[GoingInsane]

What do people think of Assange and Wikileaks is a good for the world or do you think he is a villian? Also what do people think of him seemingly avoiding charges of rape in Sweden by taking refuge in the Ecuadorean Embassy?

[g_star_raw_1989]

[That Bearded Man]

I think releasing Wikileaks makes him a bit of a hero

Then again, if he actually raped that woman, I'm afraid he's a villain.

[FrescoDiMorte]

Not sure where I stand on Wikileaks divulging national secrets and what not. But as for the Rape charges as much as they could be true, I wouldn't be surprised if the government was trying to frame him as he's definitely in their naughty books.

[The_Mighty_Bush]

I think that Wikileaks is actually very dangerous and could benefit the causes of terrorism. However, the 'rape' charge against Mr. Assange is absolutely bogus.

[prog2djent]

Both.

[placebo24]

(Original post by prog2djent)
Both.

He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.

Truth be told, if he's rapist scum I'm not sure.

[zaliack]

I was caught up in the "hype" a while ago, but now he just seems like an idiot. He should go to Sweden to face these charges. It's just amazing how peoples views of justice change according to who the person is. People complain about how the rich avoid justice, by paying for expensive lawyers (Nick Freeman, aka Mr Loophole), whereas it's fine for Assange to avoid justice because he's stood up against the Government.

[prog2djent]

(Original post by placebo24)
He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.

Truth be told, if he's rapist scum I'm not sure.

The leaks on syria have, however, been exposed as downright lies, I think the only thing he is good for is American Foreign affairs.

[subspace5000]

Assuming the charges against him are true, I'm afraid I have to say villain. I hope wikileaks survives, though.

[OxfordGoBrach]

I do find it very suspicious that suddenly he's put on rape charges just as he's embarrassing governments with wikileaks. They have a motive to get rid of him of course, too. Innocent til proven guilty I suppose, but regardless of the outcome of the Sweden trial assuming it goes ahead, people will question its legitimacy. If he really did rape a woman, then yeah, obviously a villain, but we don't know if that's really true. As for Wikileaks, I haven't really got a strong position on that one, so as it stands, I don't know whether he's a hero or a villain.

[Gokul1]

By releasing sensitive cables and documents julian assange has put hundreds of lives at stake. There's a reason things like what the ambassador thinks of the chinese or sources within the taliban etc are kept secret and with no thought mr assange has mindlessly put our soldiers and others at risk. The problem is people with freedom never appreciate how much they have. Go to somewhere like syria and you'll realise how truly lucky we are. As for the rape, if they believe he has convicted it then they have the right to request an extradition to face up to these charges.

[BBQDice]

If the charges of rape against him are true then I'm Mickey ****ing Mouse. He releases sensitive documents that put world powers under the spotlight and suddenly he's on trial for rape? Very convenient isn't it...

[elitepower]

(Original post by zaliack)
I was caught up in the "hype" a while ago, but now he just seems like an idiot. He should go to Sweden to face these charges. It's just amazing how peoples views of justice change according to who the person is. People complain about how the rich avoid justice, by paying for expensive lawyers (Nick Freeman, aka Mr Loophole), whereas it's fine for Assange to avoid justice because he's stood up against the Government.

It isn't the charges in sweden he is worried about. The UK will deport him to australia, his country of origin, who will then send him to sweden. After the trial there, he will be send to the US where he is facing serious charges and they still have the death sentence.

With all the media attention, I cannot see any trial he will be have being fair and unbiased, whatever the result. The only punishment I could see being agreed by all sides as fair is if the trial in sweden goes ahead with his commuticating via video link then if he gets a punishment, doing it in ecuador. I don't see that happening though.

As a Uk citizen though, I find the UK has a stupid attitude. We, the UK, will not export to countries with the death penalty for human rights reasons but have no problem deporting to countries who will probaly go on to send people to those countries? This policy needs a redo. Also this is terrible news for international relations whatever happens.

[zaliack]

(Original post by elitepower)
It isn't the charges in sweden he is worried about. The UK will deport him to australia, his country of origin, who will then send him to sweden. After the trial there, he will be send to the US where he is facing serious charges and they still have the death sentence.

With all the media attention, I cannot see any trial he will be have being fair and unbiased, whatever the result. The only punishment I could see being agreed by all sides as fair is if the trial in sweden goes ahead with his commuticating via video link then if he gets a punishment, doing it in ecuador. I don't see that happening though.

As a Uk citizen though, I find the UK has a stupid attitude. We, the UK, will not export to countries with the death penalty for human rights reasons but have no problem deporting to countries who will probaly go on to send people to those countries? This policy needs a redo. Also this is terrible news for international relations whatever happens.

He is being extradited straight to Sweden, not via Australia. If America wants to extradite him once in Sweden, they'll need consent of both the British and Swedish Governments. If America charges him through the Espionage Act, which is the only possible way, he can only get 10 years (although I imagine that the prosecutors would argue for 100,000+ consecutive sentences of 10 years), but the death penalty does not apply for espionage. Not only that, but Sweden is also a member of the ECHR, so they would not be lawfully allowed to extradite him if he were to face an obscure law which allows the death penalty, or if he would not face a fair trial, torture or inhuman punishment.

[MJK91]

Villain.

[Mr Einstein]

Neither.

[anarchism101]

(Original post by zaliack)
He is being extradited straight to Sweden, not via Australia. If America wants to extradite him once in Sweden, they'll need consent of both the British and Swedish Governments. If America charges him through the Espionage Act, which is the only possible way, he can only get 10 years (although I imagine that the prosecutors would argue for 100,000+ consecutive sentences of 10 years), but the death penalty does not apply for espionage. Not only that, but Sweden is also a member of the ECHR, so they would not be lawfully allowed to extradite him if he were to face an obscure law which allows the death penalty, or if he would not face a fair trial, torture or inhuman punishment.

So you wouldn't put it past the Americans to lie, charge him for something minor, and then slap all the others on as soon as he lands in the US?

[SpicyStrawberry]

Villain. There's a reason things are kept secret, he had no business releasing that information and if the rape allegations are true, he's even worse.

[doggyfizzel]

Neither to be honest. He's leaked sensitive information to people who don't really need it. Sure some things have come to light but he's also endangered people's lives.

As for his extradition, that was secured before he was granted asylum so he needs to go. We can't let him leave for Ecuador. Plus its Sweden he's going to not China. If the worry is he will end up in the US the pressure is on Sweden not to send him there, not us.