Was the Ecuadorean granting of asylum to Julian Assange an abuse of process?

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   TrahnTheManposted 12 years ago

   Was the Ecuadorean granting of asylum to Julian Assange an abuse of process?
   
   Arguably Assange was simply abusing his political background in order to avoid facing rape charges; or are his concerns about extradition to the USA from Sweden real? Apparently it is easier for the US to extradite Assange from the UK than Sweden, fuelling the abuse...

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   KK Trainorposted 12 years ago

   I don't think it's an abuse, although I wish he would just do the right thing and answer the damn questions if he has 'nothing to hide' as he says. Embassies do this sort of thing all the time; the only problem is he will have to live there forever if he doesn't want to face justice. As soon as he tries to leave the Brits can arrest him.

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      TrahnTheManposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Won't he be protected under some type of diplomatic immunity if he travels to the airport in order to fly to Ecuador?

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      KK Trainorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Nope, only inside the walls of the embassy. Once he steps outside he is fair game.

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   nightwork4posted 12 years ago

   being suddenly charged with rape right after he put documents about the U.S. government on-line was the abuse of power. it sickens me when i think about how easily people believed these charges were real. i believe in coincidences like the next person but the chances of these rape charges being legitimate are almost nil. the moral of his story is that if you mess with the U.S. government in the wrong way, your life is going to change in some pretty horrible ways.

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      KK Trainorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      He wasn't charged by the US, he is wanted for questioning in Sweden. The two have nothing to do with each other. If he did nothing wrong then he should just go answer the questions and be done with it. It sickens me how blind his supporters are.

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      nightwork4posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      blind? he messes with the U.S. government and suddenly he is charge with crimes that no one forgive anyone for. i'm not a supporter, it just makes me sick how so many people let their government commit any crimes for "national security"

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   Attikosposted 12 years ago

   What was abused there? You ask about Ecuador but then talk about Assange, who had no power to grant himself asylum. Ecuador, on the other hand, does, and did. I see no violation of law or custom in their decision. No one questions their right to give asylum to anyone they choose on whatever grounds they want. Where does abuse come into the picture?

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      TrahnTheManposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not suggesting that there was an abuse- I'm asking if people believe that there was, and if so by whom? Assange? Ecuador? The US? Political asylum is obviously a legitimate and established protocol.

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      Attikosposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Sorry to have misread you, then. Assange is a difficult character, but no one could have done what he has without being that. I side with those who believe the US government is behind the harassment of him. That is where any abuse lies.

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   TrahnTheManposted 12 years ago

   KK is right-- Assange hasn't been charged by the US. He's wanted for questioning in Sweden. I think it's not entierly rational to say that the questioning is related to his wikileaks--to take that line of logic to its extreme, you could argue that he created the wikileaks scenario as subterfuge for his acts in Sweden, much like a defensive distraction--and I personally don't believe that to be the case.

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