assange with the death penalty. I know our laws don't hold his acts as a capital crime, but I could believe some in the UK might think we'd try it anyway.

[Tami]

See a British judge has ruled that Julian Assange cannot be extradited to US because he might commit suicide in in US jail...that strikes me as a strange argument, because that must be true every time some one is considered for extradition. (Guess something about his mental state must make judge think he’s a likely suicide risk.)

I suppose some high principle must be at stake...but must admit I’d like him out of UK, just on basis that he’s an enormous burden on UK taxpayers, the tax money spent on him could have funded a primary school, and I can’t see any benefit he confers on UK.

My guess,

It's the Epstein Defense, in that Jeffrey Epstein died in an American Prison and there is still no consensus regarding who was responsible. Assange ends up in an American Prison, especially one still under the control of Donald Trump, and there is no assurance that he won't die mysteriously as well.

[Coin Biter]

As it happens, the judge did allude to the fact that Epstein committed suicide at the MCC prison. She didn‘t put it in inverted commas, though It was in the context of people committing suicide in the extreme conditions found in such incarceration, despite the existence of suicide prevention protocols.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

My guess,

It's the Epstein Defense, in that Jeffrey Epstein died in an American Prison and there is still no consensus regarding who was responsible. Assange ends up in an American Prison, especially one still under the control of Donald Trump, and there is no assurance that he won't die mysteriously as well.

That makes sense. If memory serves, Trump had soured on Assange, so yeah, perhaps there was legitimate concern that the guy could wind up “Epsteined”.

[shooshoomanjoe]

See Alice.com strikes again

lol this forum censors PDE5 inhibitors but not the n-word.

[Kirby101]

Remember, Assange was the Trump campaign link to Russia. He knows things Trump wants to keep secret.

[Tendrin]

See a British judge has ruled that Julian Assange cannot be extradited to US because he might commit suicide in in US jail...that strikes me as a strange argument, because that must be true every time some one is considered for extradition. (Guess something about his mental state must make judge think he’s a likely suicide risk.)

I suppose some high principle must be at stake...but must admit I’d like him out of UK, just on basis that he’s an enormous burden on UK taxpayers, the tax money spent on him could have funded a primary school, and I can’t see any benefit he confers on UK.

It is probably a polite way of saying they don't want to see him Epsteined. I mean, there's still a whole lotta speculation that Epstein did not, in fact, kill himself and Assange is at least as valuable dead to some folks as Epstein was. Not trusting a high value prisoner like Epstein to the corrupt, US carceral system is probably a smart play.

In short, put air quotes around 'suicide' and it makes more sense ... not that Assange is terribly stable to *begin* with.

[Iron Maiden]

He is very handsome and might be considering a presidential run in 24.

I agree.....he may be one of the few hopes for the future if the party ever tries to exorcise themselves from Trumpism.

[JCAll]

There's also the thing about our prisons having become plague colonies.

[Iron Maiden]

Trump has that itch to scratch today and wants to perform and plead his case to some Trump zombies. Oh, and maybe say something about Loeffler and Perdue before he shoves them off the stage. Trump needs his fix and they would just be in the way.

[JackDaw]

Maybe the Judge is concerned Assange will "commit suicide" in an American jail. If you get my drift.

Must admit I'd not considered that...I can easily understand judges decision if he felt there's any chance of that.