tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14857622162133341472024-02-18T17:42:51.924-08:00Professors blogg - A Swedish Blog On Human Rights For AllMarcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.comBlogger352125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-22175553629623134322014-03-15T01:04:00.002-07:002014-03-15T01:05:57.989-07:00<br />
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<h1 class="entry-title">
Julian Assange on Civil Courage, Ethics, Ukraine, Internet, NSA. Quotes from his direct sending at SXSW</h1>
<div class="entry-meta">
<a class="author" href="http://professorsblogg.com/author/artedenoli/" rel="author">artedenoli</a> / <a class="entry-date" href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/08/jassangesxsw/">7 days ago </a> </div>
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<div class="entry-content">
<pre style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #888888;">Click on image below to watch the video with the full interview</span></pre>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMZzPCFJ8xw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Assange interview 8 March" class="size-full wp-image-5738 aligncenter" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/assange-interview-8-march.png?w=700&h=410" height="233" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: #888888;">Transcripts
below based in the direct sending, synthesized in twits by @wikileaks
(and @treisoroon, @avilarenata, @professorsblogg)</span></i></div>
</div>
<h2>
<span style="color: #003366;"> </span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="color: #003366;">This was said by Julian Assange:</span></h2>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: red;">I</span></b></h1>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(@wikileaks)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://twitter.com/wikileaks" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000319005152/551a78439edcf9463de45d97db76f9f8_bigger.gif" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
At any one point in the United States there’s some 60,000 prisoners in some sort of solitary confinement.<br />
<br />
The NSA and GCHQ have been sucking up all our personal communication, and their capabilities have been doubling every 18 months.<br />
<br />
The ability to surveil everyone on the planet is almost there, and
will arguably be there in a few years. And to store that data.<br />
<br />
Historically the NSA has run its PR campaign based on not existing.
When a lot of info came out, NSA gave an aggressive response.<br />
<br />
Totalitarian dystopia in the sense that the surveillance is total, so that no one can exist outside the state….<br />
<br />
The Internet about 4 years ago was a politically apathetic space.
There were gradually developments, e.g. Anonymous vs Scientology.<br />
<br />
Harrison (UK), Poitras (US), Appelbaum (US) are now all in effective
exile in Berlin. NatSec reporters are a new type of refugee.<br />
<br />
[Answering a question about how he started] We saw that cryptography
would liberate people in a very important way. It would help those
trying to hold the state accountable.<br />
<br />
It became clear to me that one of the best ways to achieve justice is to expose injustice.<br />
When we published the manuals from GITMO, there in those manuals in black in white is ‘hide things from the Red Cross’.<br />
<br />
Just this week, Gen. Alexander making comments at GW University that
soon there’d be a media leaks bill to try & stop publication.<br />
<br />
Now that the Internet has merged with human society, the laws that apply to the internet apply to human society.<br />
<br />
We know what happens when a government gets serious: someone gets fired, prosecuted, etc. These have not happened to the NSA.<br />
<br />
The reform doesn’t appear like it’s going to come out of the govt.
Indicatitive of the deep state, the power of the intelligence agencies.<br />
<br />
You’ve got no choice. You can no longer hide from the state or keep your head down. Arbitrary justice is arbitrary.<br />
<br />
We are now all involved in it. We are all part of the state. We have no choice but to attempt to manage it.<br />
<br />
We are educating each other at an unprecedented speed. 20 year olds today are much more educated than 20 year olds 10 years ago.<br />
<br />
Yes, we have upcoming leaks, but we don’t like to give the opponent too much of a heads up.<br />
The Crimea region is so geopolitically important to Russia that they’re willing to pour immense resources into retaining it.<br />
<br />
Unless you’re involved in the system of coercive force, with money alone you don’t get power.<br />
The big lessons are not geo-strategic lessons. We were ready for that
fight. It’s more how people you trust behave under pressure.<br />
<br />
The big lessons are not geostrategic lessons. We were ready for that
fight. It’s more how people you trust behave under pressure.<br />
<br />
We’re all living in a world that we don’t actually understand. Before all these disclosures, we were living in some illusion.<br />
<br />
We are walking around constantly in this fog where we can’t see the ground. These disclosures are a break in the fog.<br />
<br />
In some ways I feel the fear more keenly, so I can perceive the way things are going in different ways.<br />
<br />
Courage is not the absence of fear; only a fool has no fear. Courage is seeing the fear and continuing to proceed.<br />
<br />
Power is a thing of perception. They don’t need to be able to kill you. They just need you to think they are able to kill you.<br />
<br />
The Pentagon in 2010 demanded we destroy all previous and upcoming publications. And we said ‘no’.<br />
<br />
We’re a small publisher. We try and test. We do not accept the perception of fear, we push to see what is the reality.<br />
<br />
<h1 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><b>II</b></span></h1>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/yy6i7bb1_bigger1.png"><img alt="yY6I7bb1_bigger" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/yy6i7bb1_bigger1.png?w=73&h=73" height="73" width="73" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(@tresiroon)</div>
Google & other big companies are in the business of collecting as much info as possible. You are the product.<br />
Q. What would you tell kids about sharing their personal info online?
Assange “It’s part of your permanent record… quite unpredictable”<br />
<br />
<h1 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;">III</span></h1>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(@professorsblogg)</div>
Swedish govt is having a lot of intervention in Ukraine.<br />
Ukraine’s ‘Orange Revolution’ betrayed the people”.<br />
<br />
<h1 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><b>IV</b></span></h1>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://twitter.com/avilarenata"><img alt="" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/439428503260241921/9Vd1vuYC_bigger.jpeg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(@avilarenata)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
“Militarization of our civilian space”, that is how Assange describes the invasion of NSA.</div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: teal;"> <a href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/full-house-to-hear-assange1.jpg"><img alt="Full house to hear Assange" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/full-house-to-hear-assange1.jpg?w=700&h=224" height="224" width="700" /></a></span></h3>
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<footer class="entry-meta">
<a class="entry-date" href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/08/jassangesxsw/">March 8, 2014</a> <span class="edit-link"></span> </footer>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-50716597095873229822014-03-15T01:02:00.002-07:002014-03-15T01:02:25.270-07:00A Swedish Extremist Right-wing “Diplomacy”? Or Bildt’s Support To Ukraine Nationalists?<div style="text-align: center;">
<header class="entry-header"><br /></header></div>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #003366;">On the extreme anti-Russian provocations of Sweden’s Foreign Minister. </span>
</h3>
<div class="entry-content">
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #888888;">And, why
the name of the Svoboda Party leader Oleh Tyahnybok has been
‘Photoshop’-bleached in the picture twitted by Carl Bildt?</span></h3>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #888888;"> </span><a href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/bildt-in-ukraine-marked.jpg"><img alt="Bildt in Ukraine -marked" class=" wp-image-5645 aligncenter" height="522" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/bildt-in-ukraine-marked.jpg?w=700&h=522" width="700" /></a></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
By Marcelo Ferrada de Noli</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am certain that many remember, at least
in Sweden, the TV scenes showing Carld Bildt participating in the
protracted Kiev demonstration. Although many demonstrators apparently
professed discontent towards the government on the issue
“EU-membership”, those were not spontaneous demonstrations. Not at all.
Those were at heart and by design anti-Russian demonstrations
orchestrated by a constellation of neo-Nazi and so-called “nationalist”
organizations supported a) by the US Embassy, and b) by a group of
hard-liners at the top of the EU, mainly represented by Carl Bildt.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For instance, in a telephone talk between
the US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and the US
Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt, it emerges that the appointment of
Arseniy Yatsenyuk as leader of the country after the coup, it was a
puppet installation by the US envoys (See the video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=CL_GShyGv3ohttp://" target="_blank">here</a>).</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Further, about the snipers-killings of
demonstrators, which was one strongest factor used to catalyze the fall
of the ex-government, it has been <a href="http://rt.com/news/ashton-maidan-snipers-estonia-946/" target="_blank">now reported it was a job ordered by the Maidan leaders</a>, which allegedly hired the snipers.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Later, however, the “diplomatic
behaviour” that Sweden’s Foreign Minister Carl Bildt exhibited in
support to the new leadership in Ukraine went really out-of-order. At
least judging from what has been widely referred in the Swedish press.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
This criticism has flourished in a variety of main newspapers. For
instance, even the right-wing conservative SvD had the headline “<a href="http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/bildts-quisling-tweet-forvanar_3327116.svd" target="_blank">Bildt’s Quisling-tweet astonishes</a>“; and in the Aftonbladet piece “<a href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/kultur/article18478974.ab" target="_blank">Monstrous hypocrisy on Ukraine</a>“, prominent columnist Åsa Linderborg writes about the comparison of Putin with Hitler:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>“It is an insult to millions of
victims [caused] by the Third-Reich, many of whom died precisely in
Ukraine, in massacres that Svoboda celebrates as its historical
heritage.”</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And it is a fair criticism. Even for
Bildt’s own standards (in my humble opinion, a “diplomatic behaviour”
that has been more devoted to represent NATO’s interests, or the
interests of global-finance such as those nucleated around the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilderberg_Group" target="_blank">Bilderberg-Group </a>and
the like, than on behalf of Sweden) his extreme-biased utterances have
been unique; and they pictured him rather as a simple fanatic right-wing
extremist.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
That cannot represent what the Swedish
people think at large. Even the conservative Prime Minster Fredrik
Reindfeldt has produced declarations on the Russia/Ukraine crisis that
contradicts or “soft down” the utterances of his own foreign minister.
Unfortunately, what is heard in the world as Sweden’s official voice, is
only Bildt’s voice.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A leaked <a href="http://ulfkristofferson.wordpress-new.tv4.se.sth.basefarm.net/2014/03/04/bildts-varning-till-eu-efter-reinfeldts-uttalande/" target="_blank">document obtained by a prominent journalist of Channel 4</a>,
showed that Bildt put forward in the closed-doors meeting with his EU
colleagues that: “EU cannot accept a Russia’s alleged right to intervene
in another country (on the reason of) their countrymen”.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In another occasion, he <a href="http://french.ruvr.ru/news/2014_03_04/Le-chef-de-la-Diplomatie-suedoise-compare-Ianoukovitch-avec-un-nazi-7036/" target="_blank">compared the former Ukraine president with the Norwegian Nazi Quisling</a>. To the consternation of the Swedish journalists interviewing him, he kept on afterwards repeating such comparison.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now Bildt has proudly twitted on his
meetings in support of the new Ukraine leadership. He even twitted a
picture. And there are a few markedly facts about this picture, worth an
analysis.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/cbildt-twitter-5-mars-2014.png"><img alt="CBildt twitter 5 mars 2014" class="size-full wp-image-5659 aligncenter" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/cbildt-twitter-5-mars-2014.png?w=700" /></a></div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #993300;"> </span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #993300;">I have made a close up of the picture:</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/bleached-name.jpg"><img alt="bleached name" class=" wp-image-5646 aligncenter" height="546" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/bleached-name.jpg?w=700&h=546" width="700" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the picture the names of Prime
Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and others ar fairly readable. But, why is
the name of the Svoboda Party leader Oleh Tyahnybok washed-out in the
picture twitted by Carl Bildt? Who is trying to avoid that his
counterpart in the Ukrainian government could be recognized? For
obviously he could just erase him from the picture; for if the picture
aimed to give prove of his meeting with Ukrainian leaders, they would
disappear by erasing …</div>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #993300;"> </span></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #993300;">This cannot be erased from History’s galleries:</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/ukraine-neo-nazis.jpg"><img alt="#Ukraine Neo-Nazis" class="size-full wp-image-5647 aligncenter" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/ukraine-neo-nazis.jpg?w=700" /></a></div>
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<footer class="entry-meta">
<a class="entry-date" href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/06/bildtsukraineextrem/">Published in Professorsblogg.com March 6, 2014</a> <span class="edit-link"></span> </footer>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-17335292584085757552014-03-15T00:58:00.006-07:002014-03-15T00:59:15.476-07:00Civilian fatalities caused by US-drone attacks significantly higher than estimated<br />
<header class="entry-header"><br /></header>
<br />
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #888888;">An injury-epidemiology & human-rights report</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
by Prof. Marcello Ferrada de Noli</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/drone_strike_victims_in_pakistan_children1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="drone_strike_victims_in_pakistan_children" class=" wp-image-5633 aligncenter" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/drone_strike_victims_in_pakistan_children1.jpg?w=700&h=477" height="271" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>After one of the 381 US-drone strikes in Pakistan</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While conducting the supervision of a Master Thesis in the subject injury epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet, <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/05/dronevictimsnr/#_ftn1" title="">[1]</a>
I came to the reflexion that the actual number of fatalities in
war-related events such as combats or air strikes, might be
significantly higher than those reported in the “body counting” sites,
also used as sources by the media.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Concretely, I realized that the figures
did not include injured individuals that died after been transported as
wounded to other localities, such as hospitals or camps. The demise
occurring after, even long afterwards, and as consequence of injures
received in the combats or air strikes. In other words, media reports on
“war casualties”– in the context of the given combat or air-strike
event which is the subject in the report – invariably refer as
fatalities only to those who perished <i>in situ</i> and at that very occasion.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The findings, which I reported at international Injury Research conferences in Vienna, <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/05/dronevictimsnr/#_ftn2" title="">[2]</a> and Prag 2004, referred the following epidemiological problematic leading to an <b>underestimation</b> in the assessing of casualties:</div>
<ul>
<li>A particular epidemiological confounding may occur when the
variables of the study are ill-defined or the conceptual extension of
the entities under study is used in a too broad meaning.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>One example is if we assign to “casualties” both fatalities and
injured victims and in the third part analysis the toll is read as only
fatalities ipso facto at the time of the referred armed clash or combat.</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Now, if the above estimating-problem is
huge referred to regular military personnel reported as fatalities, it
is just logical to conclude that such bias is higher prevalent when
referred to civilian populations victims of drone-strikes. This, partly
because of the areas targeted commonly correspond a) to countries with
poorer hospital facilities or epidemiological administrative services,
b) to areas populated mostly by poor people, that due to SEC-factors
would have lesser possibilities to have their peers’ fatalities (long
time after the injury-event) reported.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I argue that a similar situation occurs
with the multiple reports in the international Human Rights community
trying to assess the impact of drone-strikes amidst the civilian
population. The reports refer partly to civil casualties derives from
drone-attacks, and partly to the physical collateral damage in the
humble infrastructures and habitat of the victims.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On the other hand, the wider the number
of reports, the more imprecise is growing the epidemiological estimate
of drone-related fatalities or drone-related injuries at all. Also,
important media outlets and blog reports have focused on this issue.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2>
<span style="color: #993300;">Counting of confirmed civil casualties caused by US drone strikes</span></h2>
<b><i><br />
</i> </b><br />
1. The figures I present here correspond to confirmed cases of
fatalities. Hence, they do not include a further estimation referred to<br />
<br />
<div style="padding-left: 60px;">
a) victims that died long time afterwards, as a sequelae of injuries received at the strike.</div>
<div style="padding-left: 60px;">
b) victims as the result of fatal events reported as “likely caused by drone-strike”</div>
<div style="padding-left: 60px;">
c) fatalities reported as drone-strike related but that correspond to other so-called cover operations</div>
<div style="padding-left: 60px;">
<br /></div>
2. I present these figures as a “meta-estimate”, meaning that it
corresponds to calculations I made based in the public sources available
(See source down below).<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #003366;"><b>Total number of US-drone strikes</b></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #993300;"><b>N= 459</b></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #003366;"><b>Total number of casualties among civilians</b></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #993300;"> N= 1138</span> </b></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #003366;">Total number of casualties among Children</span> </b></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #993300;"><b>N= 214</b></span></h3>
<h2>
<span style="color: #993300;">Sources</span></h2>
[<i>the link-list of sources will be continuously updated. I the
reader knows of a further source, please email link to
professorsblogg@mail.com</i>]<br />
<span style="color: #993300;"><i>Human Rights organizations sources</i></span><br />
<a href="http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/amnesty-international-human-rights-watch-release-dual-reports-on-drone-strikes" rel="nofollow">http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/press-releases/amnesty-international-human-rights-watch-release-dual-reports-on-drone-strikes</a><br />
<span style="color: #993300;"><i>Media sources</i></span><br />
<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/drone-strikes-killing-more-civilians-than-us-admits-human-rights-groups-say/2013/10/21/a99cbe78-3a81-11e3-b7ba-503fb5822c3e_story.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/drone-strikes-killing-more-civilians-than-us-admits-human-rights-groups-say/2013/10/21/a99cbe78-3a81-11e3-b7ba-503fb5822c3e_story.html</a><br />
<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/world/asia/civilian-deaths-in-drone-strikes-cited-in-report.html?_r=0" rel="nofollow">http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/22/world/asia/civilian-deaths-in-drone-strikes-cited-in-report.html?_r=0</a><br />
<i><span style="color: #993300;">Research analysis and media-investigative reports</span></i><br />
<a href="http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/category/projects/drones/" rel="nofollow">http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/category/projects/drones/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.livingunderdrones.org/numbers/" rel="nofollow">http://www.livingunderdrones.org/numbers/</a><br />
<a href="http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115353/civilian-casualties-drone-strikes-why-we-know-so-little" rel="nofollow">http://www.newrepublic.com/article/115353/civilian-casualties-drone-strikes-why-we-know-so-little</a><br />
<div>
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/05/dronevictimsnr/#_ftnref1" title="">[1]</a> “<a href="http://www.ki.se/csp/pdf/Masters%20thesis%202004/Ime%20Akpan%20John.pdf">Epidemiological Bias in Assessment of War-Related Injuries During Iraq War Between 20<sup>th</sup> March 2003 To 20<sup>th</sup> March 2004</a>“.
Thesis. Ime Akpan John, MD, PhD. Supervisor Prof. Dr. Marcello
Ferrada-Noli. Department of Social Medicine, Karolinska Institutet,
2005.</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/05/dronevictimsnr/#_ftnref2" title="">[2]</a>
M Ferrada de Noli, I A John, L Svanström (2004): Epidemiological Bias
In Assessments Of War-Related Injuries: The Case Of Iraq. Safety 2004.
P. 230 Institut Leben/Kuratorium fur Schutz und Sicherheit, Vienna,
Austria. Referred in <a href="http://www.docstoc.com/docs/84208837/KIbroschyr-vers2pmd" rel="nofollow">http://www.docstoc.com/docs/84208837/KIbroschyr-vers2pmd</a></div>
</div>
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Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-15100999603464158072014-03-15T00:56:00.002-07:002014-03-15T00:57:19.273-07:00Was the reopening of the Sweden case, part of the US request to prosecute Assange by any means?<div class="site-main" id="main">
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<pre style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #993300;">– Part II of the Series "Undressing a Swedish juridical charade" –</span></b></pre>
<div align="right" style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div align="right" style="text-align: right;">
By Prof. Marcello Ferrada de Noli</div>
<div align="right" style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/dulac-clrt.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="dulac clrt" class=" wp-image-5593 aligncenter" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/dulac-clrt.jpg?w=560&h=787" height="787" width="560" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Image above: “The Emperor’s New Clothes ”, orig. by Edmond<i> Dulac </i></i><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span style="color: teal; text-decoration: underline;">[1]</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: grey;"><b>See Part I <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/02/03/dropassangecase/" target="_blank">here</a></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: grey;"><b>CONTENTS of Part II:</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Introduction – 1. The Intercept exposures
and Swedish collaboration with the US – 2. The revealing silence on
The Intercept revelations from the part of the Swedish authorities and
media – 3. The extent of a geopolitical servitude. 4. Conclusion</div>
<h2 align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #993300;">Introduction</span></h2>
<div style="padding-left: 120px; text-align: justify;">
<i>“A vain Emperor
who cares for nothing but his appearance hires two tailors who promise
him the finest suit of clothes from ‘a fabric invisible to anyone who is
unfit for his position’. The Emperor cannot see the cloth himself, but
pretends that he can for fear of appearing unfit for his position; his
ministers do the same. When the swindlers report that the suit is
finished, they mime dressing him and the Emperor then marches in
procession before his subjects, who play along with the pretense.
Suddenly, a child in the crowd, too young to understand the desirability
of keeping up the pretense, blurts out that the Emperor is wearing
nothing at all”</i> <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn2" title="">[2]</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After nearly four years of the message in <i>Professors blogg</i>
on the case Assange, my 250 analyses and articles, one book, and nearly
1,000 comments, I have to admit that the international debate on the
Swedish case against Assange is still futilely devoted to “the legal
aspects” of the case. The discussion has been made up from the beginning
around “technical” arguments, and where court verdicts or utterances of
legal folks have been paramount attraction. As an illustration, the
Swedish online forum Flashback, mainly dealing around such legal
aspects, has produced up to now nearly sixty thousand comments (N= 59
257) that have been viewed nearly six million times (N= 5 723 806). And
from the part of the Swedish press, the only opinion articles accepted
for publication on WikiLeaks or its founder Julian Assange are those
bound to contribute to the “legal discussion”, hence, towards the ever
blowing smoke-curtain encouraged to hide the real case.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Likewise, as soon the establishment’s
media monopoly prints a declaration – often repetitions – by lawyers
working for the perpetuation of the “Assange case”, the international
social media is inundated with exegetic comments trying in vain to
elucidate if any novelty might be at sight. Like when the people tried
to describe the Emperors clothes while he walked in front of them, as
blunt naked as his deceiving.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
My position is instead: there is not such
a “legal case”; it has never been. Plainly: there is not legal ground
for a prosecution of Assange in Sweden on the base of the alleged
behaviours. Arguments from the part of the Swedish prosecutors in the
form of vague insinuations of “undisclosed” reasons for pursuing the
issue of an interrogation with Assange (at the same time that they
neglect carrying out such interrogation in London) emerges after four
years as a pure and simple bluff. And this bluff shall be certainly
“called” if an interrogation ever is to be performed. Ergo, the case is
postponed indefinitely.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Which in turn is the reason explaining
why the prosecutor has first neglected such interrogation while Assange
was still in Sweden, and the afterwards deferring of the interrogation
by the prosecutor while Assange has remained in London.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Which in turn explains the unreasonable
reiteration of the prosecutor’s bluff done recently by Claes Borgström,
on that the interrogation of Assange should take place in Sweden.<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn3" title="">[3]</a>
For both the prosecutor and Borgström – and for that part the Swedish
legal establishment as a whole – are certain that, unless the Swedish
government would not issue guaranties about no-rendition of Assange to
the USA, Julian Assange will never risk travelling to Sweden.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After all, as already recorded in
History, the company Bodtsröm & Borgström, in the person of former
Justice minister Thomas Bodström, has allegedly its hands blooded with
the rendition to the CIA of prisoners kept in Swedish territory to be
transported for torture elsewhere. To the best of my knowledge, Claes
Bogström has never publicly taken stance against such deeds, or
commented his own main partner and political peer Thomas Bodström on
that issue.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So, in my opinion, what it is required
about this case’s stalemate is to shift from the time-consuming
developing on the legal technicalities that actually refer to a
non-existing “legal case”. What it is necessary is a creative
international criticism changing focus to the actual political plot and
the denouncing of its main actors. In other words, when nearly four
years has passed, may I ask to realize that, in the public march against
“Assange”, the legal garments of Emperor Sweden have never existed? <b>For
in the main, the Swedish Versus Assange case has aimed from the
beginning to disrupt the publishing endeavour of the anti-secret
organization WikiLeaks.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It emerges now clearer that the “Assange
prosecution-case” might have simply been a request from the US
government. And most interesting, the dialectics of this deception is
double fold. On the one hand explains the diathesis of the case, its
origins and bogus character; on the other hand it explains the
impossible situation of the Swedish prosecution authority. They cannot
afford to finish the interrogation, now under the world scrutiny,
because the bluff would be called of when the public will realize that
there has never been a legal base for initiating such prosecution –
after that it was dismissed by Chief-Prosecutor Eva Finné in 2010.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This being the genuine reason for the
excuse-finding series produced for the protracting of the case; such as
the last publication in SvD by politician Borgström, mentioned above.
The same regarding the bogus European Arresting Warrant issued nominally
by Chief Prosecutor Marianne Ny and publicly defended by
Prosecutor-General Anders Perklev; as I explained in a recent analysis,<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn4" title="">[4]</a> such EAW had as real<b> </b><b>target
not the detention of Assange, but the creation of an extradition
process leading to the subsequent stalemate of the case and the
immobilization of the WikiLeaks founder.</b> It is highly the time we denounce <i>this</i>
in the first place and mobilise in accordance politically. For the
deadlock of a political case can only be broken down by political means. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In these days, new revelations published
by The Intercept (18 February 2014) on US efforts to get Assange
prosecuted by allies elsewhere, confirm to a great extent main theses
that I have put forward on the Assange case 2010 and onwards.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Although the Greenwald & Gallagher
revelations in those regards are not new (for the same information has
been released on at lest two occasions in 2010, see below), this new
actualization has deserved widespread attention. Partly, for the
information it was ascribed to Edward Snowden documents, and partly
because it comes almost simultaneously with the publication by Alexa
O’Brien (17 February 2014) of a thorough and inedited documentation she
obtained, pointing to the US preparations for indicting Assange and
WikiLeaks.<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn5" title="">[5]</a> In agreement with the author, I newly republished <a href="http://http//professorsblogg.com/2014/02/25/us-investigation-of-wikileaks-now-entering-5th-year-by-alexa-obrien/" target="_blank">Alexa O’Brien’s documented analysis in Professors blogg</a>.
in In this article I discuss the above-mentioned findings and
actualizations against the backdrop of the Swedish political-prosecution
itinerary.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Finally in this Introduction, I wish to
state that my contention on a paramount political diathesis of the case
is not a “working hypothesis”, or much less a “conspiracy theory” – as
Expressen’s Editor-in-Chief Tomas Matson referred to my standpoints in a
debate with him at Swedish Radio One.<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn6" title="">[6]</a> I am a Swedish/US educated scientist, not a Swedish journalist; <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn7" title="">[7]</a>
and I am professor of empirically based medical sciences, not else.
Meaning: my analyses on the Swedish case against Assange are not other
than the review of facts as they have truly happened in the societies
involved. And, beyond opinions, I have never met a rebuttal <i>on the facts</i> I have put forward.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #993300;">1. The Intercept exposures and the Swedish collaboration with the US Department of Justice</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
On the 18 of February, based on Edward Snowden documents, Glenn Greenwald and Ryan Gallagher revealed in The Intercept <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn8" title="">[8]</a>
important evidence, in my opinion direct relevant to the Swedish case
against Julian Assange. Summarizing the news with Kevin Gosztolas
headline in The Dissident; <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn9" title="">[9]</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<b><i>“Manhunting Timeline’ Further Suggests US Pressured Countriesto Prosecute WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief”. </i></b></div>
<div align="center">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Accurately, the Snowden document referred
by Kevin Gosztolas stated the following (the full document has not been
available, to the best of my knowledge; the excerpt is contained in the
above referred article by Greenwald & Gallagher):</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“The United States on 10 August urged
other nations with forces in Afghanistan, including Australia, United
Kingdom and Germany, to consider filing criminal charges against Julian
Assange, founder of the rogue WikiLeaks Internet website and responsible
for the unauthorized publication of over 70,000 classified documents
covering the war in Afghanistan. The documents may have been provided to
WikiLeaks by Army Private First Class Bradley Manning. The appeal
exemplifies the start of an international effort to focus the legal
element of national power upon non-state actor Assange and the human
network that supports WikiLeaks.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It should be clarified, as also is stated
in The Intercept article, that findings refers to an early publication,
or “scoop”, done by Philip Shenon, former NYT investigative reporter.
He published his report on US urging allies hounding Julian Assange and
WikiLeaks already on the 10 of June 2010, in the Dailybeast.<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn10" title="">[10]</a></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: #003366;">a)
The first thing striking me was that the communication in which the US
government urged certain countries to initiate a prosecuting against
Assange was directed to “other nations (than the US) with forces in
Afghanistan”. Ergo, this includes Sweden, unmistakably.</span></b></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is an item not been highlighted by
the above-cited articles of Greenwald & Gallagher, or Gosztolas, or
by the article reproducing the interviews of Michael Ratner, President
Emeritus of the Centre for Constitutional Rights on the recent exposures
based on the Edward Snowden documents.<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn11" title="">[11]</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In fact, the press secretary of the
Swedish Foreign Office, Anders Jörle, was asked by that time (8
September 2010) whether they have been contacted by the US on the stance
Sweden should be held about WikiLeaks. Most interesting I that the
answer provided by the Foreign Office representative did NOT deny a
contact from the US government’s on any such request to Sweden. He only
said that no contact has been carried out on the issue between USA and
officials the Swedish Foreign ministry “through the official channels”.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The said interview was conducted by Expressen’s journalist Oscar Joulander and published on September 8<sup>th</sup>, 2010. I quote from the Expressen’s report:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“They have not been in contact with us
through the official channels in Stockholm or at the embassy in
Washington”, says the Foreign Office spokesman Anders Jörle”. <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn12" title="">[12]</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But this is exactly what WikiLeaks
denounced in the Diplomatic Cables on Sweden: that the contacts on
matters of Intelligence operations between the US Government and the
officials at both the Swedish ministries of Justice and of Foreign
Affairs were conducted “in secret”, and even hidden from the Parliament.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the context, we shall consider that
Sweden represent for the US government the staunchest ally in Europe
(together with he UK) in that kind of operations. Regarding which
countries are “closest allies” in Intelligence operations is not any
longer a guessing. They were exposed initially as the “Five eyes”
countries. However, some moths ago it emerged that Sweden has been in
fact the secretly closest collaborationist European country of the Bush
and Obama government. Sweden has during last times repeatedly been
referred in the international media as to “the Sixth Eye” of the SIGINT
alliance under US command.<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn13" title="">[13]</a></div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: #003366;">b)
The second aspect being that this request to these countries (including
Sweden) was put forward on the 10 of August 2010. It would be enough for
the reader to check the document “Affidavit of Julian Paul Assange” to
realize the timing of the request from the US to Sweden and the timeline
of its implementation.</span></b></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is well-known that on the 20 of August, only ten days after the above-referred date, <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn14" title="">[14]</a>
Expressen published the “scoop” that Assange has been “arrested for
rape”. Expressen interviewed Maria Häljebo Kjellstrand, the Swedish
prosecutor that had issued the arresting order, and quotes:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>“It is rape, confirms Maria Häljebo Kjellstrand”</b></i><b> </b><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn15" title="">[15]</a></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But what is less known, in fact, to the
best of my knowledge never been mentioned before in the debate, is what
journalist Emanuel Karlsten “anticipated” in his article in the same
issue of Expressen on that 20 of August:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“Internet is boiling with rumours that
the US government is exercising pressure on its allies to arrest
Assange. Departing from that, and from this notification (the Swedish
prosecutor arrest order) I assume that it will be extensively conspired
about that CIA finally has managed to infiltrate even the Swedish
authorities.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Well, who was really conspiring on the 10 of August 2010?</div>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span style="color: #003366;">c) The third relevant aspect being that charges were asked to be filed against “the founder of WikiLeaks Julian Assange”.</span></b></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
That was the case all along, that the
Swedish prosecution (the “accusations”) was initiated under request
because Assange was the founder of WikiLeaks, and for the “damage”
WikiLeaks had infringed to NATO interest and in particular in exposing
the secret agreements between the US government and “neutral” Sweden. In
fact, these were the first words I published on the case Assange back
in in 2010: <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn16" title="">[16]</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“As the detention of Julian Assange is
now implemented on behalf of Sweden, it would be necessary to clarify
some issues for non-Swedish speaking audiences. Possible equivocal terms
based on direct translations of Swedish dispatches may refer not only
to the Swedish case against Assange, but also on the responsibility of
Swedish authorities in the production of the aggravating secret
agreements with American Intelligence services and that were exposed in
the diplomatic documents leaked by Assange’s organization.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The media strategists of the requested
operation skilfully mastered the item. They managed to revert its
presentation by appealing to a false notion of “all equal under the
law”. Meaning, “just because he is a celebrity he will not be excused”.
Another trick engulfed by the Swedish public, which did not realize
that it was exactly the opposite. It was because Assange is the
WikiLeaks forerunner and indicated as main responsible of the exposures.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Further, no one has cared to
statistically examining the prevalence of such “legal measures” from the
part of the Swedish authorities among a cohort of average Swedes
accused of similar behaviours, cases with about the same degree of
“evidence” or personal-affective motivation behind, as it is purported
being the case “of the two women” accusations against Assange.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But it is also an item I have been
insisting in clarifying all along. That we should not let pass
uncontested that the case against Assange is presented at the media
divorcing “the person Assange” from the fact he is the founder and
forerunner figure of WikiLeaks. This is a mistake also contained in
several interventions from the part of WikiLeaks supporters, who
unfortunately did not realise it was part of the smear-accusation
strategy. That has been the strategy assayed by Swedish journalists and
in general among the Anglo-Saxon media, separate “Assange” from
“Wikileaks”, a mantra still going strong in the social media
particularly Twitter.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
All this, but principally the
above-mentioned revelations done by Alexa O’Brien, would bring support
to the hypothesis defended in these columns (the “stalling hypothesis”)
about the protracting of the case from the part of Sweden in order to
allow the completion of the indictment in preparation in the US against
Julian Assange and WikiLeaks. In other words, the findings by O’Brien
also indicate the real nature of the Swedish case VS. Assange, as she
clearly demonstrates that <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/02/25/us-investigation-of-wikileaks-now-entering-5th-year-by-alexa-obrien/" target="_blank">US investigation of WikiLeaks is now entering its 5th year</a>. Among the findings of O’Brien:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h4 style="padding-left: 60px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #003366;"> “Other recently released emails reveal that the three and a half year old <b>Department of Justice grand jury probe was already empaneled on September 23, 2010,</b>
two months before the Attorney General publicly acknowledged an ongoing
U.S. criminal investigation of WikiLeaks and Julian Assange.”</span></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Why selecting Sweden for the Assange op?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One answer could be found in the content
of the first reports from Fox TV, the Daily Telegraph, etc., back in
2010-2011. Those reports nearly highlighted that Sweden is “neutral”,
and expressly anticipate the argument around these terms, “it is
inconceivable that a neutral country like Sweden, and which remained
neutral during the Second World War, would be doing this on orders of
another country.” In other terms, the image Sweden as a neutral country
would show the “objectivity” of the accusations and the subsequent
State-sponsored arresting warrants and extradition requests. But the
image of a “neutral Sweden” was deceitful, as demonstrated by the facts
exposed in the 2011 article “Sweden, NATO and Assange”,<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn17" title="">[17]</a> answering to Clarie Harvey’s piece in Daily Telegraph. <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn18" title="">[18]</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #993300;">2. The revealing silence on The Intercept revelations from the part of the Swedish authorities and media.</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After five days of the Intercept scoop,
particularly when the item concerning WikiLeaks and Assange has been
referred in principal international media outlets, not a single word has
been uttered by the Swedish press or broadcasting services, public or
private. This, considering that according to Google, the item referred
by the scoop of Greenwald & Gallagher to Assange and Wikileaks in
conjunction to “prosecution”, has been referred 402 000 times on the Web
so far in these five days.<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn19" title="">[19]</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The scandalous touch is given by SvD. The
paper is running today (23 of February) an extensive article in the
Culture section precisely on the theme of Edward Snowden’s exposures and
in the main context of The Guardian journalist Luke Harding’s book ”The
Snowden files”. The title is even headed “A matchless reportage on
Snowden and the scoop of all times”. <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn20" title="">[20]</a>
The article even reports expressly the launching of The Intercept,
“completely aimed at exposures based on the Snowden documents”. But
WikiLeaks is only mentioned in the article as an organization once
despised by Snowden; and Greenwald is only portrayed as a bitter
journalist “irritated that Harding has stolen <i>his</i> scoop”. And
about the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as a target for international
prosecution as described in that launching of The Intercept? Not a
word.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
It is not believable that the Swedish
media would not consider relevant to Sweden, if not highly relevant, the
revelations done by Glenn Greenwald and Ryan Gallagher in The
Intercept. I will first explain this relevancy for the Swedish scenario.
Then I will enumerate some central myths cultivated by the Swedish
authorities, the Swedish legal system and their servant media about
Assange and the “legal case”. For in these behaviors is to found the
real reasons why the media is absolutely mute about the last Snowden
revelations. For it exposes the bluff.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #993300;">3. The extent of a geopolitical servitude</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At the very same time the right-wing
conservative SvD published politician Claes Bogström’s new utterances in
support of a prosecutor authority, this time on the Assange case,
Sweden’s <i>Riksdagen</i> (the Congress) was holding its yearly
debate-session on “Swedish” foreign policy. Main actors in this
nationwide-broadcasted parody were Carl Bildt, US government informer
and foreign minister of Sweden, and Urban Ahlin, a right-wing
spokesperson in foreign affairs of the main “opposition” party, the
social democrats, party comrade of Bogström & Bodström and also a
conspicuously visitor of the US Embassy in Stockholm. <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn21" title="">[21]</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
To give an idea of the extent of Sweden’s
geopolitical servitude, it will be enough to mention that even the
staunchest pro-US newspaper in the Swedish MSM, right-wing conservative
SvD, run on the 19 of February 2014 an article with the headline:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>“USA dominates</i><i> </i></b><i><b>parliament’s distorted worldview”</b>.</i><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn22" title="">[22]</a></div>
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The article, published the day after of
the afore -mentioned debate, ensued with statistics showing the thematic
distribution of partisan</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/usa-dominerar-riksdagen.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="USa dominerar riksdagen" class=" wp-image-5764 alignright" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/usa-dominerar-riksdagen.png?w=475&h=405" height="405" width="475" /></a>
interventions on foreign policy done in the Parliament during the last
decade. But it was not clear difference among the Swedish parties. This
is the country were even the former feminist Communist Party, which
changed the name to “<i>Vänster</i>” (means “Left”), voted for Carl
Bildt’s proposition of sending jetfighters to Lybia, and most recently,
announced its support for the Swedish participation with troops in the
military occupation of Mali.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>One important aspect in this
“deformity” consisting in, according to Anna Jardfelt (CEO of the
Swedish Foreign Policy Institute), that Sweden is taking part <i>militarily</i>, with troops, in regions of the world that are not in the <i>political </i>priorities of Sweden.</b><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftn23" title="">[23]</a><b>
This military participation of Sweden is said to be implemented in the
frame of EU-cooperation. But the truth is that these operations
basically correspond to NATO design and operative command.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
No doubt Sweden has revealed itself been
the closest collaborationist European country of the Bush and Obama
government, and nowadays has repeatedly been referred in the
international media as to “the Sixth Eye” of the SIGINT alliance under
US command.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: maroon;">4. Conclusion<b><br />
</b></span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
First, there is no doubt whatsoever, the
US government approached Sweden’s authorities on the situation around
Julian Assange and the WikiLeaks exposures in 2010. The meeting in
Stockholm was reported by the Swedish press. Secondly, as reported in
both the Phillip Shenon and NSA documents (the report by Greenwald &
Gallagher in <i>The Intercept</i>), the US contacted all countries
with forces in Afghanistan with the request to initiate prosecution
against the WikiLeaks founder. As being Sweden a principal country
participating with military troops in Afghanistan, it is beyond
discussion as to whether Sweden was also among the nations contacted by
the US for that purpose. My conclusion being that it is highly likely
that the reopening of the “case Assange” by Swedish authorities on the
20 of August 2010 was part of the US request of the 10 of August to
prosecute Julian Assange by any means.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
But it is not only a design to simply
“prosecute Assange”. The meaning of the strategic design in the context
of the referred US request was not Assange as person, but the concept
was (is) to immobilize WikiLeaks. For this a long protracted process had
to be brought in place.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
See now this account of the European Arrest Warrant against Julian Assange, which I previously published in <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/02/07/rebuttingemfritz/" target="_blank">a rebuttal</a> I wrote regarding declarations of lawyer Elizabeth Massi Fritz in Svd 2014. <b>The
conclusion is evident: the real target of the EAW was not the
detention of Assange, but the creation of an extradition process.</b></div>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Assange arrived to the airport around noon, and even chosen to
change to a later SAS flight of his preferences. He finally left
Arlanda Airport for Berlin Tegel at 17.15. Latest around 16.55 he would
have gone through airport security where, with the usual heavy police
presence, staff at the gate leading to the departure hall checked his
passport (if not already checked at the desk), boarding card, etc.
Besides, the police have all the passengers lists in advance.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>According to the prosecutor office in Gothenburg, Assange was “detained in absentia” already at 14.15 on 27 September 2010. [<span style="color: #1e8ac1;">24</span>]
Normally, such order goes to all police units in the country. Why
wasn’t he detained at the airport? It could not be that they missed his
identity. Quite the opposite: because they knew his identity at the
airport desk or at the control gate, the police (or government
officials, or whoever agency was operating) managed to take the laptops
from Assange’s checked-in suitcase. [<span style="color: #1e8ac1;">25</span>] Besides, he stayed around five hours at the airport’s premises. They just couldn’t have missed him.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Assange was never informed about the “detention in absentia”.
Further, Assange’s laywer Björn Hurtig had obtained an agreement from
the prosecutor Marianne Ny that Julian Assange “was free to leave
Sweden”. [<span style="color: #1e8ac1;">26</span>]</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><b>In fact, Assange’s lawyer received the communication on the
“detention warrant” issued my Marianne Ny (the warrant that Elisabeth
Massi Fritz is writing about in connection to Assange’s departure for
Berlin on the 27 of September), as late as the 30 September 2010. This
means three days after that it was issued by the same Marianne Ny. </b></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li><b>In support of this claim I refer here to the Supreme Court
document “Agreed Statement of Facts And Issues. Between: Julian Paul
Assange (Applicant) V. Swedish Prosecution Authority (Respondent)”,
hearings 1-2 Feb 2012,. In Item 17, page 5, it reads: “On 30th September
2010, the Appellant’s counsel [Björn Hurtig] was advised of the
existence of the arrest warrant.”<br />
</b></li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>What was to be gained by the EAW?</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The EAW immobilized Assange and, to a
greater extent, WikiLeaks’ activities. In previous analyses, I have
demonstrated that it is beyond doubt that this case is political
motivated. There isn’t a genuine legal case behind the charade of the
Swedish Prosecutor Authority and the plaintiff’s prejudiced lawyers.
This is not the first time that this sort of behaviour has been seen in
Sweden.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
What would have happened if Assange had
been detained at the airport? The prosecutor would have had to
interrogate Assange within a few hours. Assange would have requested the
presence of a lawyer or that the interview was videotaped. Afterwards
he would have been released, because in terms of the evidence available
to the prosecutor, there would have been nothing new that had not
already come up in the preliminary investigation, conducted by
prosecutor Finne (who had previously dismissed the case on this
evidence). He would have never been held incommunicado, as he will
certainly be if he comes to Sweden under the extradition terms that
resulted from the EAW.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Only the EAW could have produced the
political benefits created by this scenario, which enables a
prolongation of Assange’s prisoner status. My “stalling-the-process
hypothesis” [<span style="color: #1e8ac1;">27</span>] was correct from the start.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In view of the above, I found strange
that in the last reports on the Edward Snowden documents in reference to
Assange and WikiLeaks, Sweden is omitted when referring possible
countries that would have received the reported request from the US
government to pursue a prosecution against Julian Assange in August
2010. I have not found the Swedish-connection in any of the different
interviews or articles dealing with the report by Greenwald and
Gallagher in The Intercept. Neither these authors make any allusion to
the actual prosecution efforts initiated by Sweden precisely around the
given date of 10 of August 2010, as given in The Intercept cited
documents.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In an interview given by Michael Ratner,
Assange’s lawyer in the US, concretely he declared in commenting the
findings by Greenwald and Gallagher in The Intercept:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“And what the substance of it is it says
that we have to make an effort to get Julian Assange prosecuted
everywhere in the world. And at that point they pointed to four, maybe
five countries–the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, the U.S.,
Iceland. Those are the countries that are going to go after him in. And,
obviously, there are other countries added as they go along.” <a href="http://truth-out.org/news/item/22027-documents-reveal-nsa-and-gchq-efforts-to-destroy-assange-and-track-wikileaks-supporters" target="_blank">[28]</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In fact, ONLY SWEDEN among countries with
forces in Afghanistan initiated a prosecution against Julian Assange,
in a case reopened JUST DAYS AFTER the US request to allies mentioned in
The Intercept report of 17 February 2014, on the Edward Snowden
documents.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #993300;">References & Notes</span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref1" title="">[1]</a> Edmond Dulac (1882 – 1953)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref2" title="">[2]</a> Michael Nus. ”<a href="http://www.michaelnus.com/socialmedia/the-emperors-new-clothes-and-google-plus/#sthash.EwRQ7Quh.dpbs">The Emperor’s New Clothes. . .</a>”. Michaelnus, blog, 11 Jul</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref3" title="">[3]</a> Claes Bogström. “<a href="http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/darfor-ar-ett-forhor-i-england-otillrackligt_3278840.svd">Därför är ett förhör i England otillräckligt</a>”. SvD, 19 Feb 2014.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref4" title="">[4]</a> M Ferrada de Noli. ”<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/02/07/rebuttingemfritz/">In Search Of A Solution. Refuting Elisabeth Massi Fritz SvD statements on Assange case</a>“. Professors blog, 7 Feb 2014.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref5" title="">[5]</a> Alexa O’Brien. ”<a href="http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/wikileaks/grand_jury/newly_published_secret_grand_jury_orders_and_related_material_shed_light_on_the_continuing_us_investigation_of_wikileaks_now_entering_its_fifth_year.html">Newly published secret grand jury orders & other docs shed light on US investigation of WikiLeaks now entering 5th yr</a>”. Alexaobrien.com, 17 Feb 2014.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref6" title="">[6]</a> “<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2012/02/29/professors-blogg-on-swedish-radioone-to-debate-expressen-on-campaign-anti-wikileaks/">My debate with Expressen’s Editor-in-Chief on Swedish Radio One. wich The anti-WikiLeaks campaigns</a>”, Professors blog, 29 Feb 2012.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref7" title="">[7]</a>
Swedish journalists have in multiple occasions conspired to protect the
interests of those in power. One illustration I given during the
anti-WikiLeaks campaigns of 2012 which I referred as a “Plan Z” aimed to
save minister Carl Bildt. See a) “<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2012/02/23/anatomy-of-an-untruthful-scoop-swedens-psychological-warfare-against-wikileaks-and-the-political-case-vs-julian-assange-part-one/">Anatomy
of an untruthful scoop: Sweden’s psychological warfare against
WikiLeaks, and the political case VS Julian Assange. Part One</a>”, 23 Feb 2012, and b) “<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2012/03/02/plan-z-the-latest-national-chauvinist-campaign-anti-wikileaks-in-the-swedish-media/">Plan Z: the latest nationwide anti-WikiLeaks campaign in the Swedish media</a>”, 2 March 2012.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref8" title="">[8]</a> Glenn Greenwald & Ryan Gallagher. “<a href="https://firstlook.org/theintercept/article/2014/02/18/snowden-docs-reveal-covert-surveillance-and-pressure-tactics-aimed-at-wikileaks-and-its-supporters/">Snowden Documents Reveal Covert Surveillance and Pressure Tactics Aimed at WikiLeaks and Its Supporters</a>”. The Intercept, 18 Feb 2014.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref9" title="">[9]</a> Kevin Gosztola. ”<a href="http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2014/02/18/manhunting-timeline-further-suggests-us-pressured-countries-to-prosecute-wikileaks-editor-in-chief/" title="Permanent Link to ‘Manhunting Timeline’ Further Suggests US Pressured Countries to Prosecute WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief">‘Manhunting Timeline’ Further Suggests US Pressured Countries to Prosecute WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief</a> ”. The Dissenter, 18 Feb 2014.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref10" title="">[10]</a> Philip Shenon. “<a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/06/10/wikileaks-founder-julian-assange-hunted-by-pentagon-over-massive-leak.html">Pentagon Manhunt</a>.” The Dailybeast, 10 June 2010.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref11" title="">[11]</a> ”<a href="http://truth-out.org/news/item/22027-documents-reveal-nsa-and-gchq-efforts-to-destroy-assange-and-track-wikileaks-supporters">Documents Reveal NSA and GCHQ Efforts to Destroy Assange and Track Wikileaks Supporters</a>”
Interview transcript by Anton Woronczuk. Truthout, 21 Feb 2011. Michael
Ratner (President Emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights
(CCR) in New York and Chair of the European Center for Constitutional
and Human Rights in Berlin) says: “And what the substance of it is is it
says that we have to make an effort to get Julian Assange prosecuted
everywhere in the world. And at that point they pointed to four, maybe
five countries–the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, the U.S.,
Iceland. Those are the countries that are going to go after him in. And,
obviously, there are other countries added as they go along.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref12" title="">[12]</a> Oscar Joulander. “<a href="http://www.expressen.se/1.2127308">Assange: I am the only victim</a>”. Expressen, 8 Sept 2010. Excerpt:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“På det svenska Utrikesdepartementet förnekar man att man kontaktats av USA.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
– De har inte varit i kontakt med oss den
officiella vägen. Varken i Stockholm eller på ambassaden i Washington,
säger UD:s presschef Anders Jörle.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref13" title="">[13]</a> “<a href="http://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/view/36114/swedens-intelligence-agency-has-access-to-nsas-xkeyscore-system/">Sweden’s Intelligence Agency has Access to NSA’s XKeyscore system</a>”. Info Security Magazine, 12 December 2013:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“Sweden has sometimes been called the
‘Sixth Eye’ – referring to the English-speaking Five Eyes SIGINT
alliance – suggesting a close working relationship between Sweden’s FRA
and the NSA and GCHQ. New documents suggest that it has access to the
XKeyscore tool, and has helped in the Quantum hacking program.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref14" title="">[14]</a> “…internet kokar av rykten om att USA utövar påtryckningar mot sina allierade för att gripa Assange.<b> </b><b>Jag utgår från att det i och med anmälan</b> kommer att konspireras flitigt om att CIA till sist lyckats infiltrera även svenska myndigheter. In:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“<a href="http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/emanuel-karlsten-konspirationsteorierna-kommer-att-floda/">Emanuel Karlsten: Konspirationsteorierna kommer att flöda</a>”. Expressen, 20 Sept 2010.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref15" title="">[15]</a> “– Det är våldtäkt, bekräftar Maria Häljebo Kjellstrand”. In Diamant Salihu & Niklas Svensson: “<a href="http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/wikileaks-grundare-anhallen-for-valdtakt/">Wikileaks grundare anhållen för våldtäkt</a>”. Expressen, 20 Sept 2010.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref16" title="">[16]</a> Glenn Greenwald & Ryan Gallagher. Op. Cit.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref17" title="">[17]</a> “<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2011/11/03/sweden-nato-and-assange/">Sweden, NATO and Assange</a>”. Professors blog, 3 Nov 2011.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref18" title="">[18]</a> In an article on the case Assange in <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/why-assange-is-leaking-credibility/story-fn6bmfwf-1225975926517">The Daily Telegraph</a>,
Clarie Harvey referred to Sweden in these terms,: a “proudly
independent nation that remained neutral even during World War II”.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref19" title="">[19]</a> Search in Google.com retrieved (See <a href="https://www.google.com/#newwindow=1&q=%22assange%22+%22greenwald%22+%22snowden%22+%22intercept%22+%22wikileaks%22+%22assange%22+%22prosecution%22&safe=off">searching terms</a>) 23 Feb 2014, 6:27 PM.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref20" title="">[20]</a> Sam Sundberg. “<a href="http://www.svd.se/kultur/litteratur/omistligt-reportage-om-snowden-och-tidernas-scoop_3296712.svd">Omistligt reportage om Snowden och tidernas scoop</a>”. SvD, 23 Feb 2014.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref21" title="">[21]</a>
The “shadow foreign-affairs minister” Urban Ahlin has also been
disclosed in the Wikileaks diplomatic cables. Swedish paper Expressen
published at that occasion the article “<a href="http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/1.2235648/wikileaks-avslojar-sa-ville-ahlin-salja-in-kriget-till-svenskarna">Wiklieaks discloses: Ahlin wanted to sell the (Afghanistan) war to the Swedish people in this way</a>“.
Namely, Urban Ahlin had asked at a meeting in the US Embassy in
Stockholm, that US should send to Sweden a local politician from
Afghanistan in order to tell the Swedes “affective-impacting” stories.
This would further increase the support from the Swedish people towards
the military occupation, reasoned Ahlin. Urban Ahlin has of course tried
to <a href="http://www.newsmill.se/artikel/2010/12/01/aftonbladets-och-wikileaks-medvetna-l-gner">deny</a>
that such conversations had occurred and dismissed it as “Wikileaks’
lies”. Nothing happens afterwards; he was not further questioned by any
Swedish journalist and he is still Sweden’s “shadow foreign-affairs
minister”.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref22" title="">[22]</a> USA dominerar skev världsbild i riksdagen, SvD, 19 Feb 2014.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#_ftnref23" title="">[23]</a> Id. Excerpt: <b>“Det finns också </b>en
säkerhetspolitisk dimension av den skeva fokuseringen, påpekar Anna
Jardfelt, Utrikespolitiska institutets direktör.– Flera av de
konfliktländer där Sverige deltagit med trupper inom ramen för
EU-samarbetet är inte så politiskt prioriterade, enligt undersökningen. I
och med EU-medlemskapet borde det bli ännu viktigare för Sverige att
diskutera situationen i fler länder än bara de som vi traditionellt
fokuserat på. För i och med EU-medlemskapet blir Sverige än mer direkt
engagerat särskilt i Mellanöstern och Afrika, säger Anna Jardfelt.”</div>
[<span style="color: #237fbd;">24</span>] [Information avs. tidpunkten
för arresteringsorder] retrieved from a post signed by Duqu at
FB-forum. I have asked for the original source, which will be posted
here.<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
[<span style="color: #237fbd;">25</span>] See Affidavit of Julian Paul Assange, 1. Summary of Claims, Item 4.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
[<span style="color: #237fbd;">26</span>]
UK:s Supreme Court document “Agreed Statement of Facts And Issues.
Between: Julian Paul Assange (Applicant) V. Swedish Prosecution
Authority (Respondent)”, hearings 1-2 Feb 2012, Item 13, sidan 4.:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“<i>On 14th September 2010, the Appellant’s counsel enquired in
writing as to whether the Appellant was permitted to leave Sweden. On
15th September 2010, the prosecutor informed the Appellant’s counsel
that he was free to leave Sweden.</i>“<br />
The “Julian Paul Affidavit” refers also in No 4, “Extended stay in
Sweden”, Item 113, “My lawyer in Sweden Bjorn Hurtig obtained an
agreement from the prosecutor Marianne Ny that I was free to leave
Sweden. I left Sweden on 27 September 2010.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
[<span style="color: #237fbd;">27</span>] M Ferrada de Noli. “<i>Operation Stalling</i>. Explaining Sweden’s Reluctance To Conduct Assange’s Interrogation In London”. In: “<i>Human Rights Issues in the Swedish case VS. Assange</i>“. Libertarian Books – Sweden, 2014. Page 72.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://truth-out.org/news/item/22027-documents-reveal-nsa-and-gchq-efforts-to-destroy-assange-and-track-wikileaks-supporters" target="_blank">[28]</a> The Real News Network | <a href="http://truth-out.org/news/item/22027-documents-reveal-nsa-and-gchq-efforts-to-destroy-assange-and-track-wikileaks-supporters" target="_blank">Video Interview</a>. Friday, 21 February 2014 11:24 By Anton Woronczuk.</div>
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One thought on “Was the reopening of the Sweden case, part of the US request to prosecute Assange by any means?” </h2>
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<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/#comment-3311"><time datetime="2014-03-07T06:46:25+00:00">
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Many times I have asked Swedish media
if and why US wish to get their hands on Julian Assange. Some
journalist have answered me that “he deserves it”. It seems that many
Swedish journalist have taken a private disliking of mr Assange,
something I have answered back but of course never get a respond… To me
the case is obvious, US wants him, like they wanted and got, by decision
of the Swedish government, the two Egyptian-Swedes sent to prison in
Egypt 2001.</div>
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<li><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2007/11/">November 2007</a></li>
<li><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2007/10/">October 2007</a></li>
<li><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2007/09/">September 2007</a></li>
<li><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2007/08/">August 2007</a></li>
<li><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2007/03/">March 2007</a></li>
<li><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2006/12/">December 2006</a></li>
<li><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2006/10/">October 2006</a></li>
<li><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2006/09/">September 2006</a></li>
<li><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2006/08/">August 2006</a></li>
<li><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2006/07/">July 2006</a></li>
<li><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2006/04/">April 2006</a></li>
<li><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2006/03/">March 2006</a></li>
<li><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2006/02/">February 2006</a></li>
<li><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2005/12/">December 2005</a></li>
<li><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2005/09/">September 2005</a></li>
</ul>
</aside> </div>
</div>
Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-85730091538011152272014-03-15T00:48:00.002-07:002014-03-15T00:52:55.576-07:00“Martin Scorsese is accused of sexism, but his crime is artistic”. Analysis by Caroline Ringskog Ferrada-Noli<br />
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #073763;">DN, 27 Feb 2014: ‘Wolf of Wall Street’
will have on Sunday a chance of winning at least six Oscars. Caroline
Ringskog Ferrada-Noli dissects the acclaimed director’s ‘male
nostalgia’.” *</span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #073763;"> </span><span style="color: #e58756;">
</span></h3>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/dn-kultur-cover-27-feb-2014.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="DN Kultur -cover 27 Feb 2014" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5514" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/dn-kultur-cover-27-feb-2014.png?w=700&h=494" height="280" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<article>
Efter ”Wolf of Wall Street” har kritikerkåren delats i två läger. New
York Times med svans påpekar det voyeuristiska i Martin Scorseses nya
film, medan andra menar att det handlar om att skildra – och inte hylla –
den amoraliska excess som rullar förbi ögonen på publiken.</article></div>
<div id="contentBody" style="text-align: justify;">
<div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<article><div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Det som varit uppe för debatt är huruvida Scorsese fördömer
brottsligheten i ekobrott eller förskönar den. En rad fnissiga
skribenter har även tagit upp förekomsten av ordet fuck, 533 gånger
räknade nättidningen Slate till. I varje anständig blaska på var sida om
Atlanten, från The New Yorker till The Guardian, finns också en
extraartikel huruvida Scorsese följer den verkliga Jordan Belforts liv,
vars biografi filmen baseras på. Frågan är: Kan verkligheten vara så
sjuk som den framställs i filmen?</div>
<br />
<b>I magasinet Time </b>blir svaret att det var värre.
Ekonomijournalisten Joanne Lipman, som jobbade på Wall Street journal på
1980-talet då karusellen snurrade som snabbast, berättar i sin artikel
”What the Wolf of Wall Street is Missing: The Women” (30/12 2013) om en
verklighet där att gå till jobbet var likställt med att utsättas för
sexuella trakasserier.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/carolines-article-in-dn-27-feb-2014.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Caroline's article in DN 27 Feb 2014" class=" wp-image-5513 alignright" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/carolines-article-in-dn-27-feb-2014.png?w=393&h=572" height="572" width="393" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Hon påminner sig om hur hon intervjuade vd:ar, i plural, som låste
dörren bakom henne och klädde av sig till boxershorts när det var dags
för intervju. Strippor var så frekventa att det jobbiga var att någon
alltid stökade till pappren på skrivbordet, snarare än den moraliska
aspekten.<br />
<br />
Det fanns alltså kvinnor som jobbade på Wall Street på 80-talet. Men
inte i Scorseses film. Visst, horor/strippor och i stället för madonnor:
troféfruar, men deras roller är lika platta som en dollarsedel.
Scorseses brott är av konstnärlig karaktär, inte moralisk. Han brister i
det fundament som utgör filmkonsten: att skildra människorna. I stället
utmålas en önskedröm om en värld där det bara existerar män. Att säga
att filmen har ett voyeuristiskt förhållningsätt till kvinnor är en
underdrift. Han erkänner inte kvinnors existens.<br />
<br />
Men upptäckten är ointressant tills man frågar varför filmen inte har några kvinnliga karaktärsroller?<br />
<b>Som Lipman påpekar </b>handlar Scorseses film om en tid
pre begreppet politiskt korrekt. En films tema och gestaltning av temat
är två olika saker. Men inte i ”Wolf of Wall Street”, där själva temat
är gestaltningen. Scorsese reproducerar i sitt konstnärskap de ideal som
fanns då. Det behöver inte sägas, men för argumentets skull: man kan
alltså göra karaktärsroller av strippor, horor och troféfruar. Det är en
osjälvständig film på det viset. Den står snarare i dialog med den
nostalgi som berättar om den vita mannen som ensam aktör i världen. Ett
beteende som i ytskiktet av det västerländska samhället har fördömts,
dels i konventioner från FN men också i ett slags vett och etikett för
acceptabelt beteende: De flesta arbetsplatser har jämställdhetsplaner,
det tittas snett på ojämlika parförhållanden och så vidare. Till
skillnad från på 80-talet har jämlikhet blivit en norm att eftersträva.<br />
<br />
<b>Scorsese svarar </b>mot det som bubblar under den
normen, han riktar sig till de som har behovet av att få säga någonting
som man inte får säga längre. De finns, mest tydligt på internet,
anonyma sajter som Avpixlat och hos mindre organiserade nättroll som
till exempel använder dagarna åt att säga det man inte får säga i just
jämlikhetsfrågan.Scorsese är som ett sådant nättroll, fast med filmstöd.
Han använder fiktionens frihet för att fly till den verkligheten då det
fortfarande var accepterat att förtrycka kvinnor.<br />
<br />
Men Scorsese är bara en enskild regissör, det är mottagandet som är
intressant. Nostalgin handlar varken om pengar, yachts eller knark, utan
om det kulturella beteendet då begreppet politiskt korrekt inte fanns.<br />
<br />
Filmen handlar inte om 80-talet utan om glappet mellan 80-talet och
nutiden. I det här glappet vill folk fortfarande ha rätten att säga
”neger” och flumma ovetenskapligt om hur kvinnor är annorlunda (lägre
stående) än män. Men nej, det får man inte göra längre.<br />
<br />
<b>Frågan är om det</b> är moraliskt försvarbart att göra
det i konsten. Svaret är ja, man måste få skildra dessa nostalgiska
puckon. Av den enkla anledningen att de finns. Då konstens främsta
uppgifter är att berätta om livet. Att reproducera ideal är något annat,
jag tror det kallas populism. Att göra endimensionella karaktärer av
kvinnor, bögar och rasifierade, ja av alla som hotar rådande norm – det
är bara dålig konst.<br />
<br /></div>
</article>
</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Caroline Ringskog Ferrada-Noli</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
* “På söndag har ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ chans att vinna minst sex
Oscars. Caroline Ringskog Ferrada-Noli dissekerar den hyllade
regissörens manliga nostalgi.”Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-18610940213654466902014-03-15T00:45:00.003-07:002014-03-15T00:46:26.667-07:00Doctoral assessment of Julian Assange quite different from Mr. O’Hagan’s<br />
<br />
<header class="entry-header">
<h1 class="entry-title">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">February 27, 2014</span>
</h1>
</header>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #003366;">I met
Julian Assange personally, in London. The visit had a private character
with no particular agenda. We spend great part of a day in talks.
Shortly thereafter I published my impressions in <i>Newsmill</i>, Sweden<i>.</i>
Here I reproduce the that analysis, partly referred to the political
impact and historical significance of the organization founded by
Assange, and also referred to my personal appraisal on some Julian
Assange’s character features. My assessment differs radically from Mr.
O’Hagan’s.<br />
</span></h3>
<h1 align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/wjainlondon.png"><img alt="wJAinLondon" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-5508" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/wjainlondon.png?w=700&h=445" height="253" width="400" /></a></h1>
<h1>
Historical Meaning Of Wikileaks, And Swedish Myths On Julian Assange</h1>
<i>In discussing “julian assange”, the main stream media –
particularly in sweden – have seemingly neglected informing the public
concerning a most relevant fact: wikileaks – the organization founded
and led by editor and journalist julian assange inspired not only a
democracy-vital whistleblowing undertaking, but also an international
movement probed effective during 2011-2012 in questioning power, or even
contributed changing governments.</i><br />
__________________________________________________________<br />
This new social force, armed with a distinct liberationist political
philosophy, has now converted into a political force and thus played a
determinant role in the catharsis of the North African revolutions or a
variety of unrests in the Middle East. Also, this modern equation
(Cyber-media and communication in conjunction with a re-emerging
questioning for democratic rule, across borders) had a pivotal <a href="http://wlcentral.org/node/2392">influence in the Occupy movement</a>
in Western Europe or the US, and in the re-emergent student movement in
Latin America. However, this international wave of modern
whistleblowing and political protest was not assayed in
consensus-Sweden, neither analysed in the MSM. Instead of taking up this
vital discussion on the meaning of WikeLeaks for the democratic
process, Swedish readers have been depleted a) partly with a negative
myth building around Julian Assange’s personality, and b) partly with
deceiving information on the “legal” case.<br />
<h1 align="center">
<span style="color: red;"><b>I</b></span></h1>
<br />
<h2 align="center">
<span style="color: grey;">Liberationist meaning of WikiLeaks</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
To be <i>radical</i> (from <i>radix</i> =
root) is to understand and solve problems in the roots of society. For
humanists, the root of society is man himself [3]. Radicals in the
history of mankind have acted upon progress in numerous societal
spheres. Classically considered, these have been mainly science and
philosophy, religions issues, and politics.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I would say that the first great radical I
was aware of in my upbringing is Prometheus, the one who stole the
secret of Gods’ domination upon men, the fire, and exposed such
revelation to all humans in earth. When the liberation fighters appealed
to Prometheus during the Greek War of Independence 1821-1832 they did
so thinking in his great political action, not in his personal
attributes such as his white or long hair, as depicted by the artist.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Reflecting on such determinant impact of Prometheus’s action for the progress in history (he made possible <i>dmokratía</i>
on earth, says the legend), I would say his symbolic deed set the path
for what progressive radicalism is, and that is the kind of relevant
role which in this very epoch has assumed the WikiLeaks organization
founded by Julian Assange, an by extension whistle-blower hero Bradley
Manning, Edward Snowden and all those that actively pursue the rescue of
democracy by means of making governing transparent.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In both cases – the mythological hero depicted by Hesiod’s poem <i>Theogony</i> [4] and the ones of the real, vivid drama of our days – their mission has been to reveal to the individuals of the <i>demos</i> the secrets of a deceiving rule (<i>kratos</i>).
And this empowerment was brought about concretely for the purposes of
combating cruel wars, political oppression, and social injustice. In
other words, it is their <i>actions</i>, the societal consequences of such political behaviours what makes the historical stature, beyond the personalities per se.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
These accomplishments have however been
in Sweden ostracized to the forgotten realm. Or they have hardly been
mentioned. At the contrary, the main theme in the Swedish mainstream
media has been to treat the <i>personality</i> of Julian Assange and
indulge interpretations – more than facts – around the legal case for
which Sweden has nominally asked the WikiLeaks founder extradition.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In other words, what the political
establishment and their media have neglected to inform the public is the
most relevant fact: The progressive political movement it has inspired,
internationally. How come that neither the Swedish press nor political
analysts have cared to elaborate on the significance of such
international <i>movement</i> represented by WikiLeaks? Or attempt to describe its worldwide dynamic?</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Social force and political force in nowadays radicalism</i></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Any organization (political party, lobby,
altruistic, etc.) acting upon the political phenomena would have the
potential– by design or without – for eventually develop a <i>movement</i>.
This embryonic movement is not necessarily equated with the inspiring
organization’s primary goals neither with the ideology of its leaders or
members. This “political mutation” – the transition of an organization
towards an ample political movement – is phenomena actively sought by
such organizations (such as our old revolutionary organizations that
pursued the formations of fronts) or simply are brought about
spontaneously thanks to “objective premises”; meaning, when a new
“social force” has grown in the political arena. These are often social
groups or individuals disengaged from traditional political parties
insofar those parties are not any longer considered to represent their
interests. Eventually, they would identify the strategic goals of a
given emergent (inspiring) organization with the tactical goals
corresponding to their crucial every-day needs and experiences.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For instance, inquiring into the Swedish
panorama, we find vast number of individuals that experience grievances
against their private and civil rights from the part of the government
and state institutions. These measures may have a base in legislation.
However, it is highly discussible whether the citizens’ opinions in some
concrete issues (for example, respect of privacy in cyber
communication) are taken into account during the legislation processes.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In fact, the Swedish praxis may consist rather in the searching of <i>consensus</i>
by all political parties. However – as I have expressed elsewhere –
“consensus” in Sweden is not the searching for homogeneity of opinions,
but a bargaining of interests. And when economic or geopolitical
interests are – as they are often – entangled in such political trading,
the “positions” of the political parties appear further alienated from
both their ideological principles (for which they got their votes) and
the interests of the individuals or consumers. All this was exemplary
demonstrated by all the political actors in the Swedish Parliament
during the discussion and promulgation of the surveillance legislation
(FRA-lagen), the IPRED discussions, etc. See for instance “<a href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2008_09_22_archive.html">Debating Sweden’s surveillance legislation. <i>FRA-lagen</i> against civil liberties</a>“.<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/02/27/unreal-ohagans-ja/#_ftn1" title="">[1]</a> [4]</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This modern equation (Cyber-media and
communication in conjunction with a re-emerging questioning for
democratic rule, across borders) had a pivotal influence in the Occupy
movement in Western Europe or the US, and in the re-emergent student
movement in Latin America. And it will come sooner or <i>later</i> to
Sweden, as it was with the 68’s world’s movement (arriving in Sweden in
the 70′s). The question is also what organization, or what type of
movement will be the channel. Internationally considered, the protesters
have sought inspiration in the organization WikiLeaks and its main
demand for transparency in governing. In Sweden, in those regards there
is a political vacuum and the political scenario looks more like an open
question. Perhaps the Green parties could have taken such leading role,
but they missed it. Yet more incomprehensible is that <a href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/03/swedish-pirates-betray-assange.html">the Swedish Pirate Party</a> also missed that historical momentum. [6]</div>
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<div>
<div align="left">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/02/27/unreal-ohagans-ja/#_ftnref1" title="">[1]</a> <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2008/09/22/sweden-the-surveillance-law-fra-debate/" rel="nofollow">http://professorsblogg.com/2008/09/22/sweden-the-surveillance-law-fra-debate/</a></div>
</div>
<h1 align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><b>II</b></span></h1>
<h2 align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: grey;"><b>Some myths in Sweden on Julian Assange</b></span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The absolutely main question in this
context is this “What Julian Assange represents”. The answer of this
query will be often the ideological self-portrait of a given medial
culture, of the powers behind, or of the own article’s author.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In Sweden, in most of the cases, instead
of this vital discussion on the impact of Julian Assange’s organization
WikiLeaks, the readers have been depleted with a negative myth building
around his personality and often-deceiving information on the “legal”
case. Here follows a sample:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #993300;"><b><i>“Radical feminists” or feminist opportunists?</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One of the main myths spread refer to Julian Assange as “enemy of feminism”. The statement cannot be more far from truth. His <i>liberationist</i>
platform clearly comprises the struggle for equal rights as identified
by the international feminist movement. Conspicuous feminists, such as
Naomi Wolf or in Sweden Helene Bergman have expressly given their
support to Julian Assange’s struggle for justice in the context of the
Swedish case against him. Recently, <a href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/12/distinguished-intellectuals-professors.html">a letter</a>
sent by distinguished intellectuals, professors and culture
personalities in Australia to the Foreign Minister, the Hon Kevin Rudd
MP, included notable feminists of that country.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In strict ideological sense, left
radical-feminists would find in true an identification of their societal
purposes for justice and equality for all genders in the liberationist
message of WikiLeaks as well as the <i>actual</i> statements of Julian
Assange. Radical-feminists should not permit their spirit been kidnapped
by right-wing opportunists, which in the base defend a political system
opposing equality of all kinds.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
What has happened in Sweden is that a
limited number of self-proclaimed “radical feminists”, for the most part
right-wingers, have initiated or participated in campaigns <i>ad-hominem</i>
against the WikiLeaks founder, for instance the “Prataomdet” campaign
and a series of articles in the mainstream media. And that in my opinion
is NOT left radical feminism; it is simply opportunism. In my article “<a href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/09/julian-assange-as-symbolic-issue-for.html">So called Swedish ‘radical feminists’ declared Julian Assange a symbolic issue</a>”
I show among other the public participation of lawyer and politician
Claes Borgström – the instigator of the prosecution in Sweden against
the WikiLeaks founder - in paying homage to the anti-Assange
“Prataomdet” campaign.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #993300;"><b><i>The myth on “Paranoia”</i></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Another myth is centred in supposedly
negative features of the personality of Julian Assange, as they have
been invented by his detractors and repeated in the tabloid press and
even by the Swedish National Television, as it was the case recently in
the <a href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/11/further-devious-reports-on-julian.html">program Agenda</a>
of 23 October 2011 which repeated without further qualification Assange
is “much paranoid in his behaviour” and authoritarian towards his
collaborators. [6]</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Previously, a notable columnist of <i>Aftonbladet</i>, Johanne Hildebrant, had written on Assange, he is “<a href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/kolumnister/johannehildebrandt/article8559184.ab">a paranoid idiot who refuses to come to Sweden to stand trial</a>”. [8]. Parallel, the tabloid <i>Expressen</i> described in detail Julian Assange supposedly “<a href="http://www.expressen.se/1.2327594">severe compulsive needs. .</a> .” [9]. And the list is long. My research shown among other (See <i>Newsmill</i> article “<a href="http://newsmill.se/artikel/2011/02/20/professor-medierapporteringen-om-assange-r-osaklig-och-likriktad">Medierapporteringen om Assange är osaklig och likriktad</a>“)
that the articles with hostile content published in the study period by
the Swedish press exceeded significantly the articles with positive or
objective/neutral content. And that among the articles referring to his
personality features 72 per cent did so by using hostile, aggressive or
detrimental terms.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Needles to say that no professionals have
ever been quoted of having such assessments, that, astonishingly, are
freely reproduced in the Swedish mainstream media.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When I submitted my <a href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/witness-statement-of-professor-marcello.html">Witness statement</a>
to the London Courts, based in the above investigation, I had not met
Julian Assange personally. My first personal encounter with the
WikiLeaks founder occurred only recently, in London December 2011. The
meeting centered around a book project on contemporary political
philosophers, but it prolonged long in the day.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And I can say that I would be happy to
extent my witness statement in order to strongly contradict the nonsense
published about his allegedly behaviour. For I guess – it is only my
belief – that my opinion would be the closest to what
scientific-research psychiatry have been in some position to assess.
And my opinion is that Julian Assange, apart of demonstrating being
intellectually brilliant, is psychologically speaking among the most
normal among the normal political leaders or cultural personalities, or
journalists, I have ever met (and I have met some deal of weird ones
too). Besides, I was also in position of witnessing for hours the gentle
fashion in which Julian Assange addressed his colleagues and staff, and
also the reciprocally respect and care.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
And regarding the “paranoia” issue, I
say, that is definitely purely smearing. An invented thing attributed to
the personality of the WikiLeaks founder by his political enemies, and
repeated by people who have never met him personally. It is just one
among other lies they have <i>sold</i> about WikiLeaks. Further, I
personally think that the so much told (by the tabloid media) security
arrangements around the WikiLeaks leader is another exaggerated
description. As and old Resistant combatant I would say that it is
unfortunately the opposite, that their security arrangements seems
rather precarious for a person whose execution has been suggested by
some prominent US politicians (and <i>that</i> is not a myth). In fact, I
personally could not see or experience any difference in those regards
between Assange’s meeting-arrangements and those of any other cultural
personality living in the open. In other words, the notion of Assange as
a “scare” or “paranoid” personality seeing “enemies” all around is
absolutely a falsehood. I put entirely my Swedish academic-doctoral
qualifications in the field (Psychiatry, from the Karolinska Institutet)
at the stake, as base for my asseverations.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #993300;"><i><b>The myth of “fearing to stand interrogation”</b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In conclusion, the smearing based on the
“paranoia” issue fits too well with the next myth, on Julian Assange’s
“fear” of coming to Sweden “to stand trial”. I have strong reasons to
believe that this might have been created as a deceiving “smoke curtain”
with the purpose of play down the <a href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/11/likely-swedish-extradition-of-assange.html">real risk of an eventually extradition</a>
from Sweden to the US. By repeating over again in the media the mantra
of his supposedly “exaggerated” and “unfounded” fear of merely being
interrogated by some prosecutor just “because” he would be “paranoid”,
the real peril of an extradition to US it makes sounding as unreal. In
fact it is very real: according to figures by the Swedish Ministry of
Justice, regarding the open extradition requests from the USA since
2000, Sweden has granted such extradition in the total of cases in which
the prisoner was in Swedish territory.</div>
<h1 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><b> III</b></span></h1>
<h2 align="center" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: grey;"><b>Epilogue. Pandora, the first ever known honey trap</b></span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
When the Olympus gods faced the fact that
whistleblower Prometheus had stolen the secret fire, Zeus ordered
Hephaestus to create a woman empowered with a box containing plagues,
and that she should be sent to Prometheus as punishment. She was given
the name <i>Pandora</i>. She was deliberately conceived as a resourceful
nasty woman and with mission that in the appropriate moment opening the
famous Pandora box – which so many plagues caused to the radical
Prometheus. All this as told by Hesiod in <i>Theogony </i>about ten centuries ago. Pandora’s programmed action against Prometheus was the first ever honey trap known to humankind.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After I met Julian Assange in London,
recently in December 2011, I twittered that, meeting him personally
reminded me vividly my encounter with Commander Che Guevara in February
1964. This comparison was instantaneously, and highly, shared by
numerous re-tweets, which indicates the widespread notion outside Sweden
of the <i>historical</i> impact of the activities deployed by the organization founded by Assange.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For it, I will finish with these remarks
of Che Guevara, which I first reproduced in my inaugural lecture “El
Sepulcro de Don Quijote” [10] when I became professor for the first time
back in 1970. Guevara’s words bear a remarkably reference to the role
of the new Cyber technique used by both WikiLeaks and the
Cyber-connected democratic fighters all along the world:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“Y Ustedes, estudiantes del mundo,
recuerden que detrás de cada técnica hay una sociedad que la empuña, y
que respecto a esa sociedad, o se está con ella, o se está en contra de
ella”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“…You, remember that behind every technique there is a society that hold it with their hands, and either you fight <i>for</i> that society, or you fight <i>against</i> it”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b><i>Notes and References</i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
[1] Christopher L. Blaskesley, The
Practice of Extradition from Antiquity to Modern France and the United
States: A Brief History. Boston College International and Comparative
Law Review, Vol 4, Issue I, Article 3. (“Conclusions I” in page 56)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
[2] Analyses on media campaigns or
psychological-war exercise are also highly in the domain of social
psychiatry, which was my original research subject at the Karolinska
Institute. Secondly, scientific (empirical) epidemiology is also
fundamental for the study of the <i>distribution</i> of given myths in a
population, such as attending to risk factors, issues of vulnerability,
culture and others. “Qualitative” studies – in which media and
so-called gender (pseudo radical feminist) research is based – are not
scientific and their conclusions not reliable. The popularity of these
bogus academic procedures in official Sweden is grounded in yet another
myth.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
[3] A Sanchez Vázquez. “Filosofía y
Cirscunstancias”. ANTROPHOS, México, 1997. Quoting early Marx’s writings
in context of Alienation Theory.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
[4] <a href="http://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanPrometheus.html">http://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanPrometheus.html</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
[5] M Ferrada de Noli,“”<a href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2008_09_22_archive.html">Debating Sweden’s surveillance legislation. <i>FRA-lagen</i> against civil liberties</a>“. Professors blogg, 22 September 2008</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2008_09_22_archive.html">http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2008_09_22_archive.html</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
[6] To give an illustration, the Swedish
Pirate Party (PP), in spite of being the first and at a time with a
great influence in Europe, refused to integrate the International PP
organization based in that their economic contribution to such
organization, as stipulated it should be “proportional” to the number of
party-members, would have “impoverished” the Swedish PP’s resources
(explanation was given to me by the Swedish PP office (<i>kansliet</i>)
in January 2011. It was an answer to a direct consultation on why the
Swedish PP does not participate in the international coordinated
activities in solidarity with Assange and WikiLeaks organized elsewhere
in the world by the Pirate parties.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
[7] Swedish National Television, Program “Agenda” 23 October 2011. The quote-exerpct in Swedish was “<i>väldigt paranoid I sitt uppträdande</i>”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
[8] Johanne Hildebrant, “<a href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/kolumnister/johannehildebrandt/article8559184.ab">Assange has become one of those he wanted to fight against</a>”. Aftonbladet, Stockholm, 13 February 2011</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/kolumnister/johannehildebrandt/article8559184.ab" rel="nofollow">http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/kolumnister/johannehildebrandt/article8559184.ab</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
[9] “<a href="http://www.expressen.se/1.2327594">Mister Assange’s defense</a>” Expressen, Culture. Stockholm, 13 February 2011</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://www.expressen.se/1.2327594">http://www.expressen.se/1.2327594</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
[10] M Ferrada de Noli. “El sepulcro de
Don Qujote. Clase Magistral”. Documentos Universitarios, Universidad de
Chile – Arica, No 1, 1970</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
–</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Published first in Newsmill, 26 December 2011</div>
Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-25620575125236217382014-03-15T00:43:00.005-07:002014-03-15T00:43:58.774-07:00US investigation of WikiLeaks now entering 5th year. By Alexa O’Brien<header class="entry-header">
<h1 class="entry-title">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">February 25, 2014
</span></h1>
</header>
<div>
<h1 id="page-title">
Newly published secret grand jury orders & other docs shed light on US investigation of WikiLeaks</h1>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: grey;"><strong>In
agreement with Alexa O’Brien, Professors blogg publishes these important
findings obtained by the author. O’Brien’s findings are discussed
against the drop of the Swedish case VS, Assange in <strong>a new publication in Professors blogg (2 March 2014),</strong>: </strong></span><strong><a href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/03/01/emperors-legal-clothes/" target="_blank">Was Sweden’s reopening of the case, part of the US request to prosecute the WikiLeaks founder by any means?</a></strong></h3>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
By <a href="http://www.alexaobrien.com/">Alexa O’Brien</a> on <abbr title="2014-02-17T10:51:59-05:00">February 17, 2014 10:51 AM</abbr> |</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/alexa-obrien.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Alexa O'Brien" class="size-full wp-image-5479 alignright" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/alexa-obrien.png?w=700" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Newly published documents, including
sealed court orders from the secret Department of Justice grand jury
investigating WikiLeaks, shed light on the manner and scope of the
criminal and intelligence probes into Julian Assange and civilians
associated with the online publisher of censored material.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Diplomatic Security Services, the law
enforcement arm of the U.S. Department of State, along with “other
elements of the U.S. government,” began investigating the unauthorized
disclosure of a U.S. diplomatic cable from the U.S. Embassy in Iceland
and its publication by WikiLeaks <a href="https://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/Classified_cable_from_US_Embassy_Reykjavik_on_Icesave,_13_Jan_2010" target="_blank">four years ago tomorrow</a>, according to the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/748337-20130805-am-fop-transcript-of-us-v-pfc-bradley.html#document/p26/a145019" target="_blank">testimony</a> of a Department of State official in charge of the investigation at Chelsea (formerly Bradley) Manning’s trial.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In August 2013, the 26 year old U.S. Army intelligence analyst was <a href="http://alexaobrien.com/verdict.html" target="_blank">convicted</a>
to 35 years in prison for disclosing to WikiLeaks low level battlefield
reports and U.S. diplomatic cables detailing U.S. complicity in the
abuse, torture, and killing of civilians in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen,
and Somalia.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am publishing for the first time, two
court orders that detail the U.S. Department of Justice’s surveillance
of Jacob Appelbaum, a WikiLeaks associate, security expert and
journalist, who has recently collaborated on articles in <i>Der Spiegel</i> detailing NSA surveillance.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Four days after Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Peterson requested an <a href="http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/wikileaks/grand_jury/legal_dockets_a/wikileaks_grand_jury_legal_dockets_and_files_subpoena_unnamed_cambridge_resident.html" target="_blank">April 2011 subpoena</a>
commanding the testimony of an unidentified Cambridge resident at a
secret grand jury, empaneled in Alexandria, Virginia, prosecutors also
successfully obtained another court order directing a U.S. based
internet service provider, Sonic.net, to turn over the Internet Protocol
and email addresses of people who had communicated with Appelbaum. See
the secret court order <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1018630-sonic-secret-2703-d-order-11dm9-applebaum.html" target="_blank">here</a> and below.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Recently released emails also reveal that the secret Sonic order for Appelbaum’s information was part of a small portion of <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/839106-20120323-to-20120327-ae-39-enc-05-judge.html#document/p1/a2" target="_blank">sealed grand jury</a> materials, which were turned over to Manning’s defense at her trial.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Other recently released emails reveal
that the three and a half year old Department of Justice grand jury
probe was already empaneled on <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/843327-20121116-ae-339-enc-01-log-of-unclassified-emails.html#document/p123/a134468" target="_blank">September 23, 2010</a>, two months before the Attorney General publicly <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/676584-019-response-in-opposition-by-usa-re%2017-motion.html#document/p6/a23" target="_blank">acknowledged</a> an ongoing U.S. criminal investigation of WikiLeaks and Julian Assange.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Department of Justice has also
characterized the WikiLeaks criminal probe as a national security
investigation. Evidence may also indicate that the case has been
categorized as terrorism related. If that is so, it raises questions
about the methods (beyond traditional criminal law enforcement) that the
Obama administration is employing against the online publisher, its
employees, associates, and supporters.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Manning, only received <a href="http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/wikileaks/bradley_manning/transcripts/transcript_us_v_pfc_manning_motions_hearing_june_6_2012.html">portions</a> of the testimony and materials from the secret grand jury investigating WikiLeaks at her trial.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The portions that federal and military prosecutors handed over pertain to <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/843327-20121116-ae-339-enc-01-log-of-unclassified-emails.html#document/p1379/a134727" target="_blank">three witnesses</a>, were <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/843327-20121116-ae-339-enc-01-log-of-unclassified-emails.html#document/p1376/a134725" target="_blank">heavily redacted</a>, and totaled just <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/843802-20120600-ae-130-sealed-exhibit-prosecution.html" target="_blank">151 pages</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The material that was turned over to Manning’s defense included the Appelbaum Sonic order as well as information from a <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20110112061516/http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/01/07/twitter/subpoena.pdf" target="_blank">2010 secret order</a>
issued to Twitter, commanding the social media website to turn over
information about individuals associated with WikiLeaks, including
Appelbaum.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Recently <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/839100-20120328-ae-39-enc-04-judge-prosecution-and.html#document/p1/a144887" target="_blank">released emails</a> further confirm that another secret court order from <a href="http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/wikileaks/grand_jury/legal_dockets_a/in_re_a_18usc2703d_order_issued_to_google_inc_on_june_10_2011.html" target="_blank">June 2011</a> (previously reported about <a href="http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/wikileaks/grand_jury/legal_dockets_a/in_re_a_18usc2703d_order_issued_to_google_inc_on_june_10_2011.html" target="">here</a>) and an <a href="http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/wikileaks/grand_jury/legal_dockets_a/usa_v_in_re_a_search_warrant_issued_to_google_inc_on_august_24_2011.html" target="_blank">August 2011 search warrant</a> (also reported about <a href="http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/wikileaks/grand_jury/_blank" target="_blank">here</a>),
which sought the IP and email addresses as well as the content of
emails from an unidentified Google subscriber, were also part of the
WikiLeaks grand jury and were similarly turned over to Manning’s defense
by federal and military prosecutors.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
What is not certain, although likely, is
if the January 2011 secret Google Appelbaum order was included among the
grand jury materials handed over to Manning’s defense. See the secret
order <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/1018629-google-secret-2703-d-order-appelbaum-10gj3793.html" target="_blank">here</a> and below.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Department of Justice criminal
investigation of WikiLeaks is broader than the Manning probe. “Private
First Class Manning is a piece of the FBI file,” <a href="http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/wikileaks/bradley_manning/transcripts/transcript_us_v_pfc_manning_motions_hearing_june_6_2012.html" target="_blank">said</a>
the lead military prosecutor Major Ashden Fein at trial. The FBI file,
said Fein, was “42,135 pages or 3,475 documents.” Manning represented
only 8,741 pages or 636 different documents in that FBI file, said Fein.
Most of the file is classified.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Recently released <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/844359-20121116-ae-339-enc-53-multiple-prosecution.html#document/p29/a134556" target="_blank">correspondence by military prosecutors</a>
detail how the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern
District of New York were also involved in the criminal investigation of
Wikileaks, along with the Eastern District of Virginia and the National
Security Division of the Department of Justice.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The August 2011, document coincides with
the FBI investigation in the Southern District of New York of members of
AntiSec, and the subsequent indictment and conviction of Jeremy Hammond
for hacking various websites in the summer of 2011 and the website of
Strategic Forecasting, a private security firm located in Austin Texas,
in December 2011. WikiLeaks later published the Stratfor emails, which
detailed how the private security firm surveilled <a href="http://wikileaks.org/gifiles/releasedate/2012-02-27-00-stratford-monitored-bhopal-activists-including.html" target="_blank">Bhopal activist</a> in India for Dow Chemical Co.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/844359-20121116-ae-339-enc-53-multiple-prosecution.html#document/p29/a134556" target="_blank">August 2011</a>
document also coincides with reports that the FBI and Diplomatic
Security Service agents were investigating WikiLeaks in Iceland in the
summer of 2011 under the <a href="http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_news/Siggi_%E2%80%98the_Hacker%E2%80%99_Talks_FBI_and_WikiLeaks_0_398051.news.aspx" target="_blank">pretext</a> of an alleged cyber-attack on the computer system of the Icelandic government.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Icelandic Minister of Interior, Ogmundur Jonasson, <a href="http://wikileaks.org/Eight-FBI-agents-conduct.html" target="_blank">reportedly</a>
discovered the FBI’s intention to interrogate an Icelandic citizen as
part of the U.S. investigation of WikiLeaks and ordered local police to
stop cooperating with U.S. agents.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Other <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/843327-20121116-ae-339-enc-01-log-of-unclassified-emails.html#document/p440/a134568" target="_blank">recently</a> released <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/843327-20121116-ae-339-enc-01-log-of-unclassified-emails.html#document/p122/a134476" target="_blank">emails</a> also <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/843327-20121116-ae-339-enc-01-log-of-unclassified-emails.html#document/p114/a134475" target="_blank">evidence</a> weekly coordination between the <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/843327-20121116-ae-339-enc-01-log-of-unclassified-emails.html#document/p419/a134562" target="_blank">Departments of State</a>, Justice, and Defense, and military prosecutors even go on to identify themselves as “<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/843327-20121116-ae-339-enc-01-log-of-unclassified-emails.html#document/p71/a134473" target="_blank">Team Manning</a>“.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
According to <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/assange-not-under-sealed-indictment-us-officials-say/2013/11/18/8a3cb2da-506c-11e3-a7f0-b790929232e1_story.html" target="_blank">anonymous law enforcement</a> sources cited in the <i>Washington Post</i>
on November 18, 2013, the Department of Justice does not have a sealed
indictment against Assange, but the investigation continues.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/world/08leak.html?_r=0" target="_blank">December 2010</a>,
the Department of Justice has been looking at the Espionage Act and
other statutes, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, to prosecute
Assange.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
A regular criminal grand jury consists of
16 to 23 citizens. The grand jury only hears cases brought before it by
a prosecutor, who decides which evidence to present, which witnesses to
call, and which of those witnesses will receive immunity.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Department of Justice does not have
to use the same grand jury to indict Assange or any other civilian that
they also used to present their evidence. While regular grand jury terms
are for 24 months, investigative material can be rolled into subsequent
grand juries.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
For most criminal offenses the statute of
limitation is five years, but for the Espionage Act, the statute of
limitations is ten. The statute of limitations for alleged offenses is
also based on the last criminal act, and could potentially wrap in all
prior alleged criminal behavior, says Barry Pollack, defense attorney to
Julian Assange.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In <a href="http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/FraudOp" target="_blank">December 2010</a>,
the Attorney General Eric Holder acknowledged that prosecuting Assange
under the Espionage Act for publishing would be difficult. The Espionage
Act was originally intended to prosecute U.S. spies, but has been
repeatedly employed by the Obama administration to prosecute
whistleblowers for their disclosures of classified information to the
press.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
An anonymous government official familiar with the U.S. investigation told the <i>New York Times</i> in <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/08/world/08leak.html?_r=0" target="_blank">December 2010</a>
that charging Assange under the Espionage Act could be facilitated if
investigators could prove a conspiracy, in other words that Assange
aided any of WikiLeaks’ sources, by for example directing them to find
certain information or providing technological assistance.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At Manning’s court martial, military
prosecutors unsuccessfully alleged that Manning was an employee of
WikiLeaks, who had “harvested” information at the direction of Assange.
Military prosecutors however, also alleged, that Assange had provided
his source with technical assistance.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While the evidence against Assange was circumstantial and Manning admitted that she acted alone, she was nevertheless <a href="http://alexaobrien.com/verdict.html" target="_blank">convicted</a> of a violation of a lawful general regulation for attempting to change the <a href="http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/137417/United-States-v.-Pfc.-Bradley-Manning/#vars%21panel=1324133%21" target="_blank">administrator password</a>
on her classified work computer. Military prosecutors had alleged at
trial that Manning received knowledge from Assange on how to do that.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
By also arguing at trial that Manning had
leaked an unclassified video of a May 2009 U.S. bombing in the Farah
Province of Afghanistan, which massacred 86 to 140 civilians, including
women and children, within days of her arrival in Iraq to on or about
January 8, 2010 the day WikiLeaks tweet:</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
prosecutors were attempting to build a case for a criminal conspiracy against Manning and Assange.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The time line of the Garani video offense dovetails with the <a href="http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/wikileaks/bradley_manning/charges/macro_timeframes_in_the_us_investigations_of_manning_assange_and_wikileaks.html" target="_blank">start date</a>
(November 1, 2009) of all known secret orders including those for
Sonic, Google, Dynadot, and Twitter– to turn over information about
civilians under investigation, including Jacob Appelbaum and Julian
Assange.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
At Manning’s pretrial a U.S. Army agent
testified that Adrian Lamo had informed them in July 2010 that he was
aware of someone on the Internet, who was allegedly attempting to
decrypt the Garani video for WikiLeaks. The FBI, said the agent, was
directing the investigation into Jason Katz, an employee at Brookhaven
National Laboratory between February 2009 and March 2010. Katz was later
fired for engaging in inappropriate computer activity.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
An internal investigation into Katz by
Brookhaven National Laboratory predated the U.S. investigation of
WikiLeaks, but forensic evidence was later acquired by FBI investigators
and used by military prosecutors at Manning’s trial.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Manning was eventually acquitted of
espionage for the Garani airstrike video, but the military prosecution’s
theory against Katz, Assange, and what <a href="http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/wikileaks/bradley_manning/witness_profiles_us_v_pfc_bradley_manning/agents/witness_us_v_pfc_bradley_manning_special_agent_mark_mander_cciu.html" target="_blank">one agent</a> referred to the “founders, owners, or managers of WikiLeaks” survives the Manning court-martial.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In December 2010, the Attorney General
stated, “It would be a misimpression if the only statute you think we
are looking at is the Espionage Act. That is certainly something that
might play a role, but there are other statutes, other tools that we
have our disposal.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
One of those statutes includes the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
. The CFAA was cited in a May 2011 <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/676543-letter-11-3-10gj3793-11-1685-letter-re-11-3.html" target="_blank">letter</a>,
which accompanied the subpoena ordering one of the founders of the
Private Manning Support Network to testify at the secret grand jury
investigating WikiLeaks. Manning was also convicted under the CFAA for
disclosing <a href="http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/wikileaks/bradley_manning/us_v_pfc_manning_charged_state_department_cables.html" target="_blank">116 U.S. diplomatic cables</a> to the WikiLeaks organization, because she used freely acquired software that automated downloading of the material.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Obama administration’s attempt in a <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/IPEC/admin_strategy_on_mitigating_the_theft_of_u.s._trade_secrets.pdf" target="_blank">recent strategy document</a>
to re-frame WikiLeaks by associating the media organization with
cyber-crime and intellectual property theft for the publication of
“computer files provided by corporate insiders indicating allegedly
illegal or unethical behavior at a Swiss bank, a Netherlands-based
commodities company, and an international pharmaceutical trade
association” is an attempt to bypass a constitutional challenge to
prosecuting Assange for publication.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Typically, the Department of Justice
simply indicts, keeps the indictment sealed, issues a warrant, and then
sits and waits. It is a violation of federal law for an official to
disclose the instance of a sealed indictment before an accused is in the
custody of law enforcement.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Once an indictment is unsealed or an
investigation is concluded, all the secret orders and search warrants
related to the case are simultaneously unsealed. All the secret orders
and search warrants related to the WikiLeaks investigation that are
publicly known, including those published here, remain under seal.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the Assange case, however, there are
public relations concerns, says Stanley Cohen, U.S. defense attorney on
numerous high profile terrorism and cyber-crime cases. “The Department
of Justice could also list a target as an un-indicted co-conspirator and
still get the benefit of him or her fitting within the history and
evidence chain presented to the grand jury,” says Cohen. An unindicted
co-conspirator can later be charged whether on his or her own, or by a
superseding indictment along with those previously charged, Cohen added.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the end, however, Assange (or any other civilian) could be extradited by criminal complaint or by indictment.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Neil MacBride, the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, who was in charge of the WikiLeaks grand jury, <a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae/news/2010/06/20100608petersonnr.html" target="_blank">hired</a>
Andrew Peterson (who later requested the Appelbaum secret Sonic Order)
to join the Terrorism and National Security Unit, nine days after
Manning was arrested in Iraq. The Terrorism and National Security Unit <a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae/criminal.html" target="_blank">became</a> the National Security and International Crime Unit soon after.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While a grand jury is under the purview
of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, the criminal
investigation of WikiLeaks is under the supervision of the Assistant
Attorney General of the National Security Division at the Department of
Justice or a <a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao/eousa/foia_reading_room/usam/title9/90mcrm.htm#9-90.020" target="_blank">higher authority</a>, which includes the Attorney General.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In <a href="http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CHRG-112shrg71843/pdf/CHRG-112shrg71843.pdf" target="_blank">February 2011</a>
James Clapper, the U.S. director of national intelligence, who is in
charge of the 16 agencies and departments that make up the U.S.
Intelligence Community, remarked to the Senate Intelligence Committee at
a hearing on current and projected national security threats that
WikiLeaks disclosures had been damaging to U.S. national security.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Then in <a href="http://www.armed-services.senate.gov/hearings/current-and-future-worldwide-threats-" target="_blank">March 2011</a>,
Clapper declared to the Senate Armed Services Committee that WikiLeaks
disclosures were a current and projected counterintelligence threat to
the national security of the United States — on par with corporate
espionage, drug trafficking, and climate change.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Evidence may indicate that the National
Security Division has characterized the WikiLeaks investigation as a
‘Category 2′ terrorism case. <a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao/eousa/foia_reading_room/usam/title9/2mcrm.htm" target="_blank">Category 2</a>
terrorism cases allege “an identified link to international terrorism”
including “any link or reference to a designated Foreign Terrorist
Organization (FTO),” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Manual.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist
attack, U.S. law enforcement has morphed from its traditional role
obtaining evidence to use in a court of law to an agency that employs
extra-judicial methods geared towards the prevention of future crimes.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In a <a href="http://jnslp.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/peterson-finalpageproofs-12-2-08.pdf" target="_blank">law journal article</a>, entitled <i>Addressing Tomorrow’s Terrorists</i>, authored by the WikiLeaks grand jury prosecutor, Peterson writes that the Department of Justice <a href="http://www.usdoj.gov/archive/mps/strategic2003-2008/pdf.html" target="_blank">declared</a>
that it’s responsibility was “not simply to prosecute terrorists for
crimes, but to ‘[p]revent, disrupt, and defeat terrorist operations
before they occur.’”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Although later acquitted of <a href="http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/wikileaks/bradley_manning/us_v_pfc_manning_elements_instructions_and_definitions_for_article_104_charge_1_aiding_the_enemy.html" target="_blank">aiding the enemy</a>, Manning was charged at trial with giving intelligence to the enemy via the WikiLeaks website.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Military prosecutors also identified the
enemy as al Qaeda and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Both
entities are designated as terrorist organization on the <a href="http://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123085.htm" target="_blank">FTO list</a>
maintained by the U.S. Department of State. Aiding the enemy is also
one of two articles under the Uniform Code of Military Justice that
apply to “<a href="http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/secrecy/R41404.pdf" target="_blank">any person</a>” and not just military personnel.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Manning was also convicted of making U.S.
intelligence accessible to Al Qaeda and AQAP on the Internet. The
charge and conviction to ‘wanton publication’ was unprecedented, because
the offence is not actually tied to any existing punitive article under
the Uniform Code of Military Justice or U.S. federal criminal statute.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The CFAA also falls under the statutes
that can be used in Category 2 terrorism cases. The National Security
Division and the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of
Virginia declined to comment on the nature of the ongoing
investigation.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
“It is possible that the WikiLeaks
investigation has been characterized as a Category 2 terrorism case,”
says Pollack, “However, as a practical matter, I think there is no
question that the WikiLeaks investigation is being treated as a case the
National Security Division must approve and supervise.”</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Even if the investigation of WikiLeaks
were not characterized as a Category 2 terrorism related case and the
Department of Justice was simply constructing a case alleging criminal
violations of the Espionage Act and the CFAA, says Pollack, the criminal
probe would still unambiguously fall under the purview of the National
Security Division.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Closing the four-year-old WikiLeaks
investigation, therefore, requires the authorization of the National
Security Division or a higher authority, such as the Attorney General.</div>
Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-18194384540465750422014-03-15T00:15:00.000-07:002014-03-15T00:41:44.249-07:00Swedish Assange lawyers reply to Borgström and Prosecutor Ny<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #073763; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">25 Feb 2014</span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In a rebuttal published 24 February in SvD, Swedish lawyers Thomas
Olsson and Per E Samuelson set the record straight about the actual
feasibility of an interrogation of Assange in London. "We are forced to
summarize that the prosecutor, by doing nothing, violates the
expeditious-requirement according to the Swedish law", the lawyers
stated.</span></span></h3>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
This is the text which SvD published under the title “It
is possible for the Swedish police to perform the interrogation (in
London)” [<a data-mce-href="http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/sannolikt-att-svensk-polis-gor-forhoret_3302916.svd" href="http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/sannolikt-att-svensk-polis-gor-forhoret_3302916.svd" target="_blank">Sannolikt att svensk polis gör förhöret</a>] <b>*</b></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: right;">
<i>Translation by Professors blogg</i></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Lawyer Claes Borgström aimed his "eine grausabe salbe" against us, the lawyers of Julian Assange [See <a data-mce-href="http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/darfor-ar-ett-forhor-i-england-otillrackligt_3278840.svd" href="http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/darfor-ar-ett-forhor-i-england-otillrackligt_3278840.svd">Brännpunkt 19/2</a>]
. We are accused of misleading the readers, and of expressing ourselves
presumptuously on what is best for the parties’ interests.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">
Apparently,
Claes Borgström and we have a different understanding on what it means
to deal with a case expeditiously. Claes Borgström seems to suggest that
the most expeditious is to do nothing. We leave to others to resolve
who misleads whom.</div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Thou in assessing that, the reader should be aware of a significant factual error in the prosecutor's and Borgström’s stance.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Borgström
states, "An interrogation with Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy is to
be conducted by English police officers that has previously received
communication from their Swedish colleagues about which questions will
be asked". This is incorrect. The British authorities decide how the
hearing is to be performed. However, in all the cases we have previously
participated, the English police have left it to the Swedish
prosecutors and police themselves holding the hearing, just as if it had
taken place in Sweden. So it will surely be also in this case.</div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">
Nor
is there any constraint about what questions may be asked. During a
hearing in London, the Swedish police and the prosecutor are free to ask
any questions they want. Assange will answer them all.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We are
forced to summarize that the prosecutor, by doing nothing, violates the
expeditious-requirement according to the Swedish law; she hides behind
false claims regarding how a hearing in London would be performed, and
thus pursuing with a discriminatory treatment negative to Assange.</div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">
According to Borgström, we should not express an opinion on whether the above benefits the plaintiffs.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
However,
we believe, honestly and sincerely, that all the involved benefit from
that the preliminary investigation is driven forward, which can only
happen if the interrogation with Assange is carried out in London as
soon as possible .</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/svd-24-feb-2014.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/svd-24-feb-2014.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="svd 24 feb 2014" class=" wp-image-5464 alignright" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/svd-24-feb-2014.png" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/svd-24-feb-2014.png" height="359" width="376" /></a>THOMAS OLSSON</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
PER E SAMUELSON</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The defence lawyers of Julian Assange in Sweden</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">
____</div>
*It would mean literally, ”It is likely that the Swedish police do the interrogation”.Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-63256443755929854022014-02-11T03:11:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.155-08:00Bemötande Elisabeth Masssi Fritzs SvD uttalanden om Assange fallet<h3 data-mce-style="text-align: left;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #073763;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #808080;">En nödvändig debatt förs nu i Sveriges ledande media, i sökning av en lösning beträffande dödläget i Assange fallet.</span></span></span></span></h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Av Marcello Ferrada de Noli, med dr, professor emeritus</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Författare till boken ”Human Rights Issues in the Swedish case VS. Assange”</i></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><b><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;">På jakt efter en lösning</span></b></i></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Julian Assange, som inte är åtalad, inleder sitt fjärde år i husarrest, eller bunden vid Ecuadors ambassad i London efter att ha blivit beviljad politisk asyl. Asylen till WikiLeaks grundare beviljades efter att Sverige vägrade ge garantier om att Assange inte skulle överlämnas till USA i fall det formellt skulle begäras. Emellertid tillåter England honom inte att lämna ambassaden för att resa till Ecuador, eftersom en svensk åklagare har krävt att han skall överlämnas för förhör i Sverige. Likaså väntar fortfarande de två anklagande kvinnorna i Sverige på ett besked från sina advokater om någonting i fallet har hänt. Därutöver, det verkar finnas en bred consensus om att fallets utdragna karaktär, eller dess egendomliga hantering, skadar Sveriges internationella anseende.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Kända figurer inom rättsväsendet, f.d. åklagaren, advokater och riksdagsledamöter har bidragit med konstruktiva förslag. Redan i april 2013 domaren i Högsta domstolen Stefan Lindskog framförde i ett föredrag vid Adelaides universitet i Australien att det är möjligt för att en svensk åklagare skulle förhöra Assange i London. Han sade ordagrant: "Jag skulle vilja kommentera möjligheten för åklagaren att åka till London. Det är möjligt att åklagaren skulle kunna resa till London och förhöra honom där. Jag har inget svar på frågan varför det inte har hänt." [1]</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I dagarna, riksdagsledamot Johan Pehrsons, <i>ledamot i</i> justitieutskottet och rättspolitisk talesperson för Folkpartiet, sade till SvT “Det här är ett exceptionellt fall. Därför kan man fundera på om inte åklagaren borde vända på stenarna ytterligare en gång för att se om man inte kan få den här saken ur världen”; [2] Och ordförande i Sveriges advokatsamfund Anne Ramberg, som i senast SvT program Agenda karakteriserade det hela som ”cirkus”, tyckte att åklagaren borde helt enkelt åka till London.[3]</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Däremot, i en debattartikel publicerad i SvD 5/2 2014, en av målsägandes advokat, Elisabeth Massi Fritz, beklagar sådana förslag, och att i överhuvudtaget skulle debatterats att ”Assange fallet bör läggas ner”. Hon är kritiskt mot att riksdagsledamot Johan Pehrsons har uttalat sig i programmet. ”Brottmål ska drivas i domstol, inte i medierna” säger advokaten Massi Fritz, och att ”Inte heller ska åklagare utsättas för politiska påtryckningar eller låta mediedrev påverka sitt agerande.” [4] Jag bemöter nedanför vissa påståenden i Massi Fritzs inlägg.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Elizabeth Massi Fritz må ha rätt om den allmänna demokratiska principen hon formulerar ovan, dock i sin plädering blandar hon ihop diverse aspekter och som motsäger hennes version. De första aspekterna beträffar mediernas roll, de andra gäller politikernas agerande vid fallet.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">a) en aspekt är mediernas plikt att hålla publiken uppdaterad med vad som är aktuellt; inte minst i ämnena viktiga för nationens internationella anseende, som fallet Assange har resulterat i; det var det som programmet Agenda åstadkommit; och b) en annan aspekt är mediernas eventuella särbehandling av parterna i sådana tvister. Jag återkommer on den punkten.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Och angående politikernas inbladning i fallet a) en sak är att politikerna (som parlamentariker Pehrson) föreslår åtgärder för att rättsligt avsluta den ”cirkus” som ordförande Ramberg refererade, och som i längden kan också vara skadligt till nationers intresse, och b) en hel annan sak är att uttala sig offentligt i stöd till en av partnerna i tvisten. För det är just det mediala beteende från politikerna som kan kasta skugga över bilden av en oberoende rättsystem.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Just därför Massi Fritz har rätt när hon påstår i SvD att ”Alla är vi lika inför lagen, . . .ett villkor för rättssäkerhet”, måste hon hålla med om att det var fel att exempelvis Statsminister Fredrik Reinfeldt delvis uttalade sig till förmån av målsägarna i DN:s och Aftonbladets artiklar (där han även felaktigt påstådde att, citat: ”Man har <i>till allmänt åtal instämt</i> Julian Assange. Assange är nämligen inte åtalad), [5].</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Statsminister också betonade i ett program om fallet Assange vid Studio Ett, att ”vi tar mycket allvarligt på anklagelser som handlar om våldtäkt, för det finns också inslag att försöka förminska hur vi har utvecklats, och står för, en bra lagstiftning i det här fallet.” [6] Detta tyvärr tolkades om att fallet Assange skulle även för myndigheterna erhållits en symbolisk karaktär, såsom tidigare hade uttalats av representanter i den ideologiska rörelsen som verkar för en utvidgning av våldtäcksrelaterade lagstiftning. Jag tycker att promoveringen vid det internationella samfundet av den moderna lagstiftningen som Sverige redan har åstadkommit är lovordad, men det skall ej göras på bekostnad av rättsäkerhet för individen.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><i><b>"Mediadrev" mot vem?</b></i></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Gällande vad Massi Fritz kallar för ”mediadrev”: Mig veterligen har aldrig funnits i den svenska media, den minsta negativa eller nedlåtande referat angående målsägande i fallet. De anklagande kvinnorna har aldrig varit ”smutskastade”, vid något program eller artiklar författade av journalister anställda vid sådana media.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Emellertid, i domen utfärdad i Belmarsh-domstolen i London (City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court) beträffande överlämning av Assange den 24/2 2011, skrev Judge Riddle bokstavligt: “There has been considerable adverse publicity in Sweden for Mr Assange, in the popular press, the television and in parliament (by the Swedish Prime Minister)”. [7]</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I en forskningsrapport som jag bland annat refererade i en Newsmill artikel rubricerad ”Professor: medierapporteringen om Assange osaklig och likriktad”, står att finnas att i ett material av 117 konsekutiva publikationer vid den svenska pressen i perioden 17/1 – 17/2 2011, framgick att bland de artiklar som direkt refereras till Julian Assanges personliga karaktär eller gjorde antydan till Assanges personlighetsdrag (fyrtio procent av de totala artiklarna), betydligt fler artiklar (72 procent) gjorde det med användning av fientliga, nedlåtande eller aggressiva termer, i kontrast med artiklar med användning av positiva termer (28 procent). [8]</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Den statistiska analysen av dessa variabler, visade i jämförelsen ett <i>ratio</i> på 0,38, som pekar på en betydande överrepresentation av negativa omdömen <i>ad hominem</i>. Fynden som uppgavs i den artikeln, och som mottagits sedan i ”open court” vid Londons förhandlingar, har aldrig tillbakavisats från forskningssidan, eller av själva media som refererats i studien.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><i><b>För advokaten Massi Fritz politisk asyl betyder "att</b> <b>låsa in sig själv på en ambassad"</b></i></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sedan påstår advokaten Massi Fritz: “<i>Det</i><i> handlar om en man som låst in sig själv på en ambassad i London, vilket åklagare Marianne Ny rutinmässigt beskylls vara ansvarig för. Det har gått tre och ett halvt år.”</i></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Det finns ju anledning för en person att söka asyl vid en ambassad som respekterar mänskliga rättigheter. Exempelvis, den svenska ambassaden i Chile tog emot hundratals oppositionella som föredrog att ”låsa in sig själva på en ambassad”, än att riskera arrestering och åtal.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Motiv för att söka asyl, nämligen de politiska eller humanitära skäl som individerna presenterar, är föremål för noggrann utvärdering av respektive regeringar. I det här fallet, en suverän stat, Ecuador, gav asyl till Assange för att de till synes hade uppgifter att Assange riskerar att bli överlämnad till USA i fall så krävs. Faktum är att Sverige har beviljat utlämning till USA vid <i>samtliga tillfällen</i> som detta har begärts, i förutsättning att personen i fråga befinner sig i svenskt territorium.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><i><b>Dialektiken vid den svenska åklagarens europeiska arresteringsorder</b></i></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I den ursprungliga versionen som SvD publicerade den 5 februari för den svenska publiken, uppgav Massi Fritz att Marianne Ny, som resultat att Assange ”lämnade landet samma dag <b>som han för andra gången blev anhållen i sin frånvaro</b>” och “vägrade sedan att återvända”, utfärdade en europeisk arresteringsorder. [ 9 ]</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/emf-in-svd-bracc88nnpunkt-5-feb-2014.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/emf-in-svd-bracc88nnpunkt-5-feb-2014.png"><img alt="EMF in SvD Brännpunkt 5 Feb 2014" class="size-full wp-image-5364 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/emf-in-svd-bracc88nnpunkt-5-feb-2014.png" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/emf-in-svd-bracc88nnpunkt-5-feb-2014.png" height="99" width="522" /></a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Var det meningen att de laglydiga svenskarna skall uppfatta att den europeiska arresteringsordern utfärdades eftersom Assange två gånger hade vägrat att inställa sig till förhör hos åklagaren?</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Däremot i den engelska versionen (för den internationella publiken) – fick Massi Fritz ta bort bilden av Julian Assanges “dubbelvägran”. Hon ändrade texten till:</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 60px;" style="padding-left: 60px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“(Assange) <i>försvann</i> från Sverige samma dag som han blev häktad i sin frånvaro. Han har därefter vägrat att återvända. Detta resulterade i att Marianne Ny, åklagaren för fallet, utfärdade en europeisk arresteringsorder för Assange". [ 10 ]</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 60px;" style="padding-left: 60px; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Det finns några anmärkningsvärda aspekter i Massi Fritz uttalanden. Å ena sidan säger hon att arresteringsordern “anhållen i sin frånvaro” utfärdades innan Assange lämnade Sverige. Sedan säger hon plötsligt att eftersom Assange lämnade landet och därefter vägrade att återvända, utfärdade Marianne Ny på nytt en häktningsprocedur mot Assange nu i form av europeisk arresteringsorder (EAW). Emellertid:</span></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Assange vistades minst fem timmar vid Arlanda flygplatsen, eftersom han kom ditt kring kl. 12.00. Han reste från Stockhom-Arlanda till Berlin Tegel airport kl. 17.15 . Vid 16.55 skulle han ha passerat kontrollen, sedvanligt under betydande polisnärvaro. Där vid grinden som leder till avgångshallen fick funktionärer kontrollera Assanges pass (om det inte redan hade kontrollerats vid incheckningen), boardingkort, etc. Dessutom erhåller polisen samtliga passagerarlistor, förmodar jag.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Åklagarmyndighten i Göteborg skulle ha beslutat att Assange var “häktad i sin frånvaro” redan kl. 14.15 den 27 september 2010. [11] Ett sådant beslut går brukligt åt alla polisenheter i landet, antar jag. Man var fullt medveten av att Assange befann sig i Arlanda; ändå avstår man avsiktligt att arrestera honom, således. Det kan inte vara så att de missat hans identitet. Helt tvärtom, pga att de visste Assanges identitet lyckades de att ta de bärbara datorerna från Assanges från resväska. [12]</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Assange var aldrig informerad om ett “kvarhållande i sin frånvaro” beslut. Därutöver hade Assanges advokat Björn Hurtig fått en överenskommelse med åklagaren Ny (”obtained an agreement from the prosecutor Marianne Ny”) gällande att han var fri att lämna Sverige (”free to leave Sweden). [13] [14]</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dessutom hade Assange självmant föreslagit till åklagaren Ny, via sin advokat, alternativa möjliga datum för ett eventuellt förhörstillfälle. Emellertid var åklagaren Ny själv som avböjd Assanges förslagen; exempelvis med den otroliga undanflykten om att förhörsledaren var sjukskriven vid den föreslagna tidpunkten! Såsom man inte kunde ordna ett sådant uppdrag hos någon bland de över 20,000 poliser som i Sverige har erhållit förhörsutbildning vid Polishögskolan. [15]</span></li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hur kan då advokaten Massi Fritz porträtterar Assange som näst intill en rymmare?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/fb7.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/fb7.png"><img alt="fb7" class=" wp-image-5419 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/fb7.png" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/fb7.png" height="418" width="700" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">[<i>text ovan från mitt inlägg i diskussionen vid tråden <a data-mce-href="https://www.flashback.org/t1275257" href="https://www.flashback.org/t1275257">Wikileaks grundare Julian Assange eftersökt för våldtäkt i Sverige</a>, FB forum, 8/2 2004</i>]</span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><i><b>Vad var då, dialektiken i Sveriges utfärdade EAW?</b></i></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><i><b> </b> </i></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;"><b>Min slutsats är att det verkliga målet i utformningen av den EAW inte var arresteringen av Assange. Det var den utlämningsprocessen i sig själv</b>. </span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Vad vill man egentligen åstadkomma? Som framgår av händelserna efteråt, inhiberade den europeiska arresteringsordern Assanges frihetsrörelsen och en betydande del av Wikileaks publiceringsverksamhet inriktade mot makthavarna, inte minst i Sverige. Som jag har hävdat i tidigare, är det ställt utom allt tvivel att fallet är politiskt. Det finns inte något sådant som “ett rättsfall ” bakom charaden av den svenska åklagarmyndighetens sida och dess medlöpare målsägandes advokater.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">För vad skulle ha hänt om Assange skulle ha gripits på flygplatsen? Åklagaren skulle ha träffat Assange och förhört honom. Efter det förhöret skulle ha Assange släppts. Detta eftersom åklagaren inte hade något nytt som skulle ha kommit fram i förundersökningen (under den tiden efter ärendet var avfärdat av åklagaren Finne). Assange skulle aldrig ha suttit i isolering, som istället han säkerligen kommer att vara om han kommer till Sverige utlämnad från England – med de riskerna att detta innebär, med tanken på de nu kända olagliga Svensk kollaborations verksamhet med USA. Sverige kommer inte undan. De s.k. extraordinary renditions var inte bara hemliga; de var och är olagliga enligt svensk lag.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sammanfattningsvis: Endast en europeisk arresteringsorder skulle kunnat producera de politiska fördelarna som skördades av de inblandade parterna. Endast de juridiska övningarna och cirkusen kring tillämpningen och/eller tolkningen av den europeiska arresteringsordern skulle kunna möjliggöra en förlängning av Assanges “fångarstatus” och tillhörande kidnappningen av Wikileaks -projektet. Min ”Stallning hypothesis” [16] var helt rätt från början.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><i>Referenser</i></span></b></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> [1] “I would like to comment upon the possibility of the prosecutor to go to London. It is possible that the prosecutor could travel to London and interrogate him there. I have no answer to the question why that hasn’t happened.” In M Ferrada de Noli. “Government-Sponsored Presentation Of Swedish Supreme Court Judge In Australia Increased Doubts On Sweden’s Legal System”. In: “<i>Human Rights Issues in the Swedish case VS. Assange</i>“. Libertarian Books – Sweden, 2014. Page 201.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[2] SvT . “Kravet: Förhör Assange nu”. SvT Nyheter, 2/2 2014.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.svt.se/nyheter/sverige/trycket-pa-aklagaren-i-assange-fallet-okar" href="http://www.svt.se/nyheter/sverige/trycket-pa-aklagaren-i-assange-fallet-okar">http://www.svt.se/nyheter/sverige/trycket-pa-aklagaren-i-assange-fallet-okar</a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[3] SvT. Program Agenda, 2/2 2014.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[4] Elisabeth Massi Fritz. ”Varför ska undantag göras för Assange?” Svt, Brännpunkt, 5/2 2014.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[5] TT. “Reinfeldt beklagade negative bild av rättsväsendet”. DN, 11 Feb 2011. Artikeln vid samma namn i Aftonbladet, 11 Feb 2011.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[6] Sveriges Radio, Studio Ett, 25/1 2012</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[7] City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court (Sitting at Belmarsh Magistrates’ Court). “The judicial authority in Sweden –v- Julian Paul Assange. Findings of facts and reasons”. See “Summary of facts found”, Item 19, page 10.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.infotorgjuridik.se/premium/incoming/article159944.ece/BINARY/Det+brittiska+domstolsbeslutet.pdf?fromType=branchartikel" href="http://www.infotorgjuridik.se/premium/incoming/article159944.ece/BINARY/Det+brittiska+domstolsbeslutet.pdf?fromType=branchartikel">http://www.infotorgjuridik.se/premium/incoming/article159944.ece/BINARY/Det+brittiska+domstolsbeslutet.pdf?fromType=branchartikel</a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[8] M Ferrada de Noli. ”Professor: medierapporteringen om Assange osaklig och likriktad”, Newsmill, 20/2 2011. Material, antal artiklar; (DN n=24, SvD n=31, AB n= 32, Expressen n= 16). Drop-out cases N= 13 (DN n=2, SvD n= 7, AB n=1, Expressen n= 3).</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[9] “Han lämnade landet samma dag som han för andra gången blev anhållen i sin frånvaro. Han vägrade sedan att återvända.” In: Elisabeth Massi Fritz. ”Varför ska undantag göras för Assange?” SvD, Brännpunkt, 5/2 2014. <a data-mce-href="http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/varfor-ska-undantag-goras-for-assange_8958694.svd" href="http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/varfor-ska-undantag-goras-for-assange_8958694.svd">http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/varfor-ska-undantag-goras-for-assange_8958694.svd</a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[10] Min översättning av den originella Engelska texten publicerades i SvD: Elisabeth Massi Fritz. “Make no exception for Assange”. SvD, Brännpunk, 7/2 2014. Citat: “(Assange) disappeared from Sweden on the same day as he was detained in absentia. He has subsequently refused to return. This resulted in Marianne Ny, the prosecutor for the case, issuing a European Arrest Warrant for Assange.” <a data-mce-href="http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/make-no-exception-for-assange_8968448.svd" href="http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/make-no-exception-for-assange_8968448.svd">http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/make-no-exception-for-assange_8968448.svd</a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[11] [Information avs. tidpunkten för arresteringsorder] retrieved from a post signed by Duqu at FB-forum. I have asked for the original source, which will be posted here.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[12] See Affidavit of Julian Paul Assange, 1. Summary of Claims, Item 4.:</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"<i>My lawyer in Sweden Bjorn Hurtig obtained an agreement from the prosecutor Marianne Ny that I was free to leave Sweden. I left Sweden on 27 September 2010.</i>"</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">http://wikileaks.org/IMG/html/Affidavit_of_Julian_Assange.html</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[13] UK:s Supreme Court dokumentet "Agreed Statement of Facts And Issues. Between: Julian Paul Assange (Applicant) V. Swedish Prosecution Authority (Respondent)", hearings 1-2 Feb 2012, Item 13, sidan 4.:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"<i>On 14th September 2010, the Appellant’s counsel enquired in writing as to whether the Appellant was permitted to leave Sweden. On 15th September 2010, the prosecutor informed the Appellant’s counsel that he was free to leave Sweden.</i>"</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">JA:s Affidavit summerar i sin tur (Se No 4, "Extended stay in Sweden", Item 113), "My lawyer in Sweden Bjorn Hurtig obtained an agreement from the prosecutor Marianne Ny that I was free to leave Sweden. I left Sweden on 27 September 2010."</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[14] Affidavit of Julian Paul Assange. 4. Extended stay in Sweden, Item 133</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[15] Polishögskolan. "Intervju- och förhörsmetodik". Kursplan http://www.polis.umu.se/digitalAssets/9/9137_reviderad-kursplanintervju-o-frhr.pdf</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[16] M Ferrada de Noli. “<i>Operation Stalling</i>. Explaining Sweden’s Reluctance To Conduct Assange’s Interrogation In London”. In: “<i>Human Rights Issues in the Swedish case VS. Assange</i>“. Libertarian Books – Sweden, 2014. Page 72.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/3years-assange31.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/3years-assange31.png"><img alt="3years-assange3" class="size-full wp-image-5382 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/3years-assange31.png" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/3years-assange31.png" height="266" width="440" /></a> </span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Featured image courtesy of Somerset Bean</span></span></div>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-21848424106666703012014-02-11T03:07:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.170-08:00In Search Of A Solution. Refuting Elisabeth Massi Fritz SvD statements on Assange case<div align="center" data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h1 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;">A new look into the political motivations of the Swedish EAW against Assange, and on other misconceptions around the case </span></span></h1><div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">By Marcello Ferrada de Noli, PhD, Professor Emeritus</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Author of the book "Human Rights Issues In The Swedish Case VS . Assange"</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><em><b>In Search of a Solution</b></em></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">An important debate is ongoing in Sweden's leading media, in search of a solution to the deadlock in the Assange case. Julian Assange, who is not charged with any crime, is yet beginning his fourth year under house arrest, for which he is staying at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, after being given political asylum. The asylum to the WikiLeaks founder was granted ensuing Sweden's refusal to give assurances that Assange would not be handed over to the U.S. – should such request be received by the Swedish authorities. However, the UK does not allow him to leave the Embassy and travel to Ecuador, because a Swedish prosecutor is demanding that he should be questioned in Sweden.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Likewise, the two women who filed accusations against Assange are still waiting in Sweden for statements from their lawyers, Claes Bogström (of the firm Bodström & Borgström) and Elisabeth Massi Fritz, on whether anything can happen (in terms of a prosecutor’s decision) to move the case forward. In addition, there seems to be a broad consensus in Sweden that such a protracted procedure, together with the peculiar mismanagement of the case, is further harming Sweden's international reputation.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Known personalities in the Judiciary, former prosecutors, lawyers and members of parliament have contributed with constructive proposals. In April 2013, Justice Stefan Lindskog (from Sweden’s Supreme Court) expressed in a lecture at Adelaide University in Australia, that it is possible for a Swedish prosecutor to question Assange in London. He said, literally: “I would like to comment upon the possibility of the prosecutor to go to London. It is possible that the prosecutor could travel to London and interrogate him there. I have no answer to the question why that hasn’t happened.” [1]</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Johan Pehrson MP, member of the Justice Committee and the political spokesperson for the Liberal Party (Folkpartiet), told Swedish National Television SvT: "This is an exceptional case. Therefore, one can wonder if the prosecutor should not turn on the stones again, to see if we can get this thing out of the world”, [2] The chairman of the Swedish Bar Association, Anne Ramberg, was also interviewed in the SvT program Agenda. As well as characterising the entire affair as a "circus”, Anne Ramberg said that the prosecutor should simply go to London. Period. [3]</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In an article published in Svenska Dagbladet, one of the plaintiff's lawyers, Elisabeth Massi Fritz, resents such proposals. She protests on the very existence of the media debate on whether the "Assange case should be closed down." And she is critical of the mere fact that Johan Pehrson MP has spoken out in the SvT program. Lawyer Massi Fritz says in SvD: "Criminal cases should be handled in court, not in the media", and she adds: "Nor should a prosecutor be subjected to political pressure or let the media affect their actions. " [4 ] Below, I respond to a variety of statements in Massi Fritz's SvD article.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Elizabeth Massi Fritz is right about requesting that the general democratic principle she formulates above (on the separation of powers) is implemented in full; I have recently commented on this important issue in <a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/02/04/toprosecutorgral/" href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/02/04/toprosecutorgral/" target="_blank">Open Letter To Prosecutor-General Anders Perklev</a>. However, in her SvD piece Massi Fritz blends together various aspects - which in the end contradicts her version. The first aspect relates to the role of the media; the second one to the behaviour of politicians in the case.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On the media role: a) One aspect is the central duty the media has in keeping the public updated on relevant events, not least about subjects that are important to Sweden's international reputation – like the Assange case. And that is what the Agenda program has accomplished; both versions were heard. b) Another aspect is the discussion on whether the media indulges in any special treatment of the parties in such disputes. I will come back to that point.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Concerning the politicians' intervention in the case: a) One thing is that a politician (as MP Pehrson did) proposes measures to legally terminate the "circus" - as the Bar Association president referred to - a situation that in the long run can be harmful to the nations' interests, and b) A completely different thing is if a politician (particularly politicians within government) produces public statements in support of only one side of the dispute. It is exactly this kind of behaviour that can cast a shadow over the image of the independence of the nation's legal system.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Precisely because Massi Fritz is right when she states in SvD that "We are all equal under the law, it is a prerequisite for the rule of law”, she must also deplore, for example, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's partial intervention in favour of the plaintiffs in articles published simultaneously by DN and Aftonbladet - where he also wrongly alleged that Assange has been indicted. Quote:</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“We have an independent Judiciary which also in this case acted according to Swedish law. One has even public-indicted Julian Assange on allegations of rape”. And, “I can only regret that the rights and position of women weigh so lightly when it comes to this type of questions compared to other types of theories brought forward.” [5]. However, the fact remains that Julian Assange has not been charged.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Furthermore, the Prime Minister emphasized in a program about the Assange case at Studio Ett: "we take very seriously allegations about rape, because there are also elements that try to reduce how we have evolved, and stands for, a good law in this case”. [6] This, unfortunately, was interpreted as though the Assange case was of symbolic significance to the authorities. This attitude has previously been expressed by representatives of Sweden's feminist movement, which promotes the enhancing of rape-related legislation. The promotion of Sweden in the international community as a country with a modern legislation, should be praised. However, if this PR endeavour is enforced at the expense of individual human rights, the entire effort is compromised.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong><em><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;">On Swedish media-harassment.</span></em></strong></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Regarding what Massi Fritz calls “media-harassment”: to the best of my knowledge, in the Swedish media there has never been the smallest negative or condescending commentary about the plaintiffs in the case. They have never been "vilified" by any program or article written by journalists working in the Swedish media.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Conversely, in the judgement issued in Belmarsh Court in London (City of Westminster Magistrates' Court) regarding the transfer of Assange on 24/2/2011, Judge Riddle wrote literally: "There has been considerable adverse publicity in Sweden for Mr Assange, in the popular press, the television and in parliament (by the Swedish Prime Minister)" [end of quote]. [7]</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In a study to which I referred in Newsmill, an article the site headed "Professor: media reporting of Assange untruthful and uniform”, I reported an analysis on 117 consecutive publications in the Swedish press during the period 17/1 - 2/17/2011. The results showed that, amongst the articles that directly referred to Julian Assange's personal character, or made hints about Assange’s personality traits (forty per cent of the total articles), significantly more articles (72 per cent) did so with the use of hostile or condescending terms, in contrast with articles using positive terms (28 per cent). [8]</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The statistical analysis of these variables revealed a ratio difference of 0.38, pointing to a significant over-representation of negative reviews <i>ad hominem</i> on Assange. The findings, as reported in the above-mentioned article, were also received in open court at Belmarsh Court in London. They have never been refuted by other researchers, or by the media referred to in the study.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><em><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><b>Why are political dissidents granted political asylum?</b></span></em></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Lawyer Massi Fritz states, referring to Julian Assange's situation: "It's about a man who has locked himself in an embassy in London, for which Marianne Ny routinely is blamed for being responsible.”</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I shall look into Marianne Ny’s role, but first I would like to put the record straight about the meaning of political asylum. Individuals seeking asylum in embassies of countries that respect human rights, must indeed have reasons - strong reasons. For example, the Swedish Embassy in Chile received hundreds of dissidents who preferred to "lock themselves in an embassy" rather than risk arrest, prosecution, or even death.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The reasons put forward by the individuals seeking asylum are subject to careful consideration by governments. In this case, a sovereign state, Ecuador, gave asylum to Julian Assange because they had information that indicated that Assange may be at risk of being extradited to the United States. In fact, Sweden has granted extradition to the United States every single time there has been a request, on the condition that the person sought is in Swedish territory.</span></div><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"> </span></strong></span></h3><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;">A new look into the political motivations of the Swedish EAW against Assange.</span></strong></span></h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the original version published on 5 February (still unchanged when I retrieved it online at 16.00 on 7 February), Massi Fritz stated:</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Assange left the country the same day that he, <b>for the second time has been detained in absence</b>”.[9]</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/emf-in-svd-bracc88nnpunkt-5-feb-2014.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/emf-in-svd-bracc88nnpunkt-5-feb-2014.png" target="_blank"><img alt="EMF in SvD Brännpunkt 5 Feb 2014" class=" wp-image-5364 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/emf-in-svd-bracc88nnpunkt-5-feb-2014.png" height="99" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/emf-in-svd-bracc88nnpunkt-5-feb-2014.png" width="522" /></a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Thus the law-abiding Swedes are made to believe that the EAW was issued because Assange had twice ignored Ny’s call to come to the interrogation meeting!</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">However, in the English version (for the international audience), Massi Fritz had to take away the notion of a “twice-fugitive Julian Assange”. She changed the text to:</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“(Assange) disappeared from Sweden on the same day as he was detained in absentia. He has subsequently refused to return. This resulted in Marianne Ny, the prosecutor for the case, issuing a European Arrest Warrant for Assange. [10]</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There is some remarkable aspects in Massi Fritz’s statements. On the one hand she says that the "detention in absentia" order was issued before Assange left Sweden; then she suddenly says that <i>because Assange left and subsequently refused to return</i>, Marianne Ny issued the detention order in EAW form; but without mentioning that Assange never got any notification about such "detention in absentia" while still in Sweden. Besides, Massi Fritz hides the fact - which is essential in the context of the event she is taking up - about that Assange made himself available for interrogation by the prosecutor office. Before he had to leave for his scheduled meeting in Berlin [11], Julian Assange presented through his lawyer some alternative dates to the prosecutor. One of the dates put forward by Assange was refused by prosecutor NY on the excuse that "the interrogation leader was on sick leave". This, as if she could not arrange one among the twenty thousand police officers that have received training in criminal interrogations at the Police Academy of Sweden. [12]</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">All of the above has made me rethink the Assange case. This is an account of the EAW Swedish itinerary.</span></div><ul data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Assange arrived to the airport around noon, and even chosen to change to a later SAS flight of his preferences. He finally left Arlanda Airport for Berlin Tegel at 17.15. Latest around 16.55 he would have gone through airport security where, with the usual heavy police presence, staff at the gate leading to the departure hall checked his passport (if not already checked at the desk), boarding card, etc. Besides, the police have all the passengers lists in advance.</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">According to the prosecutor office in Gothenburg, Assange was “detained in absentia” already at 14.15 on 27 September 2010. [13] Normally, such order goes to all police units in the country. Why wasn't he detained at the airport? It could not be that they missed his identity. Quite the opposite: because they knew his identity at the airport desk or at the control gate, the police (or government officials, or whoever agency was operating) managed to take the laptops from Assange’s checked-in suitcase. [14] Besides, he stayed around five hours at the airport's premises. They just couldn't have missed him.</span></li></ul><ul><li data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Assange was never informed about the “detention in absentia”. Further, Assange's laywer Björn Hurtig had obtained an agreement from the prosecutor Marianne Ny that Julian Assange "was free to leave Sweden". [15]</span></li></ul><ul data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong>In fact, Assange's lawyer received the communication on the "detention warrant" issued my Marianne Ny (the warrant that Elisabeth Massi Fritz is writing about in connection to Assange's departure for Berlin on the 27 of September), as late as the 30 September 2010. This means three days after that it was issued by the same Marianne Ny. </strong></span></li></ul><ul data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong>In support of this claim I refer here to the Supreme Court document “Agreed Statement of Facts And Issues. Between: Julian Paul Assange (Applicant) V. Swedish Prosecution Authority (Respondent)”, hearings 1-2 Feb 2012,. In Item 17, page 5, it reads: "On 30th September 2010, the Appellant’s counsel [Björn Hurtig] was advised of the existence of the arrest warrant."<br /> </strong></span></li></ul><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So what were the dialectics of Sweden’s EAW?</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i> </i></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;"><strong>My conclusion is that the real target of the EAW was not the detention of Assange, but the creation of an extradition process.</strong></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;"><strong> </strong> </span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><em>What was to be gained by this?</em></span></b></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The EAW immobilized Assange and, to a greater extent, WikiLeaks' activities. In previous analyses, I have demonstrated that it is beyond doubt that this case is political motivated. There isn't a genuine legal case behind the charade of the Swedish Prosecutor Authority and the plaintiff's prejudiced lawyers. This is not the first time that this sort of behaviour has been seen in Sweden.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What would have happened if Assange had been detained at the airport? The prosecutor would have had to interrogate Assange within a few hours. Assange would have requested the presence of a lawyer or that the interview was videotaped. Afterwards he would have been released, because in terms of the evidence available to the prosecutor, there would have been nothing new that had not already come up in the preliminary investigation, conducted by prosecutor Finne (who had previously dismissed the case on this evidence). He would have never been held incommunicado, as he will certainly be if he comes to Sweden under the extradition terms that resulted from the EAW.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Only the EAW could have produced the political benefits created by this scenario, which enables a prolongation of Assange's prisoner status. My “stalling-the-process hypothesis” [16] was correct from the start.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><em><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;">References</span></em></b></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><em><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"> </span></em><i><br /> </i></b></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[1] M Ferrada de Noli. "Government-Sponsored Presentation Of Swedish Supreme Court Judge In Australia Increased Doubts On Sweden’s Legal System". In: "<em>Human Rights Issues in the Swedish case VS. Assange</em>". Libertarian Books – Sweden, 2014. Page 201.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[2] SvT . “Kravet: Förhör Assange nu”. SvT Nyheter, 2/2 2014.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">http://www.svt.se/nyheter/sverige/trycket-pa-aklagaren-i-assange-fallet-okar</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[3] SvT. Program Agenda, 2/2 2014.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[4] Elisabeth Massi Fritz. ”Varför ska undantag göras för Assange?” Svt, Brännpunkt, 5/2 2014.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[5] TT. “Reinfeldt beklagade negative bild av rättsväsendet”. DN, 11 Feb 2011. Artikeln vid samma namn i Aftonbladet, 11 Feb 2011.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[6] Sveriges Radio, Studio Ett, 25/1 2012</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[7] City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court (Sitting at Belmarsh Magistrates’ Court). “The judicial authority in Sweden –v- Julian Paul Assange. Findings of facts and reasons”. See “Summary of facts found”, Item 19, page 10.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">http://www.infotorgjuridik.se/premium/incoming/article159944.ece/BINARY/Det+brittiska+domstolsbeslutet.pdf?fromType=branchartikel</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[8] M Ferrada de Noli. ”Professor: medierapporteringen om Assange osaklig och likriktad”, Newsmill, 20/2 2011. Material, antal artiklar; (DN n=24, SvD n=31, AB n= 32, Expressen n= 16). Drop-out cases N= 13 (DN n=2, SvD n= 7, AB n=1, Expressen n= 3).</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[9] “Han lämnade landet samma dag som han för andra gången blev anhållen i sin frånvaro. Han vägrade sedan att återvända.” In: Elisabeth Massi Fritz. ”Varför ska undantag göras för Assange?” SvD, Brännpunkt, 5/2 2014. http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/varfor-ska-undantag-goras-for-assange_8958694.svd</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[10] Elisabeth Massi Fritz. “Make no exception for Assange”. SvD, Brännpunk, 7/2 2014.http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/make-no-exception-for-assange_8968448.svd</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[11] The meetings have been scheduled long before. Partly it was the working-meetings with Kristinn Hrafnsson and the <i>L’Espresso</i> journalist Stefania Maurizi on the 27-28 September (this was about the ”Afghanistan materials” that the Italian paper was going to publish). And partly it was the meetings with Holger Stark and Marcel Rosenbach from <i>Der Spiegel</i>, the day after.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[12] Polishögskolan. “Intervju- och förhörsmetodik”. Kursplan <a data-mce-href="http://www.polis.umu.se/digitalAssets/9/9137_reviderad-kursplanintervju-o-frhr.pdf" href="http://www.polis.umu.se/digitalAssets/9/9137_reviderad-kursplanintervju-o-frhr.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.polis.umu.se/digitalAssets/9/9137_reviderad-kursplanintervju-o-frhr.pdf</a></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[13] [Information avs. tidpunkten för arresteringsorder] retrieved from a post signed by Duqu at FB-forum. I have asked for the original source, which will be posted here.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[14] See Affidavit of Julian Paul Assange, 1. Summary of Claims, Item 4.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[15] UK:s Supreme Court document “Agreed Statement of Facts And Issues. Between: Julian Paul Assange (Applicant) V. Swedish Prosecution Authority (Respondent)”, hearings 1-2 Feb 2012, Item 13, sidan 4.:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“<em>On 14th September 2010, the Appellant’s counsel enquired in writing as to whether the Appellant was permitted to leave Sweden. On 15th September 2010, the prosecutor informed the Appellant’s counsel that he was free to leave Sweden.</em>“</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The "Julian Paul Affidavit" refers also in No 4, “Extended stay in Sweden”, Item 113, “My lawyer in Sweden Bjorn Hurtig obtained an agreement from the prosecutor Marianne Ny that I was free to leave Sweden. I left Sweden on 27 September 2010.”</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[16] M Ferrada de Noli. “<em>Operation Stalling</em>. Explaining Sweden’s Reluctance To Conduct Assange’s Interrogation In London”. In: “<em>Human Rights Issues in the Swedish case VS. Assange</em>“. Libertarian Books – Sweden, 2014. Page 72.</span><br /><br /><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Published in <span style="color: #990000;">Professorsblogg.com <span style="color: #666666;">7</span></span> Feb 2014</span></i></span></span></span></span></h3><br /><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/3years-assange3.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/3years-assange3.png"><img alt="3years-assange3" class="size-full wp-image-5375 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/3years-assange3.png" height="266" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/3years-assange3.png" width="440" /></a><em>Featured image. Courtesy by Somerset Bean</em></span></div>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-2067051197106578502014-02-11T03:04:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.181-08:00Open Letter To The Prosecutor-General Of Sweden<div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">To the Prosecutor-General of Sweden</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Mr Anders Perklev</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dear Prosecutor-General Anders Perklev,</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Amidst these battered times for Sweden’s judicial reputation, few things would have been more revitalizing than a statement by the Attorney-General, setting the record straight on the international criticism concerning the mismanagement of the Julian Assange case.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">However, your comment on the public stance of the Liberal Party's judicial spokesperson Johan Pehrson MP, gravely risks the prestige of the Swedish legal system.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You stated: "It is remarkable that a parliamentarian openly criticises individual cases like this. It goes against the separation of power between legislators and the judiciary". <b><sup>1</sup></b></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There have been many instances of political interference in this case by the Swedish government. For instance, the statements by Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and the Foreign Minister Carl Bildt. Is it that you consider that the Montesquieu principle,<b><sup> 2</sup></b> that you have used as your main argument, contains an exception regarding the governmental interference in an ongoing case?</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On 11 February 2011, Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt stated in the DN and Aftonbladet newspapers, that Julian Assange had been indicted. He then went on to take a position that was biased in favour of the complainants in the case. Not only was this political interference in an ongoing case, but also it was based on untruths; Julian Assange has not been charged. The statement by the Prime Minister was:</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“We have an independent judiciary which also in this case acted according to Swedish law. One has even public-indicted Julian Assange on allegations of rape”. And, “I can only regret that the rights and position of women weigh so lightly when it comes to this type of questions compared to other types of theories brought forward.” <b><sup>3</sup></b></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On 15 August 2012, Göran Haglund, Swedish Minister of Social Affairs, told the Expressen newspaper: “Assange is a very coward person that does not dare to confront the charges against him”. And he added, “If he did the things he is accused of, I think one can call him a lowlife. He seems to be a miserable wretch."<b><sup> 4</sup></b></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Considering your comments to Johan Pehrson MP, it is peculiar that the General Prosecutor Office did not issue a statement defending the “independence of the judiciary” from executive power? This type of selective behaviour creates a perception that the Swedish judiciary is not independent.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The principle of the separation of powers precludes the interference by the Legislative of the Judiciary, and vice versa. Is it appropriate, as Sweden's Attorney-General, to publicly criticise Johan Pehrson MP for exactly the same behaviour that you exhibited? Why would a representative of the Judiciary try to inhibit an initiative by a member of the Legislature, which seeks to find a solution to this deadlocked case, that has become a serious political burden both domestically and internationally?</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It is known that both the Ecuadorean government and Julian Assange would welcome the questioning of Julian Assange in London, which is standard Swedish praxis. Julian Assange has never refused to be questioned. However, he has stated that he feels there is a risk of being further extradited to the U.S.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Julian Assange’s concern is based on the fact that, in circumstances where someone has been sought for extradition by the U.S. government, and they were on Swedish soil, Sweden has granted every request.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The international community is well aware of this deadlock and the role Sweden is playing in blocking the resolution of the case. Please correct me if I'm wrong:</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A. The Swedish prosecutor has refused to question Julian Assange in London and instead, for no apparent reason, requires him to come to Sweden, where he will be immediately held incommunicado. A state that would prevent normal contact with his lawyer.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">B. Julian Assange, in an assessment that has been shared by the Ecuadorean government, has legitimate concerns regarding an onwards extradition from Sweden to the U.S. You must be aware that, according to well known Swedish praxis, <b><sup>5</sup></b> this step - if it takes the form of an extraordinary rendition - does not need to be cleared by the Judiciary.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">C. This situation could be immediately solved if the Swedish government extends a guarantee that Julian Assange will not be deported. If this were to happen, Julian Assange would be willing to be questioned in Sweden.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">D. However, the government, for no tenable reason, refuses to extend these guarantees and ultimately these extradition decisions are the privilege of the government, not the Judiciary.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Against this backdrop, why would you consider it “strange” that Johan Pehrson MP, a member of the Justice Committee of the Swedish Parliament, is trying to find a solution to the current stalemate?</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Many outside Sweden are concerned by the Swedish prosecutor's refusal to question Julian Assange in London and the government's refusal to issue a non-deportation guarantees, both of which are delaying the resolution of this case.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I believe this is either caused by political factors, or because the prosecutor does not have a legitimate case against Julian Assange. Either way, it is your responsibility to end this remarkable situation as soon as possible.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Yours Sincerely,</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Professor Emeritus Marcello Ferrada de Noli</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">4 February 2014</span></div><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></i></span></span></span></span></h3><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Published in <span style="color: #990000;">Professorsblogg.com <span style="color: #666666;">4</span></span> Feb 2014</span></i></span></span></span></span></h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;">___________</span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><i>References:</i></b></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. “Prosecutor slams politician's comments on Assange case”. Swedish Radio, 3 Feb 2014.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2. Montesquieu. De L’Esprit Des Loix. Chatelain, 1749.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3. “– Det är beklagligt. Vi har ett självständigt rättsväsende som i det här fallet dessutom agerat på svensk lagstiftning. Man har till allmänt åtal instämt Julian Assange för anklagelser om våldtäkt, sade Reinfeldt då till journalister i riksdagen.” “Jag kan bara beklaga att kvinnors rätt och ställning väger så lätt när det gäller den här typen av frågor jämfört med andra typer av teorier som förs fram.” In: “Reinfeldt beklagade negative bild av rättsväsendet”. DN, 11 Feb 2011.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">4. “Assange är en väldigt feg person som inte vågar konfrontera anklagelserna mot honom.” “– Om han har gjort det han är anklagad för så tycker jag att man kan kalla honom för ett kräk. Han verkar vara en ynklig stackare.” In: “Hägglund om asyl för Assange: "Fegis" . Expressen, 4 Febr 2012.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">5. Resolution on Sweden by the UN Committee Against Torture, CAT/C/34/D/233/2003, 24 May 2005.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pm-reinfeldt-i-dn-assange-acc8atal1.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pm-reinfeldt-i-dn-assange-acc8atal1.png"><img alt="PM Reinfeldt i DN - Assange 'åtal'" class=" wp-image-5319 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pm-reinfeldt-i-dn-assange-acc8atal1.png" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pm-reinfeldt-i-dn-assange-acc8atal1.png" height="586" width="490" /></a></span></div>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-29355687904301598492014-02-11T03:00:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.190-08:00Time to drop the "case" VS. Assange. Debunking Sweden's political alibi<pre data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"> <span data-mce-style="color: #e5565f;" style="color: #e5565f;">– Part I of Series "Undressing a juridical charade" –</span></span></b></span></pre><h2 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;">Against the backdrop of a drastic falling of Sweden’s international status, the "Assange <i>Case</i>” emerged as the Swedish rulers' political alibi. Now when the plot has been debunked, it has come the time for dropping the "case".<br /> </span></span></h2><h2 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #727272;" style="color: #727272;">But the Swedish Foreign Office is not the only Swedish political force profiting of the "case". While Carl Bildt uses the Assange "case" as cover for the failure of the current Sweden's geopolitics, "radical feminists" Claes Bodström, Marianne Ny, and Thomas Bordström are having a common ideological agenda: to enhance criminal meanings in the sexual behavior of the Swedish people. The "Assange Case" was declared "symbolic issue" .</span></span></h2><div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">by Marcello Ferrrada de Noli</span></div><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Published in <span style="color: #990000;">Professorsblogg.com <span style="color: #666666;">3</span></span> Feb 2014</span></i></span></span></span></span></h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Initiating a Series of four analyses introducing the book "Human-Rights Issues In The Swedish Case VS. Assange"</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/nys-govt-assignment.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/nys-govt-assignment.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Ny's govt assignment" class=" wp-image-5300 alignleft" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/nys-govt-assignment.png" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/nys-govt-assignment.png" height="265" width="189" /></a><span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;"><b><i>From the book, Chapter "Duckpond in the Swedish Legal System, Page 152:</i></b></span><span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;"><i></i></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;"><i>"Prosecutor </i></span><span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;"><i>Marianne Ny had – at the time of her initiativ</i></span><span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;"><i>e to reopen the case against Julian Assange in August 2010 – an assignment from the government. She was appointed expert in the Swedish Committee ensembl</i></span><span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;"><i>e to propose a broadening of the criminal concept of rape in the context of hardening the legislation of sexual-offences.</i></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;"><i>This is contained in a letter – see it in box- sent to the Ministry of Justice (Chefen för Justitiedepartementet) by judge (rådman) <a data-mce-href="http://www.domstol.se/Om-Sveriges-Domstolar/Pressrum/Bilder/Mediegruppen/Ekdahl-Nils-Petter/" href="http://www.domstol.se/Om-Sveriges-Domstolar/Pressrum/Bilder/Mediegruppen/Ekdahl-Nils-Petter/"><span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;">Nils Petter Ekdahl</span></a> : “The Government decided on the 17 of July 2008 to appoint a special investigator with the assignment of evaluating the applicability of the 2005 sexual-crimes legislation. . .” “To assist the investigation, Marianne Ny (named among the six appointed experts) was appointed (förordnade) from the 10 of September 2008 . . .”</i></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">______________________________________________________________________</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/human-rights-issues-in-the-swedish-case-vs-assange-by-marcello-ferrada-de-noli.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/human-rights-issues-in-the-swedish-case-vs-assange-by-marcello-ferrada-de-noli.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Human-Rights-Issues-in-the-Swedish-case-VS.-Assange-By-Marcello-Ferrada-de-Noli" class="alignright" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/human-rights-issues-in-the-swedish-case-vs-assange-by-marcello-ferrada-de-noli.png" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/human-rights-issues-in-the-swedish-case-vs-assange-by-marcello-ferrada-de-noli.png" height="410" width="314" /></a> </span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Although many knew of the charming Kingdom of Sweden for a variety of reasons, what has most drawn the world attention to this nation in recent years is the political case against Julian Assange. For instance, Google News searching for “Sweden” in association with “Assange” gives twice as many hits as its association with previous trademarks such as “Nobel Prize in Medicine”, or three times more than hits in association with “Abba”. <a data-mce-href="#_ftn1" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftn1" title="">[1]</a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The official version given by the authorities and the media to the Swedish public, is that the international criticism on Sweden a) concerns only the legal system, and b) it was brought up, in PM Fredrik Reinfelft own words, “in conjunction with the court procedures on the extradition of Julian Assange”. <a data-mce-href="#_ftn2" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftn2" title="">[2]</a> In further elaborations by government officials or by the media, it is asserted that WikiLeaks and Julian Assange himself directly author the said “discredit campaign”. <a data-mce-href="#_ftn3" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftn3" title="">[3]</a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Neither of the above official versions is truthful.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Nevertheless irregularities in the legal system do exist, <a data-mce-href="#_ftn4" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftn4" title="">[4]</a> the core of the international criticism has to do a) partly with the abandonment of a sovereign foreign policy and other geopolitical behaviours that Swedish rulers have deployed in the years after the assassination in Stockholm of PM Olof Palme; and b) partly with multiple violations perpetrated by Swedish government officials – including ministers at the government - against Human Rights conventions of which the country is a signatory. These behaviours have comprised severe violations of the UN Absolute Ban On Torture, for which Sweden has been sanctioned by the UN organ for Human Rights <a data-mce-href="#_ftn5" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftn5" title="">[5]</a> and other international committees.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>I find relevant to note in the context, that one of the ministers accused as main figure in the decision-making of the extraordinary renditions to the CIA that led to the above-mentioned UN and European sanctions, is the former Justice minister Thomas Bodström, co-owner of the law firm Bodström & Borgström. I develop on this aspect in some chapters in this book a cause of the important implication of these two politicians in the diathesis of the “Assange case”. For instance:</b></span></div><ul data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>a) At the time of the accusation done nominally by Ms "A" against Assange, Bodström was member of the same internal political phalange (<i>Brotherhood</i>) </b><a data-mce-href="#_ftn6" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftn6" title="">[6]</a><b> within the Swedish Social Democratic Party to which the accuser Ms. A belonged; while Bodström was a senior, top-ranked politician in the group, Ms A was the “political secretary”;</b></span></li></ul><ul data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>b) While Tomas Bodström himself has proclaimed that it is his (and Borgström’s) law firm the one “representing the plaintiffs”, Claes Borgström has acknowledged in an interview with The Guardian that it was he who took the initiative for the reopening of the case upon the prosecutor office;</b></span></li></ul><ul data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>c) The actual prosecutor turned out being Ms Marianne Ny, who had previously participated together with either Bodström, or Borgström, or both, in committees set by the government to study the enhancement of the sexual-offences legislation. </b><a data-mce-href="#_ftn7" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftn7" title="">[7]</a></span></li></ul><ul data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>d) Interestingly, the new proposals in the legislation (under study) include precisely the type of “criminal behaviour” within “grey zones” which all along has been implied in the accusations against Julian Assange.</b></span></li></ul><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;">Reactions</span></i></b></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"> </span> </i></b></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In recent developments, during an important voting at the Human-Rights organ of the United Nations in November 2012, Sweden obtained the lowest preference from the voting country-delegates. The election concerned Sweden’s own candidacy towards becoming a member of the United Nations Human Rights organization. Also in recent years and for the first time in modern history, the government of Sweden has been obliged to face the burning of Swedish flags by angry protesters in countries as far away as Pakistan.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Motive for those actions were found in the reaction of normal, law-abiding citizens of various countries, which felt insulted by the permissive stance of the Swedish government and Swedish media around the “Muhammad drawings controversy” of 2007, provoked by the racist Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks. The native-Swedish cultural elites appealed to the “freedom of expression”. Which was used as a pretext to further reproduce the offensive material. This was done in conscious disregard towards the numerous groups of immigrants and refugees, which, in spite of being of diverse nationalities, share peacefully Islam as their religion or culture.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The behaviours implemented by the Swedish political and cultural elites on the Vilks affair, added Sweden’s military occupation of Afghanistan were specifically given as reasons <a data-mce-href="#_ftn8" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftn8" title="">[8]</a> by the suicide-bomber for his terrorist retaliation blast of Stockholm in December 2010. The straightforward SÄPO chief Anders Thornborg acknowledged that <i>to the international media</i>. <a data-mce-href="#_ftn9" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftn9" title="">[9]</a> However, this was not publicized in Sweden, in spite it was the very first time that the centenaries-quiet streets of Stockholm witnessed a suicide-bomber action.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Further, the Swedish government provided Vilks with National Security-police escort during his visit to New York on the 2 October 2012, where the racist cartoonist addressed anew an anti-Islam speech. <a data-mce-href="#_ftn10" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftn10" title="">[10]</a> The irritation grew amidst the immigrants’ high-density marginalized areas of Stockholm.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Only some months after, the Guardian announced, with some stupefaction, the following headlines, “Swedish riots spark surprise and anger – As inequality and segregation start to rise”. Initiated in the “suburb” of Husby, mainly allocating social discriminated immigrants, the protested were triggered by the shooting of an older immigrant by a member of the National police, during an investigation proceeding. Hundreds of cars were burned in Stockholm and other major cities by the rioters.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Again, the Swedish government and the Swedish Main Stream Media (for brevity, called henceforth MSM) neglected to connect the domestic reaction to their policies and deeds, in the same fashion as they neglected to connect the drastic fall of the international status of Sweden with their own turn in the geopolitical arena.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There was no Swedish MSM-article whatsoever, nor government analysis, connecting those happenings with the actual deeds conducted by the Swedish government or institutions. Not even at the occasion of the surprising explosions in the centre of Stockholm – or at the above-mentioned race riots that debuted simultaneously in Stockholm and other major cities - did Swedish journalists made any reference to behaviours of the government, including cases of institutional discrimination against immigrant minorities. Or those for which Sweden have received sanctions by the United Nations, or with Sweden’s military occupation of Northern Afghanistan under U.S. command.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In my late years I have been lecturing on Epidemiology under Swedish assignments in a variety of universities, including central Africa and Latin America. In Chile, on occasion of a lecturing at the School of Public Health, at the Medical Faculty of Chile University, I saw painted in walls at Providencia, not far from the Swedish Embassy, “OTAN Sueca fuera de Afganistan” (“Swedish NATO”, get out from Afghanistan). Diplomatic people from Latin-American or African countries that I have met in connection with those academic activities have confide: “no more business with Sweden in the first place, as it was before”.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And the anti-Sweden sentiment abroad grows. Who to blame?</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><b>The "case" as political alibi</b></span></i></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><b> </b></span><br /> </i></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Instead, the strategy of the MSM (which in Sweden it is subsidized by the State) and in conjunction with the State-owned “public-service” media has been to use the “case Assange” <i>and</i> WikiLeaks as a blunt alibi. And this is done with a not so subtle appealing to national chauvinistic sentiments.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As mentioned above, already in 2011 PM Reindfelt was connecting in front of the public the international criticism on Sweden with the case Assange. Two months after, the State-owned TV broadcasted repeatedly over several days this headline:</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>“How could the <i>WikiLeaks founder</i> Julian Assange get the world into questioning Sweden’s credibility?”</b> <a data-mce-href="#_ftn11" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftn11" title="">[11]</a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The reader should note the emphasis SvT is doing on “WikiLeaks founder” (my cursives), a status that <i>it should have nothing to do</i> with a case, which as Sweden has repeated to the international forum, is against an <i>individual</i> and for his individual behaviour. In true, the case is ultimately about what <i>WikiLeaks</i> disclosed on Sweden and fundamentally on USA. And the Swedish Ministry of Defence goes farther in this line.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On the 29 February 2012, the National Television of Sweden aired a long reportage program focused on WikLeaks and Assange during the main news program Aktuell. The reporter, a Military-Intelligence trainee then working as envoy for Swedish Television, interviewed Mike Winnerstig, a high-rank representative of FOA (a military-research institute under the Ministry of Defence). Winnerstig’s angle in the sending to the Swedish public was that WikiLeaks and Assange have an “agenda” consisting in targeting USA and allies (Sweden) but not Russia (Sweden’s “archenemy” state). Secondly, Winnerstig said expressly that Assange exercises blackmail against Sweden. He refers to the “disclosures” Sweden was expecting around Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In other words, Assange is clearly presented in Sweden not as a “crime suspect individual” but as the enemy of Sweden; the agent that has caused “the world into questioning Sweden’s credibility”!</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><b><i>Carl Bildt’s Office contradicts itself</i></b></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I am aware that this may be difficult for non-Swedes to understand this context, since the “Assange case” is presented outside Sweden as a “legal case”. But here is a further contradiction.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">If it were so, as Sweden’s rulers say, a) that the case VS. Assange is “only legal” and <i>only pertinent to the judicial system</i>, and b) that Assange is a figure in decay, isolated and deprived of influence, etc., one question is; How come that the case deserves (for the first time in the history of Sweden, to the best of my knowledge) special information pages in Swedish and English in the official websites of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well of the Prosecutor Authority? Why would the very Prime Minister of Sweden care interfering publicly in “the independent legal case” of an “insignificant Assange”? <a data-mce-href="#_ftn12" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftn12" title="">[12]</a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">During 2012 several demonstrations in main cities of Sweden started to call for Bildt's resignation. This was an odd event in "consensus" Sweden, but the news about the fall of Sweden's international prestige was reaching domestic dimensions. It was then when the MSM sat in motion "Plan Z – Saving Minister Bildt". The government had an alibi, it was not Bildt's wrong doings; it was WikiLeaks, particularly Julian Assange, characterized as Sweden's No 1 enemy. But it was not any longer the version of Assange attacking Sweden, but of WikiLeaks and Assange "targeting" concretely Carl Bildt. Which of course it was demonstrated a blunt lie. How the "case" Assange was used with this purpose I describe in detail in "Plan Z: The anti-WikiLeaks campaigns in the Swedish media. – Saving Minister Bildt?"</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Further, the “radical feminist” organizations acting in public events with the Swedish politicians that pushed the reopening of the case, <a data-mce-href="#_ftn13" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftn13" title="">[13]</a> refer unequivocally in public banderols or press releases to “the case against the <i>WikiLeaks founder</i>”, which also denotes anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks as being the real target behind the “legal” pretence. This, in its turn, leads us to the superpowers and satellite governments that have been exposed by Assange’s organization.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I am not referring to the Swedish feminist movement in general, neither to all “radical feminists”. I personally now many of these cadres and for whom I praise trust and respect. I am only referring to the fascist-wise feminists, often right-wing, which in spite of characterizing themselves of being “radical”, do not have the focus on societal issues – including gender inequality. They are instead focused in a “gender war” against men as such. In fact, they are more motivated by gaining positions of hierarchy amidst the cultural, political and corporate elites. They are, in alliance with fundamentalist academics carrying extreme, irrational anti-men positions, main ideological pillars of Swedish State Feminism.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><b><i>I argue that:</i></b></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">i. Behind the Swedish “legal case” against Assange, there is a political case. Although Sweden is acting against the backdrop of the known WikiLeaks disclosures on this government, in the main is following Sweden’s current geopolitical and military alignment with the US – partly concretized in “secret Intelligence agreements of collaboration”. <a data-mce-href="#_ftn14" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftn14" title="">[14]</a> According to facts, Sweden is not a “Neutral” country.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">ii. The political aim in the case goes even beyond the destruction of WikiLeaks; it also aims to counteract the whistleblowing movement, among other measures, by means of terrorizing <i>ad hominem</i>. <a data-mce-href="#_ftn15" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftn15" title="">[15]</a> In this regard, the Swedish mainstream media and State-owned media apparatus have deployed a consistent campaign, what has constituted a “Trial by media” on Julian Assange.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">iii. Sweden has further used the case for ideological purposes within its foreign policy; for instance, as a vehicle to proselytise ideological claims of Sweden’s state-feminism.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">iv. The management of the Swedish case has comprised breaches in the human rights of Julian Assange.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">v. In the context of the above issues, the characteristics of the Swedish legal system would not guarantee per se a fair trial of Julian Assange.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">vi. At the contrary of what is stated by Swedish sources, it is the Swedish government – and not the judicial system - which ultimately can decide the issue of extradition to a third country. The government is fully entitled to issue guarantees of a non-extradition.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><i>References & Notes</i></b></span><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><b><i></i></b></span></span></div><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="#_ftnref1" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftnref1" title="">[1]</a> Retrieved 24 Jan 2014</span></div></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="#_ftnref2" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftnref2" title="">[2]</a> Fredrik Reinfeldt’s declarations in: “Beklagar att kvinnors rätt och ställning väger så lätt. Statsminister Fredrik Reinfeldt (M) om Assange-fallet”. Aftonbladet, 8 Feb 2011.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="#_ftnref3" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftnref3" title="">[3]</a> See Part II, ”The Trial By Media”.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="#_ftnref4" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftnref4" title="">[4]</a> See Part V, on the Swedish legal system.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="#_ftnref5" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftnref5" title="">[5]</a> UN Committee Against Torture, CAT/C/34/D/233/2003, 24 May 2005</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="#_ftnref6" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftnref6" title="">[6]</a> ”Broderskap” (<i>Brotherhood</i>), nowadays renamed to ”Faith & Solidarity”, is a Christian phalange within the Swedish Social Democratic Party.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="#_ftnref7" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftnref7" title="">[7]</a> For sources, see chapter Duckpond In Swedish Legal System, in Part V in this book.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="#_ftnref8" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftnref8" title="">[8]</a> The rationale was given both in written message, and in videotape.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="#_ftnref9" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftnref9" title="">[9]</a> See my post ”Afghanistan, Lars Vilks, bomb, Sweden”. Professors blogg, 13 Dec 2010.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="#_ftnref10" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftnref10" title="">[10]</a> SvT, ” Lars Vilks - konstnär och provokatör eller rasist? Uppdrag granskning, 28 Sept 2012.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="#_ftnref11" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftnref11" title="">[11]</a> Trailer of the anti-Assange documentary by the Swedish National Television, SvT-1. 7 Apr 2011.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="#_ftnref12" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftnref12" title="">[12]</a> Fredrik Reinfeldt has publicly implied that the Assange case is about a) the right of the two women b) to make the world to respect the Swedish legislation on sexual-offences.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="#_ftnref13" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftnref13" title="">[13]</a> Politician Claes Borgström, formerly Ombudsman for gender issues appointed by the Persson government. His partner in the law firm Bodström & Borgström is the former Justice Minister of the same government, later a resident if the U.S. at Virginia.</span></div></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="#_ftnref14" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftnref14" title="">[14]</a> Some of the secret agreements on the Intelligence collaboration of Sweden with the US – mainly disclosed by the WikiLeaks Dipolmatic Cables of 2010 and subsequently by Edward Snowden revelation of 2013 – have been analysed by Prof. Wilhem Agrell, e.g. “Det är samma gamla lik som trillar ur garderoberna” (DN, 7 Dec 2010); “FRA spionage mot Ryska civila mål” (SvD, 7 Dec 2013).</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="#_ftnref15" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5285&action=edit#_ftnref15" title="">[15]</a> After the Assange case initiated in 2010, attacks ad hominem have followed also suit, e.g. against Aaron Swartz, Jeremy Hammond, and Edward Snowden.</span><br /><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina6.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina6.png"><img alt="pagina6-" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina6.png" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina6.png" height="792" width="560" /></a></span></div><div align="left" data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina7.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina7.png"><img alt="pagina7-" class="aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina7.png" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina7.png" height="792" width="560" /></a></span></div></div>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-75237842488379596222014-02-11T02:56:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.201-08:00Prosecutor Ny "has chosen" not to have hearings with Assange in London<div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Prosecutor Ny "has chosen" not to have hearings with Assange in London</span></b></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/prosecutor-on-agenda1.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/prosecutor-on-agenda1.png"><img alt="prosecutor on agenda" class="size-full wp-image-5250 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/prosecutor-on-agenda1.png" height="605" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/prosecutor-on-agenda1.png" width="700" /></a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Professors blogg's translation: </span></i></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"ÅKLAGAREN HAR VALT" = "THE PROSECUTOR HAS CHOSEN"</span></span></div><h2 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></h2><h2 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Comment regarding this evening's Program “Agenda”<br /> 2014-02-02</span></span></h2><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Published in <span style="color: #990000;">Professorsblogg.com <span style="color: #666666;">2</span></span> Feb 2014</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"The Television program Agenda is taking up the ongoing legal process against Julian Assange. The responsible prosecutor, or other representative of the prosecutor's authority, has been invited to participate, but declined. The reasons for this are as follows.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The investigation is headed by the chief prosecutor Marianne Ny . According to her, there is currently no further information to disclose on the matter, other than what was previously reported.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The reasons why the prosecutor has chosen not to hold hearings with Assange in London has been previously communicated; it is available (in <a data-mce-href="http://www.aklagare.se/Media/Assangearendet/Varfor-kan-inte-aklagaren-forhora-Assange-i-Storbritannien/" href="http://www.aklagare.se/Media/Assangearendet/Varfor-kan-inte-aklagaren-forhora-Assange-i-Storbritannien/" target="_blank">this link</a>). The text has been further suplemented, for clarification.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The case is ongoing. The prosecution does not see any possibility for discussing in the media eventual future assessments or decisions that may be caused by developments in the case. This on behalf of both the suspect and the plaintiffs, and because the need of confidentiality in the preliminary investigation.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hence there is an overriding interest on that the prosecutor's argumentation pursues in the legal process, and not primarily in the media.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For the same reason, and because the acting prosecutor is the solely decision-maker on the case, is not possible for any other representative of the prosecutor's authority to participate in a discussion about this specific case.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As soon as a new decision has been taken on the case, or if there is new information, this will be reported by the prosecutor and published on this website."</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Karin Rosander ,<i> informationsdirektör</i> , Prosecution Authority</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">--</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong>Also published today:</strong></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><strong><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/02/02/holder2visitswe/" href="http://professorsblogg.com/2014/02/02/holder2visitswe/"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;">Amidst discussion in Sweden on dropping the “case” VS. Assange, US Justice Minister Eric Holder arriving to meet Swedish counterpart & lecture in Parliament</span></a></strong></span></span></div>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-85060452220372543172014-02-11T02:52:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.209-08:00Amidst discussion in Sweden on dropping the "case" VS. Assange, US Justice Minister Eric Holder arriving to meet Swedish counterpart & lecture in Parliament<div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Published in <span style="color: #990000;">Professorsblogg.com <span style="color: #666666;">2</span></span> Feb 2014</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">In the middle of an interesting Swedish debate on the whereabouts of the case in London, with a growing questioning on the validity of the "case Assange" done by multiple personalities of the legal system, it is now announced that US Justice Minister Eric Holder is scheduled to visit Sweden. The visit, due to the 4 of February, corresponds to an arrangement by the Swedish Parliament and the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm. According to a brief dispatch <a data-mce-href="http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/usas-justitieminister-till-sverige_8948998.svd" href="http://www.svd.se/nyheter/inrikes/usas-justitieminister-till-sverige_8948998.svd" target="_blank">in SvD</a>, it is assumed that Holder will also meet his Swedish counterpart Beatrice Ask. Other sources refer that Eric Holder shall be giving a lecture at a venue in the Swedish Parliament titled, "A More Just and Inclusive World: Confronting the Civil Rights Challenges of Our Time".</div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">Justice Minister Holder will be surely informed by his Swedish hosts on the niceties of the Swedish Justice system. In the context, he will be reassured on the loyalty of Sweden regarding the requests from US Justice and other government agencies. After all, the Swedish parliament complied efficiently with the US requests of instituting a new surveillance/spy legislation (FRA <i>lagen</i>) aimed to serve the interests of NATO as well as US corporations’ interests. In the same fashion, the Swedish Ministry of Justice passed the legislation as requested by the American government to protect the commercial interests of the U.S. entertainment enterprises.</div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">At the expected meeting with PM Reinfeldt, Minister Holder will be reassured, as the PM has publicly stated specifically referring to their case against Assange, that this is a <i>rättsstat</i>, meaning a country with full respect for the law. But Minister Holder doesn't need such reassurances. He has the <i>facts</i> with him about the unconditional Swedish "legal" collaborationist stance and <em>praxis</em>:</div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">Namely, Sweden has granted 100 per cent of the extradition cases requested by the US, provided that the persons are on Swedish territory. This is done by the Swedish authorities with or without “legal system”. This was the case of the “extraordinary renditions”, namely prisoners given directly by the Swedish police, total clandestinely, to the CIA team sent to pick them up in the airports at the heart of Stockholm.</div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;">The <em>rättsstat</em> that Prime Minister Reindfelt will be talking about is, however, also a constellation of peculiarities in the judicial, police and legal systems. Here is a sample of the “irregularities” - viewed by international standards - concerning the administration of justice with particular relation to the Swedish case against Julian Assange. Other items of the legal (and <em>politica</em>l) context of the case are discussed in my book "Human Rights Issues in the Swedish Case VS. Julian Assange". The book will be soon available on-line in <a data-mce-href="http://libertarianbooks.se" href="http://libertarianbooks.se/" target="_blank">Libertarianbooks.se</a></div><ul data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/human-rights-issues-in-the-swedish-case-vs-assange-by-marcello-ferrada-de-noli.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/human-rights-issues-in-the-swedish-case-vs-assange-by-marcello-ferrada-de-noli.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="human-rights-issues-in-the-swedish-case-vs-assange-by-marcello-ferrada-de-noli" class="wp-image-5087 alignright" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/human-rights-issues-in-the-swedish-case-vs-assange-by-marcello-ferrada-de-noli.png" height="391" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/human-rights-issues-in-the-swedish-case-vs-assange-by-marcello-ferrada-de-noli.png" width="300" /></a><li>Sweden has a judiciary system in which judges participating in the courts are appointed by the political parties (there is no <i>Jury </i>system in Sweden, nor does the institution of <i>Bail</i> exist in<i> </i>Sweden). See further down in the book, chapter “Shall Sweden’s Politically Appointed Judges Decide The Political Case Against The WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange?”</li><li>Sweden allows secret, "closed-doors" trials. Particularly with regard to sexual-offences trials, where secret trials are the most common form used in the Swedish justice system.</li><li>The appeal system in Sweden has been notably reduced after a 2008 law (the so-called EMR reform) devised to minimize the number of cases resulting in appeals to higher courts.</li><li>In the Swedish case against Assange, the police investigators conducted interrogations without video-recording, sound-tape recording, or other forms of transcription. This is an aggravating anomaly, which infringed the clear standard procedures advised by the Police Authority with regard to cases involved suspicion of rape.</li><li>The interrogation of one of the nominal accusers was performed by a police officer that was a friend of the other nominal accuser.</li><li>The interrogation of Julian Assange could have very well have been conducted in Sweden, but the prosecutor chose to issue an Interpol warrant, which made possible the fabrication of an extradition case.</li><li>The law-firm defending the accusers is co-owned by a politician, Mr. Thomas Bodström (former Minister of Justice), who at the time of the accusation was a member of the same political group within the Swedish Social Democratic Party as the accuser Ms. AA, who was the political secretary.</li><li>The actual lawyer appointed by the firm (the other co-owner of the law firm) was initially Mr. Claes Bogström, who - together with the prosecutor in the case, Ms. Marianne Ny, and the former Minister of Justice and chairman of the Justice Committee of the Swedish Parliament, Mr. Thomas Bodström - participated in the study of new legislation which radicalized the proceedings and penalties for sexual offences in Sweden.</li></ul><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina6.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina6.png"><img alt="pagina6-" class=" wp-image-5267 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina6.png" height="891" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina6.png" width="630" /></a><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina7.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina7.png"><img alt="pagina7-" class=" wp-image-5268 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina7.png" height="891" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/pagina7.png" width="630" /></a></div>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-71824493860754865432014-02-11T02:49:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.217-08:00A New Twist With Snowden’s Files. Analysis by Rodrigo Ferrada Stoehrel<h2 data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">English version of "<a data-mce-href="http://www.svd.se/kultur/understrecket/snowdens-uppgifter-tar-en-helt-ny-vag_8916640.svd" href="http://www.svd.se/kultur/understrecket/snowdens-uppgifter-tar-en-helt-ny-vag_8916640.svd" target="_blank">Snowdens uppgifter tar en helt ny väg</a>". Published today, 22 Jan 2014 in SvD.</span></span></h2><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/rodri_svd-kultur.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/rodri_svd-kultur.png"><img alt="Rodri_SvD-kultur" class=" wp-image-5168 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/rodri_svd-kultur.png" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/rodri_svd-kultur.png" height="574" width="549" /></a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Published in <span style="color: #990000;">Professorsblogg.com <span style="color: #666666;">22</span></span> Jan 2013</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Glenn Greenwald, the American journalist and political commentator who – through files leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden – revealed to the world the widespread American surveillance, opted in October 2013 to leave the British newspaper The Guardian, to work instead with the eBay billionaire Pierre Omidyar. Together, they will develop First Look Media, a new digital-journalism project which Omidyar finances with an initial capital of 250 million dollars. This means that Omidyar, to operate in a larger political-economic agenda, has hired one of the most government-criticizer journalists that exist, and eventually he is establishing an indirect collaboration with the world's most hunted whistleblower.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">During the same month that Greenwald left his post at The Guardian, 14 activists associated with the political free-speech movement Anonymous were subject of court trial in America. The protesters, also called hacker-activists because of their use of computer-related technologies for political purposes, were accused of intentionally injuring the international payment site Paypal's internet traffic during December 2010.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The political reason behind this digital protest was that Paypal together with other payment companies such as Visa and MasterCard, had withdrawn financial services linked to WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange, at the request of the U.S. government. This is because Wikileaks - the non-profit media organization that reports and publishes classified information to the public - including the publishing of the classified materials provided by Chelsea Manning (formerly known as Bradley Manning ). The blockade meant that WikiLeaks could no any longer receive the donations that enabled its existence. When Paypal blocked the financial transfers to WikiLeaks, the 14 protesters replied by sending thousands of micro files ( DDoS ) to Paypal during two hours, in order to overwhelm the site's computer systems.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On Thursday, December 5<sup>th</sup>, the majority of the accused acknowledged the charges ("conspiracy " and "deliberate damage to a protected computer" ) as part of a legal agreement which meant $ 5,600 in fines for each - in exchange for that prison sentences would not be imposed at the final judgment that is scheduled for 2014. During the impeachment process against the 14 hacker-activists, Paypal has been collaborating with the U.S. Department of Justice prosecutors.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Paypal is a subsidiary of the multinational e -commerce company Ebay (who also bought the Swedish eBay ), where Pierre Omidyar is both founder and chairman , and has substantial financial interests. When Omidyar now hired Glenn Greenwald and other American journalists to work in the new journalistic project, it means that Greenwald goes into business with the president of the company that blocked online financial donations to WikiLeaks.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Wikileaks’ Sarah Harrison is a journalist who escorted the whistleblower Edward Snowden from Hong Kong to Russia in June 2013 , where he has been granted asylum and work. She has spoken out in the German magazine Stern on Omidyars new investment: " If you are creating a new media organization that claims to do everything for press freedom, but where you also are a part of a blockade against another media organization, it is difficult for us to take it seriously. "</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The operation against Paypal thus arose as support for Wikileaks, and the 14 hacker activists associated with Anonymous are indeed now in a legal battle against PayPal. This occurs while Omidyar is funding a new media company with a quart of one billion U.S. dollars, and where the reporters not only support the right to " free speech" but also use WikiLeaks as a source for their sensational news.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This paradox does not necessarily mean that Greenwald no longer defends Wikileaks or Anonymous’ political struggle for freedom of expression, state/corporative transparency or the civil right to anonymity. But neither it is a coincidence that Greenwald's involvement with Snowden's eventual future documents, can now indirectly be redirected and contextualized in a larger political-economic agenda.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So, who is this Pierre Omidyar ? According to The Independent newspaper he was born in 1967 in France to Iranian parents after fleeing the Shah's regime in Iran. Forbes magazine writes how Omidyar moved to Washington at age six, and today he is USA's 47th and World's 123rd richest man. He is also a noted philanthropist who donates huge sums to foundations, in his " vision for positive change driven by the individual " (as the Omidyar group writes on its website). It is from this (philanthropic) platform that Omidyar explains that he intends to support independent journalists in full, all in support of public interest. And he wants to find a way to convert regular readers into concerned citizens.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The ultimate goal is to build a digital media platform - called First Look Media - which provides Omidyars’ journalists, as he puts it, " the opportunity to pursue the truth in their fields ."</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In an interview with journalist Amy Goodman for the American independent news channel Democracy Now, at the end of October, Greenwald himself contributes to the rhetoric with the somewhat paradoxical statement, on that Omidyar "would not start a new business only to make money. He would just start a new business in accordance with a conscious societal perspective. "</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Omidyar has previously said that his business is based on the idea of acting as a "force for good ", and the interest for critical investigative journalism (a journalistic form which according to him does not give much money) follows the same track.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">However, critical grassroots’ voices argue that it would be naive to think that one of the world 's richest people voluntarily commits himself to finance journalists who question and challenge the political and economic structure that allows Omidyars own economic power to expand. The logic is simple: if you hire a U.S. critic (Greenwald) and give him several million dollars to implement specific projects with a clear U.S.-critical focus, the following question arises: Why choose to be at odds with the U.S. government? And if Omidyar becomes "enemy " of the U.S. government - who will be his "friend" ?</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Additional voices argue that the merger Greenwald/Omidyar is more about an attempt in advocating against the state apparatus that controls “too much” both the market and individuals. In short, where the government-critical information contextualizes in relation to certain political and market ideas based on individual and economic freedom - without strong government regulation. Hence the leaked critical information is not targeting state apparatuses or authorities as such; instead it functions towards an influencing effect in the long run: for a mobilization against the mentality that accepts a bureaucratic state that routinely control its citizens/companies through a variety of means and techniques.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What is thus latent under progress is something more than the concrete information coming out through Snowden and Greenwald . The interesting thing is (also ) how these activists and journalists' knowledge is indirectly influenced by political and financial power .</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Guardian's editor says (3/12) that they have "published just one per cent of all Snowden’s documents"; which means that a substantial amount of information remains to be published - information that it will likely be distributed by First Look Media.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That is, coming Snowden leaks are will no be published in a vacuum but instead under strategic management, published at a particular political time-occasion, and adjusted to other news articles. If there are only 1 per cent of all Snowden leaks that have been published by The Guardian, it is now First Look Media that will have a unique opportunity to decide when, where and how sensitive data would be fit to be published.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">To summarize: the information war is structured and controlled in an increasingly organized, populist and at an establishment level. The actors are no any longer solely Snowden or Greenwald, neither is what they say the only thing what matters; but also how they say it and in what context; who/what could indirectly influence these government critics; and who/whom is profiting or losing with a certain type of information that comes out to the public.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Seen from this perspective, Snowden and Greenwald works as pawns in a power game competing to win the public's political preferences, where the control by the Government of critical reports become "business as usual", a market for further political and economic ends.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">None of this undermines the seriousness of Manning’s or Snowden's leaks, on the contrary, the question is rather how the political-economic management of these leaks and their spokespersons will be developed: which outcomes shall crystallize and how they promote or discourage different market and political forces.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Meanwhile, and in the margin, parts of the Anonymous movement are still awaiting court verdicts; individuals and formations of young hacker activists who risk long prison sentences and substantial fines for political activities associated with the free speech.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Their struggle is also completely outside financial interests. Not like that sweater for sale on eBay Tradera.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">____</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Rodrigo Ferrada Stoeherel M.A, is a documentary-maker and Media & communications researcher, PhD student at Umeå University, Sweden</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Read also by Rodrigo Ferrada Stoehrel the Aftonbladet article:</span></div><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.com/2013/06/12/no-server-is-secure-the-list-of-digital-whistle-blowers-is-getting-longer-by-rodrigo-ferrada-stoehrel/" href="http://professorsblogg.com/2013/06/12/no-server-is-secure-the-list-of-digital-whistle-blowers-is-getting-longer-by-rodrigo-ferrada-stoehrel/" target="_blank">No server is secure. The list of digital whistle-blowers is getting longer </a></b></span></h3><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-85178615090029915182014-02-11T02:46:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.226-08:00“Human Right Issues in the Swedish Case VS. Assange”. Book presentation<h2 data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;">Presenting my book "Human Right Issues in the Swedish Case VS. Assange<b>”</b><em><br /> </em></span></span></h2><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/human-rights-issues-in-the-swedish-case-vs-assange-by-marcello-ferrada-de-noli.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/human-rights-issues-in-the-swedish-case-vs-assange-by-marcello-ferrada-de-noli.png"><img alt="Human-Rights-Issues-in-the-Swedish-case-VS.-Assange-By-Marcello-Ferrada-de-Noli" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/human-rights-issues-in-the-swedish-case-vs-assange-by-marcello-ferrada-de-noli.png" height="641" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/human-rights-issues-in-the-swedish-case-vs-assange-by-marcello-ferrada-de-noli.png" width="490" /></a><em></em></span></div><pre data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;"><em>Book cover by ©Arte de Noli</em></span></span></pre><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Published in <span style="color: #990000;">Professorsblogg.com 25</span> Dec 2013</span></i></span></span></span></span></span></h3><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></i></span></span>In an important voting at the Human-Rights organ of the United Nations, some months ago, Sweden obtained the lowest preference from the voting country-delegates. The election concerned Sweden’s own candidacy towards becoming a member of the United Nations Human-Rights organization.</span></span></span></h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In spite of such serious indication, or the news-relevance of the event, the information was not revealed in Sweden by the MSM at large. The state-owned media did not referred to it at all. Neither it figured at the website of the Swedish Foreign Affairs Ministry, or in Carl Bildt’s otherwise prolific twitters.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The referred happenings, both the drastic negative UN voting against Sweden and the fashion used by the Swedish government in hiding the news on the setback at home, or the collaborative stance by the Swedish MSM, are a pure demonstration of Sweden elites' collapsing international prestige. This process has been initiated in recent years with the remarkably persecution of the WikiLeaks founder Mr Julian Assange and other human-rights violations; such as the extraordinary renditions of refugees in Swedish territory, to the CIA.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And this is the country that only some decades ago – by the times of Olof Palme - it was internationally acclaimed for its dignified stance on human rights for all, for opposing imperialist wars, and for a noble commitment for peace and fairness in justice. In my very first article on the “Assange case”, published 2010 in Sweden by Second-Opinion, I reminded that “every single Swedish institution, not only the government but also universities and foundations, have gained their international prestige and positive affection from their counterparts all over world based precisely in the notion of a neutral and pacifist Sweden.”[1] The publication by WikiLeaks of the Diplomatic Cables on Sweden had unmasked in front of the whole world the falsehood of the current Swedish rulers’ “neutral stance”.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The human rights of Julian Assange, with the severe infringements on his freedom and civil liberties, would have to pay a high price for his Pandora-Box action.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong>Markedly, it is still heard in the international forum, and not seldom, this ungrounded myth – used as argument in the “Assange case” debate: “a <i>neutral</i> and democratic country as Sweden, just cannot be part of corrupted corporate conspiracies, or a docile follower of a political U.S. lead in the Assange case”.</strong></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This book, “Human Right Issues in the Swedish Case VS. Assange<b>”,</b> aims to set the record straight.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The book is based on updated texts I have authored, mostly the last two years, and which have been published in a variety of media. The chapters comprising eight parts:</span></div><ul data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Part I – Political and cultural background of the case</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Part II – The Trial By Media</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Part III –On the Myth of Sweden’s Neutrality</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Part IV – Debunking Swedish stance on Extraordinary Renditions, Asylum & Extradition Issues</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Part V – The Swedish Legal System and Human Rights Issues in the “Assange case”</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Part VI – The case Assange instrumented by the “Radical Feminists” (neither feminists, leftists, or radicals) serving the Swedish establishment</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Part VII – The direct intervention of the Swedish government in the “legal process” VS. Julian Assange</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Part VIII – Intelligence issues. Swedish Government Officials reporting, “having the impression they were working under the direct orders of CIA”</span></li><li><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Part IX – On Whistleblowing, Authority and Alienation</span></li></ul><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><i>The</i><i> book is exposing, basically:</i></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">a) Partly, some of the multiple violations on the human rights of Mr Julian Assange all across the “legal case”, and the “medial case”, b) the unequivocal political nature of the Swedish case against the WikiLeaks founder, geopolitics included, and c) a variety of democracy-wise anomalies in the Swedish system of justice, pointing at an antidemocratic management by the part of Sweden’s political and cultural elites.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong>I am a Swedish citizen, and I have lived in Sweden way more time than the average Swedes. I love this country, the people, and their culture. My position on Sweden is crystal-clear: good people, amiable, hardworking, honest. I believe that their traditional good ethics have – paradoxically – made them vulnerable for institutional deceit. Many would think that Swedes are naive, idiosyncratically. But they are not naive; they are just honest. And honest people tend to trust people, and therefore they have trust in their governments per default. And this is it. One conclusion of my book is that their government, their political and medial elites, have deceived the good Swedish peoples at large; And by means of social and cultural alienation.</strong></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;">What is in for the deceivers?</span></i></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"> </span> </i></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That domestic oligarchies in pursuing own interests would tend to form alliances with foreign powers, instead of protecting the interests of their own nations, it is old as History itself. [2]</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For the highest hierarchies it is a matter of corporative allegiance, millionaire share-holding profits, positions of international power. In true, in a macro perspective these changes in Sweden’s corridors-of-power occurred concomitantly with global economic developments after the Berlin Wall fall. In the beginning of the post cold-war era, Western centres of financial, military and subsequently political power shifted more markedly from governments’ sovereignty to global corporate decisions. This explains for instance the boosted weight during the 90’s of the Bilderberg Group, in which conspicuously participates Sweden’s most influent capitalist/politician, Carl Bildt – which at the same time was Sweden’s Prime Minister, nowadays Foreign Affairs Minister. A documented sourced in the Wikipedia article on the Bilderberg Group describes the organization’s attendee lists as “weighted towards bankers, politicians, and directors of large businesses.” In the book, I develop on details in “The Pesci Theses”.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Would the reader think these formulations are far conspiracy-wise? This is what <a data-mce-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Healey" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Healey" title="Denis Healey">Denis Healey</a>, one of the founders of the Bilderberg group and member of its executive board during 30 years, have declared:</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><em>"To say we were striving for a one-world government is exaggerated, but not wholly unfair.”</em></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Other names from the U.S. in such meetings of the Bilderberg Group: John Kerry, Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger, Condolezza Rice; From the U.K., David Cameron, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown; Other names from Sweden are the current PM Fredrik Reinfeldt and Finance Minister Anders Borg (right-wing party The Moderates), and Mona Sahlin, head of the Social Democratic Party 2007-2011 and in the same internal political aggrupation of Thomas Bordström (the former Minister of Justice and co-owner of the law firm that initiated the reopening of the “Swedish case” against Assange).</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For the Swedish middle-range elites and the media, the cultural and military establishment, it is also a matter of positions of power or in certain cases of job survival. Many analysts have interpreted the legendary Swedish “consensus” as a cultural inclination of agreeing collectively on issues of national pride, or national interest. However, the elites’ disciplined behaviour has in fact very little to do with “consensus”.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The truth is that behind a publicized system of neutrality, harmony, democracy, equality and consensus, there is the reality of a system in power using subtle gender discrimination, structural racial discrimination against the foreign born and their descendants, and antidemocratic measures equally against the Swedish born.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The power abuse includes a growing economic corruption, of which two examples are reviewed in this book. In both cases WikiLeaks figured either as a source (the Swedish-Telia international bribe scandal of 2013), or agitated as scapegoat by the Swedish military establishment (the Swedish/Saudi Arabian weapon scandal of 2012).</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the beginning of my analyses I hypothesized that all these secretive transgressions and abuses of power were done by the governing elites on the back of the Swedish Parliament and the people. Sadly, my conclusion is now that some members of the Parliament have been aware all along, or even participated with their complicit silence in those wrongdoings against the people that trusted them with their democratic vote.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The compact Swedish position on Assange and WikiLeaks (which by no accident is equated with the U.S. position), and particularly in the <i>initiation</i> and subsequently blockade for a resolution of the “case” in London, has to be understood in the contexts referred above. The case is undoubted political; the legal aspects are a charade.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Another conclusion of my book is that the current government’s lackey-stance in geopolitical matters is NOT serving Sweden’s national interests; it is serving a foreign corporate-power strategic interests.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sweden, as the rest of the democracies in the world, would be highly benefited by the release to freedom of Mr Julian Assange. The modern whistleblowing movement inspired and sat in motion by WikiLeaks, is a veritable lifeboat to democracy.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">With best New Year greetings of Human Rights for All,</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Prof. Ferrada de Noli</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">______________________________________</span></div><h4 data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES IN THE SWEDISH CASE VS. ASSANGE</span></h4><h4 data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">By Prof. Marcello Ferrada de Noli.</span></span></h4><h4 data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Publisher: Libertarian Books - Sweden.</span></span></h4><pre data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">ISBN 978-91-981615-1-9</span></pre><pre data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></pre><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The book will be available on-line at <a data-mce-href="http://libertarianbooks.se/" href="http://libertarianbooks.se/" target="_blank">libertarianbooks.se </a>on the 19th of January 2014, provided proofread is completed.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For the subscription of a printed copy, email <a data-mce-href="info@libertarinbooks.se" href="http://professorsblogg.wordpress.com/wp-admin/info@libertarinbooks.se" target="_blank">info@libertarinbooks.se</a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/ban-libertraianbooks-clrty.jpg" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/ban-libertraianbooks-clrty.jpg"><img alt="ban libertraianbooks clrty" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/ban-libertraianbooks-clrty.jpg" height="74" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/ban-libertraianbooks-clrty.jpg" width="420" /></a></span></div><br /><br /><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;">References in this post</span></span></i><br /><hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" /><div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[1] M Ferrada de Noli. “Assange buried the Swedish neutrality myth”, Second-Opinion, 8 Dec 2010</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[2] To illustrate with a case I know because of other circumstances: During the Italian Wars 1521-1526, when Emperor Charles V Spanish army invaded Northern Italy, they were fought by the people; However, many in the local oligarchy saw an opportunity to re-establish their privileges curved down by the Pope, by making military alliance with the invaders. I believe that in Genoa history they are known as the Pro-Hapsburgs. Eventually, the Italian nationalists defeated them and their Spaniard mentors in the battle of Genoa by December 1924. Members of the Genoa oligarchy that have enlisted as officers in the Imperial Army commanded by Ugo de Moncada, felt then no better chance than following Charles V troops back to Spain. From there they embarked to participate in the conquest and colonization of Chile, Mexico and Peru initiated 1527 ca.</span></div></div>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-2785110492391796862014-02-11T02:41:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.236-08:00Swedish authorities will not release their prisoner Assange on gallant pressures. But they will do it when Latin-American people mobilize on behalf of Ecuador’s sovereign right to grant asylum<h2 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Swedish authorities will not release their prisoner Assange on gallant pressures in the form appeals or opinion articles. Even if fact-grounded and well written, and even if that is accomplished by decent people within the Justice system itself, such as former prosecutor Rolf Hillegren’s debate article [1] in SvD.</span></h2><h2 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Published in <span style="color: #990000;">Professorsblogg.com <span style="color: #666666;">13 Jan </span></span>2014</span></i></span></span></span> </span></h2><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Swedish prestige" may be one contributing factor, but <i>one</i> real reason is that these Swedish political authorities, to a high extent alienated on behalf of superpower U.S., are not any longer sensitive to juridical opinions or even political decisions of their own people. The Swedish rulers shall do on Assange no more, not less, than precisely what Washington shall instruct them to do.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A clear demonstration of the above is the actual discussion on the Swedish defence, taking place in these very moments in Sälen amid dignitaries from government and the military establishments of Sweden and abroad. While the institution Swedish Civil Contingency Agency disclosed these days that their last nation-wide poll shows that over the half of Swedes disapprove the current (NATO-reliance) Swedish defense design, PM Reinfeldt categorically dismissed at the conference any flaw in such defense concept. This, in spite that only two per cent of Swedes answering the poll considered the Swedish defense being “very good”. PM Reinfeldt even declared that the Swedish defense has been made "stronger" by his government.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Julian Assange is not standing as a captive in London for the legal-wise allegations under discussion by the well-intentioned piece of Mr Hillegren in SvD.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Assange’s freedom of movements was annulled by those in power a cause of the Diplomatic Cables, and because he is the forerunner of the organization WikiLeaks.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In this context, another reason of why Carl Bildt and Fredrik Reinfeldt will not “change their minds”, lies in the fact that such decision rather belongs to the international corporate establishment targeted and hit by WikiLeaks and the whistleblowing movement it generated, or fearing to be hit in the future. In other words, “liberating or not liberating enemy Julian Assange” is highly a purely domestic Swedish issue. What are the relationships between this economic-military international establishment, as a new epicentre of strategic decisions, and local shareholder governments such the one of Bildt & Reinfeldt, is an issue discussed in the <a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.com/2013/07/21/pesci/" href="http://professorsblogg.com/2013/07/21/pesci/" target="_blank">“PESCI theses”</a> developed in these columns.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">With the above said, I would insist in my assessments stated in “<a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.com/2013/12/25/ja-asylumdeadlock/" href="http://professorsblogg.com/2013/12/25/ja-asylumdeadlock/" target="_blank">Five political scenarios that can break the Swedish obstruction of Ecuador’s asylum to Mr. Assange</a>”.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For if this confrontation phenomenon has partly an economic-financial main ingredient, and partly a geopolitical main ingredient, the way of solve it would be most likely if resorting to measures at the same level. A popular movement in Latin-American agitating a boycott to Swedish manufactures goods– the JAS fighter included- if Sweden would not respect the sovereign right of Ecuador of giving asylum to Assange, will surely do more to avert the conspicuous Swedish capitalists (whose enterprises are in fact international financed) deciding the fate of Julian Assange.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The history of Sweden's foreign policy appears being not more complicated than that. And, the Swedish legal system has historically been subordinated to Sweden's foreign policy. On this particular case, Prosecutor-General Anders Perklev <a data-mce-href="http://www.thelocal.se/20090817/21508" href="http://www.thelocal.se/20090817/21508" target="_blank">declared</a>, referring to Mr. Hillegren opinions in SvD: "I don't think that they are at all representative of prosecutors in general".</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;">References</span></span></i></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[1] R Hillegren, "Dags för Sverige att avsluta fallet Assange", SvT, 12 Jan 2014. http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/dags-for-sverige-att-avsluta-fallet-assange_8887418.svd</span></div>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-52238333968544035252014-02-11T02:38:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.244-08:00Suicide among Immigrants in Sweden drastically increasing<h3><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #808080;" style="color: grey;">Research report newly <a data-mce-href="http://lakartidningen.se/Klinik-och-vetenskap/Kommentar/2014/01/Sjalvmord-bland-invandrare-okar/" href="http://lakartidningen.se/Klinik-och-vetenskap/Kommentar/2014/01/Sjalvmord-bland-invandrare-okar/" target="_blank">published in the Swedish Medical Journal</a> (<em>Läkartidningen</em></span>):</span></span></h3><h2><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;">In 2012 immigrant suicides increased in 10,3 percent, whereas suicides among native Swedes increased only 2,8 percent</span></span></h2><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/marcello-ferrada-de-noli-artikel-i-lakartidningen-januari-2014.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/marcello-ferrada-de-noli-artikel-i-lakartidningen-januari-2014.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Marcello Ferrada de Noli - artikel i lakartidningen januari 2014" class=" wp-image-5101 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/marcello-ferrada-de-noli-artikel-i-lakartidningen-januari-2014.png" height="316" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/marcello-ferrada-de-noli-artikel-i-lakartidningen-januari-2014.png" width="420" /></a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;"><strong>Summary</strong></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A cross-cultural breakdown of the latest Swedish suicide statistics (2012), showed a markedly rising of fatalities among the immigrant population with regard to the previous year. The increasing observed was of 10,3 per cent for immigrants and 2,8 per cent for born in Sweden; and it was found significant in the male foreign-born group (x<sup>2</sup>= 8.7, <i>p</i>= 0.0031) as well among older immigrant female (x<sup>2</sup>= 17.5, <i>p</i>= 0.0001). </span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The findings are discussed against the backdrop of the overrepresentations of foreign-born immigrants in the suicide statistics during the 80’s and 90’s, and the relatively decrease of such representation in recent years. Possible explanations of these phenomena are found in drastic changes in the demographic of Sweden in latest years, as well as in the reported vulnerability for suicidal behaviour among traumatized refugees with PTSD diagnoses and comorbidity of depression. The author suggests that “<i>refugee</i>-status” is included as a factor in the instruments for assessment of suicide risk.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;">Full article in Swedish</span>: <a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/ferrada-de-noli-m-sjacc88lvmord-bland-invandrare-occ88kar-lacc88kartidningen.pdf" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/ferrada-de-noli-m-sjacc88lvmord-bland-invandrare-occ88kar-lacc88kartidningen.pdf">Ferrada de Noli M. - Självmord bland invandrare ökar - Läkartidningen</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Published in <span style="color: #990000;">Professorsblogg.com <span style="color: #666666;">9 Jan </span></span>2014</span></i></span></span> </span>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-17031820874869454542014-02-11T02:35:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.270-08:00Snowden: "Nuestros gobiernos, actuando concertadamente, han creado un sistema mundial de espionaje masivo; controlando cada cosa que hacemos"<h2><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"En vez de espiar al pueblo, será siempre más económico preguntarle directamente, qué siente" / Edward Snowden, 25 Dic 2013</span></h2><div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>EL Mensaje de Navidad leído por Edward Snowden en Channel 4. Londres, 25 de Diciembre de 2013.</b></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: right;"><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Published in <span style="color: #990000;">Professorsblogg.com 25</span> Dec 2013</span></i></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><b>English:</b></span> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubtMCzYqlps</span></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;">Svenska:</span></b> http://jinge.se/allmant/snowdens-julbudskap-igar-kvall.htm</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Feliz Navidad.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Es un honor para mi tener esta oportunidad de hablar con vuestra familia este año.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Recientemente, hemos sabido que nuestros gobiernos, actuando concertadamente, han creado un sistema mundial de espionaje masivo; controlando cada cosa que hacemos.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">El Británico George Orwell nos advirtió de este tipo de (colección de) de información. Micrófonos, cámaras de video, aparatos de televisión no son nada comparado a lo que se dispone hoy día: llevamos sensores en nuestros bolsillos que identifican nuestra posición donde quiera que vayamos.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Piensen lo que esto significa pada la privacidad de una persona común: Los niños que nacen hoy día, crecerán sin ningún concepto sobre lo que es privacidad. Ellos nunca sabrán qué es el tener un momento de privacidad para ellos mismos – pensamientos que no se registrarán o que no se analizarán.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Y ese es un problema, porque la privacidad ES importante. Privacidad es lo que nos permite determinar quiénes somos, quienes queremos ser.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Un razonamiento alrededor de aquello determinará cuanto confianza podemos tener en la tecnología que nos circunda y en los gobiernos que la regulan.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Juntos podremos encontrar un balance más apropiado, y terminar con el espionaje masivo. Y recordarle al gobierno:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;"><b>Si el gobierno realmente quiere saber como sentimos, es siempre más barato preguntar directamente al pueblo, en vez de espiarnos</b></span></span></div><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">___</span></span></span><br /><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Traducido por </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><i>Professorsblogg.com</i></span></span></span><b> </b></span></span>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-22786579950697657752014-02-11T02:31:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.298-08:00Assange tres años privado de libertad, sin cargos en su contra. Eva Golinger: "Insólito" <div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/eva-golinger-rt.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/eva-golinger-rt.png"><img alt="eva golinger rt" class="size-full wp-image-4446 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/eva-golinger-rt.png" height="405" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/eva-golinger-rt.png" width="651" /></a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;">[See translation into English in</span> ‘<a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.com/2013/12/03/unbelievable3yrs/" href="http://professorsblogg.com/2013/12/03/unbelievable3yrs/">Unbelievable that Assange has been three years deprived of freedom without any charge</a>’]</span></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Published in <span style="color: #990000;">Professorsblogg.com 25</span> Dec 2013</span></i></span></span></div><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Es insólito que Julian Assange esté privado de su libertad durante tres años sin que se haya presentado ninguna acusación en su contra. Así ha comentado Eva Golinger la situación del fundador de WikiLeaks en una conversación con RT.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Detrás de toda la postura del Reino Unido está Washington, está EE.UU. Porque si hubo un acuerdo entre la cancillería del Reino Unido y la de Ecuador, como ha afirmado el canciller Ricardo Patiño, el hecho de que haya cambiado así tan de repente indica que quienes realmente están manejando esa política y esa estrategia están fuera de la cancillería del Reino Unido”, aseguró Golinger en conversaciones con <b>RT</b>.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /> Según la abogada, el Reino Unido en este caso no tiene interés en negociar debido a que ya ha pasado demasiado tiempo. “Julian Assange tiene como tres años ya sin libertad en Inglaterra y ya más de un año, casi un año y medio dentro de la embajada de Ecuador en Londres”, enfatizó.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Golinger asegura además que esto es “algo insólito en un caso en que no existe ninguna acusación formal contra Assange. Y además que Ecuador ha sido muy abierto para que vayan los investigadores a interrogar a Assange dentro de la embajada de Ecuador, y todos esos intentos de resolver la situación han sido negados por el Gobierno inglés y yo diría que a través de ellos está el Gobierno de EE.UU.”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ante la posibilidad de llevar el caso del creador de WikiLeaks a una corte internacional, como sugirió el canciller Patiño, Golinger aclaró que hay que entender que este tipo de casos son de largo plazo y no se pueden resolver rápidamente.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Hay dos casos diferentes, está el caso de Julian Assange y sus derechos, que han sido violados, y está el caso de Ecuador, que está siendo violado en su derecho soberano a dar asilo a una persona. Y dar asilo a una persona que está refugiada en su sede diplomática, que está protegido bajo el derecho internacional, deberían permitir trasladarlo a ese país, y el Gobierno inglés no lo ha permitido y eso es una grave violación al derecho internacional”, concluyó Golinger.”</span><br />Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-32497536858222500662014-02-11T02:26:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.328-08:00Five political scenarios that can break the Swedish obstruction of Ecuador's asylum to Mr. Assange<h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0c343d;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Against the backdrop of the not-yet-concluded Swedish Gripen fighters deal with Brazil, we appeal to the respect for the Latin-American (and International) institution of political asylum, that should be paramount in the dealings with EU-countries. Examining five political scenarios that can break the deadlock in London in the Swedish "case" VS. the WikiLeaks founder.</span></span></span></h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">By Marcello Ferrada de Noli</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Published in <span style="color: #990000;">Professorsblogg.com</span> 25 Dec 2013</span></i></span> </span></div><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/gripen1.jpg" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/gripen1.jpg"><img alt="Gripen1" class="size-full wp-image-5066 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/gripen1.jpg" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/gripen1.jpg" height="525" width="700" /></a></span></h3><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">1. Latin America:</span></h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There is in Latin-America a relative militant but with increasing influence in the region named ALBA (integrated among others countries by Venezuela, Ecuador, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Bolivia). The re-election of Correa in the presidential vote in Ecuador reinforced the influence of Ecuador in ALBA but also gave ALBA itself a booster in its influence in the region.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On the other hand, one could argue that ALBA is not all Latin America. However, those familiarized with the modern Latin-American developments towards superpowers (i.e. USA) have characterized this stance as an “inverted <i><a data-mce-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matryoshka_doll">matryoshka doll</a></i>” – where the inner structures gradually exercise pressure on outer structures in order to produce changes in accordance with the more militant or radical agenda emerging from the “inner” structures. And then there is UNASUR (the twelve South American countries); Alianza del Pacífico; MERCOSUR, and CELAC (all the countries in the continent, excluding USA and Canada, meaning 33 countries!</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The elections in Chile can also be viewed as a promising development for the cohesion of progressive forces in Latin America are neither far from today. The recent victory of Michele Bachelet, of the Centre-Left Coalition would predict an effective incorporation of Chile to ALBA. Chile has, among the Latin American countries, the strongest economy and also relatively the strongest influence in he forum of EU countries. This factor, added to that several Latin-American countries have started a more utterly support of Argentina’s reclaim of sovereignty of the Islas Malvinas (<a data-mce-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkland_Islands" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkland_Islands">Falkland Islands</a>) nowadays still under military occupation of Great Britain, etc. All these developments would signify pressures upon the British government, and in the context of the dispute between Ecuador and the UK it is likely to think of a scenario in which economic and political pressures will be exercised against the government of Great Britain to make them respect the sovereignty of Ecuador on the matter to which they decide to give asylum. I repeat,</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b> This right, or praxis, of granting political asylum is a very strong tradition in the Latin American countries</b>, question that has not been fully understood – or not even discussed – at least in Sweden.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">An open confrontation between Ecuador and England has not yet initiated, possibly because of the Ecuadorian presidential-election period. But in the case that confrontation will be declared – and if England would again miss (like in the Falkland crisis with Argentina) to grasp the Latin American “honour-bound” political cultural in international affairs – the consequences will likely be:</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">a) Economic blockade for import goods and services towards the UK,</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">b) Sooner thereafter a “domino effect” of such blockade will reach Sweden. This, because a common <i>current </i>geopolitical denominator between these two countries, seen from Latin-American perspective, is their collaboration in the unjustified detention of Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy, blockading the processes of political asylum which in Latin America is instead a sacred institution.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here below further political scenarios that can open for solutions of the stalemate in the “Assange case”</span></div><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">2. WikiLeaks</span></h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">WikiLeaks have announced thousand new disclosures (which compromise all the countries, as Julian Assange emphasized in his speed in December at the Ecuadorian Embassy). Depending on the quality and aggravating tenure of those contents wit regard to Sweden, the pressures towards Sweden’s readiness for discussing an ending of the stalemate on the “Assange case” will increase – not the least because not doing so it would be interpreted as if the prolonging of the “legal case” is a further revenge from Sweden motivated by the further WikiLeaks’ political exposures on Sweden.</span></div><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">3. Sweden:</span></h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Regretful, and mainly because of the "<i>prestige"</i> issues analysed above, Sweden would be the last scenario where a solution-initiative for the impasse occasioned by Sweden could be authored.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For instance, Sweden has apparently not understood the fully extent of their political embarrassing at the election in the United Nations body for Human Rights where Sweden got the lowest number of votes from the international community represented there (referred above in Introduction). Or perhaps the current engagement of Carl Bildt in Latin America is a “damaging control” task in view of such situation. The assessing of the main causes intervening in the current worsening of the Swedish international standing would be complicated. The abandonment of the Neutrality policy can be cited as one of them. But there are more concrete deeds committed by Sweden, which have portrayed the country as frankly alien to the praxis of Human Rights that the United Nations has been pursuing after.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">To the context above the fact that Sweden has been sanctioned by the United Nations for serious “<a data-mce-href="http://www.hrw.org/news/2005/05/19/sweden-violated-torture-ban-us-help" href="http://www.hrw.org/news/2005/05/19/sweden-violated-torture-ban-us-help">violation on the United Nations Absolute Ban On Torture</a>” – a Convention that Sweden had signed. As the secret collaboration by Sweden with the CIA perplexed the international community, the fact that <i>torture</i> was implicated (it referred to the “Egyptians case” of renditions to CIA by the Swedish authorities under the time Thomas Bodström was Justice Minister) made the things worst. It s NOT a thing that one could have expected from Sweden, it was commented in Latin America. It has to be observed that many among the current leadership of these countries have been victims or witness of such atrocities committed by the military dictatorships supported from the mid 70’s through the 80’s by the US.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">To make things worst for Sweden in Latin America, the revelations on the (passive or active) involvement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden in the rendition of further Swedish nationals to the US – that in this particular case had been cleared of criminal suspicions by Swedish prosecutor investigations – have increased the reluctance of considering Sweden as having an independent, sovereign stand in the issues of extradition. And here we get one core issue on the dispute around the “Assange case”, as the political asylum was granted by Ecuador precisely in considering the risk fro extradition to the US performed by Sweden.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The facts reviewed here, together with the peculiar treatment by Sweden of the so-called Assange case – which at times violates its own legal praxis – has resulted in a direct deterioration of the sympathies that the “Olof Palme country” previously enjoyed among the Latin-American people. Those sentiments will surely play a role in an eventual economic boycott of Sweden – which is the natural outcome in a domino effect in the event that an Anglo-Ecuadorian political confrontation would arise, because of the asylum-issue deadlock.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As Sweden does not seem being ready for applying the Roman principle ”pactum abrogare eodem modo fabricati”, dropping the ”legal case” against the WikiLeaks founder is not exactly in sight.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Nevertheless, a call for a boycott of the industrial products of Sweden is not an unrealistic scenario in the future, if attending to the increasing awareness among the Latin-American grassroots regarding the actual geopolitical role of Sweden (I mean the Swedish <i>government</i>). The management of the case Assange is only one demonstration of the submissiveness of the Swedish government towards the superpower on the other hand colliding with many Latin-American countries. Latin-American grassroots have demonstrated in the past they are able to put popular pressure ion their governments regarding ideological issues. In this case is also a matter of self-respect. The right of Latin-American country to grant political asylum to an individual shall be respected by EU-countries. No respect, no deal.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Democratic political parties, particularly those algning themselves in the Center-left during election campaigns, should act towards the left-oriented governments in ALBA; and when, according the “inverted matryoshka-doll” effect, the message will be delivered from other Ecuadorian-sympathetic governments in ALBA to the rest of the country-organizations in the Region; Then, perhaps the “miracle” will occur. For it is nearly so, that only a "miracle" can break the current Swedish submissiveness towards the U.S. and the Global corporate enterprise.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A call for economic and commercial boycott of Swedish goods and services, meaning an effective threat to the capitalist profits and fiscal revenues in Sweden, would be perhaps the only measure that would cause Sweden to review their so called "prestige-bound" stance on the case Assange. Personally, and as a Swede, I do not think it is a matter of "prestige". That would be a too elegant denomination to mean simple geopolitical idiocy. For the submissiveness of the Swedish government towards US does not see to Swedish interests. It only serve the interests of the US.</span></div>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-12491528621619320002014-02-11T02:13:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.360-08:00What Is Behind The Bogus Case of Sweden VS. Mr Julian Assange?<h2 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #676767;" style="color: #676767;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/julian-bw.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/julian-bw.png"><img alt="In the history of Swedish extradition of political prisoners to foreign powers" class="size-full wp-image-1755 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/julian-bw.png" height="219" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/julian-bw.png" width="465" /></a></span><span style="color: #666666;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></span></span></h2><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Published in <span style="color: #990000;">Professorsblogg.com</span> 18 Dec 2013</span></span></span></i></span></div><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;">In "<a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.com/2013/12/12/peoples-intel-apparatus/" href="http://professorsblogg.com/2013/12/12/peoples-intel-apparatus/"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;">Who is behind. . .? On the Swedish collaboration with US spying</span></a>" (Please do not refer to it as "<em>cooperation</em> between FRA and NSA", for Sweden gets no benefit for its own national interests, at the contrary), I mentioned that WikiLeaks and its forerunner Mr Julian Assange have represented a veritable threat to those abusing power; and thus, from that perspective, a best way of keeping that threat as far away as possible, is to secure the arrest or seclusion of Mr Julian Assange as long as possible. Also, in "<span data-mce-style="text-decoration: underline;" style="text-decoration: underline;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.com/2013/12/11/big-risk-that-assange-will-be-extradited-to-the-us/" href="http://professorsblogg.com/2013/12/11/big-risk-that-assange-will-be-extradited-to-the-us/"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366; text-decoration: underline;" style="color: #003366; text-decoration: underline;">Great Risk that Sweden extradite Assange to the US</span></a></span>", prominent Swedish lawyers Mr Thomas Olsson and Mr Per E Samuelson, together with the President Emeritus of the Center for Constitutional Rights Mr Michael Ratner, concluded that Sweden appears giving up the respect for political asylum to make possible Mr Assange would "spend the rest of his life in a U.S. prison, for his journalistic revelations." </span></span></span></h3><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;">Julian Assange's journalistic revelations have not only been disliked by the US. There are various "sensitive" issues regarding abuses of power in Sweden - particularly in the frame of cheating on both Members of Parliament and the trust of Swedish people. These are items related to both NATO-collaborationist governments of Reindfeldt / Bildt and Göran Persson / Bödström (which do NOT represent the honourable political tradition of Olof Palme and much of the social democratic party-roots of Sweden) . These WikiLeaks exposures on the Swedish rulers are <em>the real reasons</em> for the bogus case "Sweden VS. Assange". I reproduced here "This is Why", based in an earlier interview I gave to the London-based journalist Karin Wasteson.</span></span></span></h3><div data-mce-style="padding-left: 120px;" style="padding-left: 120px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><em><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;">"Although the parliamentary investigator concluded that the Swedish security police deserved 'extremely grave criticism' for losing control of the operation and for being 'remarkably submissive to the American officials,' no Swedish officials have been charged or disciplined." / The Washington Post. See References, N0. [3], down below this text.<br /> </span></em></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: right;" style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">By Marcello Ferrada de Noli</span></div><div align="right" data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><h2><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;">Why is Sweden so revengeful against Julian Assange?</span></span></h2><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Swedish vendetta can be simply explained by this press clip:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/cuttinginpro3-12.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/cuttinginpro3-12.png"><img alt="cuttinginpro3-12" class=" wp-image-4882 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/cuttinginpro3-12.png" height="195" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/cuttinginpro3-12.png" width="562" /></a></span></div><div><div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Meaning:Wikileaks disclosed in front of the world</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">a) the phony Swedish neutrality in the issues of foreign-policy and military-alliances, Sweden was in fact acting under NATO. b) some government officials acted in deals compromising the nation's political independence(according to Swedish law is only the Parliament - <i>ergo</i> not single government functionaries - empowered to make such agreements). Sweden was in fact receiving "instructions" in both intelligence-gathering issues [For sources, see Note 1] as well as in legislation initiatives by a foreign power.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">b) this servile attitude of some government officials compromised the integrity of their own countrymen. All this was done <a data-mce-href="http://svt.se/2.22620/1.2257883/sverige_lamnar_information_till_usa_utan_att_riksdagen_far_veta?lid=puff_2258465&lpos=extra_0" href="http://svt.se/2.22620/1.2257883/sverige_lamnar_information_till_usa_utan_att_riksdagen_far_veta?lid=puff_2258465&lpos=extra_0">in secrecy and deliberately hide from Parliament</a>, [2], activity which besides was <i>illegal</i>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">c) the fact that <i>after </i>the all affair was made public by the Wikileaks cables there was <i>practically</i> no reaction from politicians, journalists, or the general public about the exposures. Nothing at least that resulted in real questioning of the authorities involved. The same had happened regarding the public disclosure of the Swedish <i>official</i> collaboration in the secret CIA renditions-flight operations in Sweden [see interview bellow].This was a shame in it self, because under "normal" standards in all nations, the proposing of secret intelligence-collaboration deals to a foreign power behind the back of the constitutional authorities would have occasioned a government scandal, to say the least.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It was then when the international criticism started to pour over Sweden. The international opinion was astonished. The Washington Post noted, quoting a Parliament investigation, that no Swedish officials have been charged or disciplined although "<i>being remarkably submissive to the American officials</i>".[3]</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><em><strong>The Swedish reaction</strong> </em></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Swedish officials either failed to understand such criticism as an aggravating wrongdoing, or could not accept the criticism. They instead blamed Assange himself, as "the enemy" of Sweden. So he was portrayed in a series of documentary at the National Swedish Television and in the press.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Swedish National Television started the series by producing in April 2011 <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/04/rigged-documentary-on-julian-assange-in.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/04/rigged-documentary-on-julian-assange-in.html">a documentary</a> in its main channel (SvT-1) [4] which used the following text-presentation, also repeated in the programs announcements and trailer:<a data-mce-href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=16506211&postID=6953386725092705943" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=16506211&postID=6953386725092705943">“How could the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange get the world to question Sweden's credibility”?</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The main stream media followed, and journalists openly associated with the nominal accusers in the case Assange started the <i>ad-hominem</i> anti Assange Twitter-campaign "Talk about" [#Prataomdet]. The campaign was widely publicized, even internationally, starting by the <i>Guardian</i>. The campaign was also openly instigated by the plaintiffs' lawyer Claes Borgström in conjunction with public events organized by the radical-feminist movement [5]. For them, the "Assange Affair" had publicly been declared <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/09/julian-assange-as-symbolic-issue-for.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/09/julian-assange-as-symbolic-issue-for.html">a "symbol"</a> [6] in the political agenda towards a further radicalization of the rape-legislation. The organizers of the defamation <i>Prataomdet</i>-campaign were afterwards rewarded by both the government and the Swedish cultural establishment.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As the vengeful anti-Assange campaign progressed in the Swedish media (some of these actions from the part of the media analysed in <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/10/swedish-psychological-warfare-against.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/10/swedish-psychological-warfare-against.html">Swedish psychological warfare against Wikileaks and Assange</a>), [7] <i>all </i>political parties - <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/03/swedish-pirates-betray-assange.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/03/swedish-pirates-betray-assange.html">included the Pirate Party</a> - [8] joined the populist occasion. Prime Minister Reindfeldt made himself a public intervention about the "legal process" on behalf of the plaintiffs. [9] This considering that Julian Assange has not been in trial, not yet been charged, nor his version heard in Sweden.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><em>Summary of some known Wikileaks disclosures on Sweden</em></span></strong></span><br /><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The exposures as such, contained in the Wikileaks cables, referred in the main 1) To an intelligence-gathering operation with regard to personal data of the Swedish people as requested by USA. Such collaboration program would require by law the approval of the Parliament. Remarkably, the Swedish officials themselves (not the USA officials, who instead wished a formal, legal agreement) proposed a formula for such collaboration devised to avoid the scrutinizing of the Parliament and the public. 2) To initiatives given to the Minister of Justice in order to introduce a series legislation aimed to protect commercial or corporate interests of the foreign country. 3) To initiatives or concrete pressures given upon the Minister of Justice for the introduction in Sweden of a <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2008_09_22_archive.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2008_09_22_archive.html">legislation aimed the surveillance</a> of the Internet traffic of the Swedish citizens . This legislation, known as the Surveillance Law (<i>FRA-lagen</i>) was eventually aprobed by the Parliament at the "government" initiative and after an intense debate. [10]</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The above, as I anticipated in 2010, are the genuine <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-analysis-swedish-political-crusade.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-analysis-swedish-political-crusade.html"><i>political reasons</i></a> for the Swedish punishment of Assange.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><h2><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;"><em><strong>Here follows an interview by the London-based Swedish journalist Karin Wasteson</strong></em></span></span></h2><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/karin1.jpg" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/karin1.jpg"><img alt="karin1" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4893" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/karin1.jpg" height="200" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/karin1.jpg" width="139" /></a></span></div><address data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Karin Wasteson</span></address><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.greysideofnews.com/2010/12/the-stockholm-suicide-bomber/" href="http://www.greysideofnews.com/2010/12/the-stockholm-suicide-bomber/">Karin Wasteson</a> is a Swedish journalist based in London. She took contact with me while working with an article on the Swedish media reporting of the Assange case, for which she had interviewed several sources.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">These were her written questions, followed by my answers, in which I insert here some links for the readers of the <i>Professors blog</i>.</span></div><h4><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></h4><h4><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #808080;" style="color: grey;">[Karin Wasteson] – 1. Why do you think there has been an overall negative reporting of the case by Swedish media?</span></span></h4><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There are two main reasons that might explain the <a data-mce-href="http://www.swedenversusassange.com/Media-climate-in-Sweden.html" href="http://www.swedenversusassange.com/Media-climate-in-Sweden.html">negative reporting</a> of the Assange case in Sweden, one is of a <a data-mce-href="http://www.newsmill.se/artikel/2011/01/11/the-swedish-political-crusade-against-assange-and-wikileaks" href="http://www.newsmill.se/artikel/2011/01/11/the-swedish-political-crusade-against-assange-and-wikileaks">political nature</a> and the other has to do with <a data-mce-href="http://www.newsmill.se/node/33265" href="http://www.newsmill.se/node/33265">traditions of Swedish journalism</a>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;"><em>A. The political aspects</em></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In its turn, the political aspects determining or influencing the reporting appear being twofold:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On the one hand we have the <a data-mce-href="http://www.second-opinion.se/so/view/1577" href="http://www.second-opinion.se/so/view/1577">change in the foreign policy and military-strategy</a> main perspective of the Swedish government, namely, abandon of the neutrality-stand and <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2008/10/foreign-policy-terrorism-cia-kant.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2008/10/foreign-policy-terrorism-cia-kant.html">identification with NATO</a> and the geopolitical interests this organization represents. In this line, the government would demonstrate - as they have done in the <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2008/10/bildt-bjrklund-and-co-mer-amerikaner-n.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2008/10/bildt-bjrklund-and-co-mer-amerikaner-n.html">Afghanistan</a> and <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/04/om-sverigedemokraterna-ar-osvensk-vad.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/04/om-sverigedemokraterna-ar-osvensk-vad.html">Libyan</a> cases - that Sweden is a “loyal partner” and long away from the late Olof Palme’s policy of alignment with the Third World countries.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It is worth to note that changes in those regards started already by the times of the former social democratic government of Göran Persson. This can be illustrated with <a data-mce-href="http://falkvinge.net/2010/12/10/we-were-right-sweden-is-covert-nato-member-2/" href="http://falkvinge.net/2010/12/10/we-were-right-sweden-is-covert-nato-member-2/">secret agreements</a> on <a data-mce-href="http://www.dn.se/debatt/darfor-kan-usa-i-hemlighet-stalla-harda-krav-pa-sverige" href="http://www.dn.se/debatt/darfor-kan-usa-i-hemlighet-stalla-harda-krav-pa-sverige">cooperation</a> with USA services which otherwise had became known through the rendition-flight episodes (political refuges in Sweden handed over in secret to the American services to be transported to interrogation centres elsewhere, as in <a data-mce-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repatriation_of_Ahmed_Agiza_and_Muhammad_al-Zery" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repatriation_of_Ahmed_Agiza_and_Muhammad_al-Zery">the case of the Egyptians refugees</a>).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">During these events, exposed to the pubic by <a data-mce-href="http://www.hrw.org/legacy/english/docs/2004/05/17/sweden8620.htm" href="http://www.hrw.org/legacy/english/docs/2004/05/17/sweden8620.htm">a documentary</a> in the private network TV4 (update: <a data-mce-href="http://www.dn.se/ledare/huvudledare/sargade-principer" href="http://www.dn.se/ledare/huvudledare/sargade-principer">episode also commented in an editorial by DN 12/8 2011</a>), the social democratic politician and former minister of Justice Thomas Bodström <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/partner-at-firm-counseling-assanges.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/partner-at-firm-counseling-assanges.html">was signalled</a> a main actor in the operation. Eventually <a data-mce-href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article11621523.ab" href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article11621523.ab">an investigation on his role</a> was held upon the Swedish Constitutional Committee – with no further consequences, useless to add.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Sweden's acting in the apprehension of a USA’s number-one enemy - as Julian Assange is characterized - might be a confirmation of the above.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For these ends, the government have naturally got the support of all the political parties favouring the NATO approach, including the “opposition” (mainly the social democratic party).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Although is natural and legitimate that a Swedish government - as the USA or any other sovereign country - decides the foreign policy they think it best would serve their national interests, the problem here is of another kind. It has to do with important decisions that have been adopted in secret by government officials and hidden to the Swedish Parliament and the public. It is about the <i>transparency</i> issue.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Yet another issue is whether that "double play" from the part of the Swedish government is really necessary in the interest of Sweden's foreign policy (<a data-mce-href="http://www.dn.se/debatt/darfor-kan-usa-i-hemlighet-stalla-harda-krav-pa-sverige" href="http://www.dn.se/debatt/darfor-kan-usa-i-hemlighet-stalla-harda-krav-pa-sverige">DN-debatt 10/12 2009</a>).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">On the other hand, the government has also got the support of the leftist <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/03/swedish-pirates-betray-assange.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/03/swedish-pirates-betray-assange.html">parties and organizations</a> in their case against Assange. This through <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/matching-critic-on-reindfelts.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/matching-critic-on-reindfelts.html">highlight</a> the “pro-feminist” aspects of the case, all which has served as <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/09/julian-assange-as-symbolic-issue-for.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/09/julian-assange-as-symbolic-issue-for.html">a symbol for the radical feminism in Sweden</a> in their campaign for moving forwards an even more advanced legislation in the gender-perspective. Assange is presented as the ultimate male-in-power-perpetrator and sexual abuser of Swedish women-victims, a construction that would mirror <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/07/pseudo-science-in-swedish-rape-trials.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/07/pseudo-science-in-swedish-rape-trials.html">the “patriarchal” structures of the power constellation in Sweden</a> and elsewhere, according to the radical feminists.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It is worth to mention that the <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/01/bordstrom-borgstrom-vs-wikileaks.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/01/bordstrom-borgstrom-vs-wikileaks.html">Assange accusers</a>, and notably members of the prosecution and police apparatus that have actively pursued or dealt with the Assange case are members of the same radical-feminist organizations or share their ideology.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In sum, the <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-analysis-swedish-political-crusade.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/01/new-analysis-swedish-political-crusade.html">Swedish crusade</a> against the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has shown being compact and having the characteristic of a national cause.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The above have generated a <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/04/decreasing-of-swedens-credibility-in.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/04/decreasing-of-swedens-credibility-in.html">strong populism-factor around the case</a>, and hence also a profitable source for other political or cultural opportunists in the Swedish forum, in the blogosphere and others authors not previously known as embracing political correct positions. The critical voices on the Assange case in Sweden have become fewer, and had to pay a high price for their objective and ethical stand.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;"><em>B. The Swedish journalist traditions</em></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">As I have previously developed in <i>Newsmill</i>, <a data-mce-href="http://www.newsmill.se/node/33265" href="http://www.newsmill.se/node/33265">the “duck-pond” phenomenon</a> in the Swedish journalism consists partly (there are yet other principal factors explained in the article, such as hegemonic nationalistic ideology or media monopoly) in that Swedish journalists, generally referred, do not exercise critical analysis of the wrongdoings of corporate power or government, particularly in cases of “national emergencies”. In these cases, their role has basically been to repeat communiqué released by the authorities. International correspondents have previously observed this phenomenon during past “national crisis” or where the Swedish “prestige” has been in focus, such as the riots of Gothenburg or the alleged Soviet submarine-incursions in Swedish waters.</span></div></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #808080;" style="color: grey;">[Karin Wasteson] – 2. Do you think it has altered the judiciary process of the case in Sweden and Britain?</span></span></h4><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Yes I do, indeed.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #808080;" style="color: grey;">[Karin Wasteson] – 3. Have you analysed British and foreign media as well?</span></span></h4><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I have not conducted such analyses myself, but <a data-mce-href="http://ccwlja.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/update-more-clues-point-towards-guardian-gag-order-in-assange-case/" href="http://ccwlja.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/update-more-clues-point-towards-guardian-gag-order-in-assange-case/">others</a> have done that, for instance <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/03/censorship-of-assange-articles-in.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/03/censorship-of-assange-articles-in.html">regarding the biased reporting of the Guardian</a>. Guardian had to recognize in a given moment it had censorship against references to articles published in <i>Professors blog</i> on the case Assange. These have been articles also authored by Naomi Wolf or Andrew Craig, not only those of my own.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><strong><span data-mce-style="color: #808080;" style="color: grey;">[Karin Wasteson] – 4. Are you disappointed by the biased Swedish press, or was this to be expected?</span></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I would have expected some repetition of the cultural and political nationalistic phenomena mentioned above, but not to the solid extend in which this have now shown in the Swedish case against Assange. For reasons I have otherwise a high identification with Swedish societal and cultural values, of course I feel disappointed, as very many other academics around the world regarding the Swedish managing of this case. And the attacks of the media have been such biased and also at times detrimental not only through vulgar personal attacks to Julian Assange but also to the few that have dared to criticize the main stream in the reporting of the case.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><h4><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #808080;" style="color: grey;">5. Do you think Assange can expect a fair trial in Sweden if he is extradited?</span></span></h4><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">No, sadly. Both <a data-mce-href="http://ccwlja.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/reinfeldts-statement-published-redacted-and-then-unredacted-why/" href="http://ccwlja.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/reinfeldts-statement-published-redacted-and-then-unredacted-why/">the PM</a> and high officials in the juridical system have already profiled the case with their <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/matching-critic-on-reindfelts.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/matching-critic-on-reindfelts.html">public declarations</a>. Yet, the main reasons behind are partly the national or strategic interests in play – as explained introductorily – and partly the <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/v-behaviorurldefaultvmlo.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/v-behaviorurldefaultvmlo.html">trial by the media</a>, which have been exercised against Assange in Sweden. Further, as it has been demonstrated in the juridical tradition of Sweden, women accusing men can get along with hard sentences against the men even without the need of presenting evidence, as it is in most of the western countries.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One of these cases was the sentence to prison against the Chilean political refugee Tito Beltran [11] – also a worldwide celebrity as opera tenor - accused of rape on the basis of a Swedish woman's declaration made nine years after the episode in reference. No evidence was needed. The lawyer of the woman-accuser who obtained the sentence was the social democratic politician and former minister of Justice Thomas Bodström, mentioned above. This politician is the partner of the law-firm Bodström & Borgström that nominally pursue the case against Julian Assange.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And above all, because it has become a matter of prestige. This, I would say, is a <i>sacred</i> item in Sweden!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/lindberg252b25252b252bassange252bthe252bcause1.jpg" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/lindberg252b25252b252bassange252bthe252bcause1.jpg"><img alt="lindberg252b25252b252bassange252bthe252bcause1" class=" wp-image-4883 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/lindberg252b25252b252bassange252bthe252bcause1.jpg" height="159" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/lindberg252b25252b252bassange252bthe252bcause1.jpg" width="587" /></a></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><em>Svenska dagbladet, a main Swedish newspaper, illustrated its 17 Feb 2011 article “<a data-mce-href="http://www.svd.se/kulturnoje/nyheter/sverigebilden-har-hamnat-pa-kant_5947713.svd" href="http://www.svd.se/kulturnoje/nyheter/sverigebilden-har-hamnat-pa-kant_5947713.svd">Idyllic picture of Sweden is darkened</a>” with a montage showing the notorious criminal <a data-mce-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6ran_Lindberg" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6ran_Lindberg">Göran Lindberg</a> -- a world-reviled, convicted <a data-mce-href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_rapist" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_rapist" title="Serial rapist">serial rapist</a> (including the rape of a 14-year old child) – portrayed together with Julian Assange and his lawyer Mark Stephens. A conspicuous columnist of the newspaper Aftonbladet refers 13 Feb 2011 to Julian Assange as “<a data-mce-href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/kolumnister/johannehildebrandt/article8559184.ab" href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/kolumnister/johannehildebrandt/article8559184.ab">a paranoid idiot who refuses come to Sweden to confront trial</a>”. The competitor newspaper, Expressen, describes 13 Feb 2011 in its cultural page “<a data-mce-href="http://www.expressen.se/1.2327594" href="http://www.expressen.se/1.2327594">the sexual pleasure of Mr Assange is just an inescapable element for his severe compulsive needs that are beyond. .</a> .”(text from <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/v-behaviorurldefaultvmlo.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/v-behaviorurldefaultvmlo.html">Does Sweden Inflict Trial by Media against Assange?)</a></em></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><strong>Notes</strong></span></span></div></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[1] In fact, those “informal” agreements have placed the Swedish security and military intelligence so heavily under the control and command of the Americans, that, as reported by the newspaper <i>Expressen</i> 7/12 2010 referring to the years ensuing 2003, Sweden Intelligence officers got the impression that they were working under direct orders of the CIA ( “Under de kommande åren förändrades svensk underrättelse-och säkerhetstjänst på ett sådant sätt att enskilda tjänstemän uppfattade det som att de arbetade på direkt beställning av CIA”) Source: Mike Ölander. ”CIA krävde att Sverige skulle utöka samarbetet” Expressen 6/12 2010</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/1.2242353/cia-kravde-att-sverige-skulle-utoka-samarbetet" href="http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/1.2242353/cia-kravde-att-sverige-skulle-utoka-samarbetet">http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/1.2242353/cia-kravde-att-sverige-skulle-utoka-samarbetet</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[2] "Sverige lämnar information till USA utan att riksdagen får veta". Article in <i>Rapport</i>, National Swedish Televison, SVT, 5 December 2010</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://svt.se/2.22620/1.2257883/sverige_lamnar_information_till_usa_utan_att_riksdagen_far_veta?lid=puff_2258465&lpos=extra_0" href="http://svt.se/2.22620/1.2257883/sverige_lamnar_information_till_usa_utan_att_riksdagen_far_veta?lid=puff_2258465&lpos=extra_0">http://svt.se/2.22620/1.2257883/sverige_lamnar_information_till_usa_utan_att_riksdagen_far_veta?lid=puff_2258465&lpos=extra_0</a></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[3] The full quote from the <i>Washington Post</i> reads: "Although the parliamentary investigator concluded that the Swedish security police deserved 'extremely grave criticism' for losing control of the operation and for being 'remarkably submissive to the American officials,' no Swedish officials have been charged or disciplined.". In Craig Whitlock's article "<i>New Swedish Documents Illuminate CIA Action</i>", The Washington Post, 21 May 2005 <a data-mce-href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/20/AR2005052001605.html" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/20/AR2005052001605.html">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/20/AR2005052001605.html</a>[</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">4] M Ferrada-Noli, "Rigged documentary on Julian Assange in the Swedish National Television. PART 1: The Political Agenda". The Professors blogg, 15 April 2011</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/04/rigged-documentary-on-julian-assange-in.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/04/rigged-documentary-on-julian-assange-in.html">http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/04/rigged-documentary-on-julian-assange-in.html</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[5] M Ferrada-Noli, Julian Assange declared "symbolic issue" by Swedish radical-feminists. The Professors blogg, 30 Septembre 2011</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/09/julian-assange-as-symbolic-issue-for.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/09/julian-assange-as-symbolic-issue-for.html">http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/09/julian-assange-as-symbolic-issue-for.html</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[6]Id.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[7] M Ferrada-Noli, Swedsih psychological warfare against Wikileaks and Assange. The Professors blogg, 25 October 2011</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/10/swedish-psychological-warfare-against.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/10/swedish-psychological-warfare-against.html">http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/10/swedish-psychological-warfare-against.html</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[8] M Ferrada-Noli, "Have Swedish Pirates Betrayed Assange?". The Professors blogg, 6 March 2011</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/03/swedish-pirates-betray-assange.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/03/swedish-pirates-betray-assange.html">http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/03/swedish-pirates-betray-assange.html</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[9] M Ferrada-Noli, "Matching critic on Reinfeldt's involvement in the Assange case", The Professors blogg, 11 February 2011</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/matching-critic-on-reindfelts.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/matching-critic-on-reindfelts.html">http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/matching-critic-on-reindfelts.html</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[10] M Ferrada-Noli, "Sweden. The Surveillance Law (FRA) debate. The Professors blogg, 22 September 2008</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2008_09_22_archive.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2008_09_22_archive.html">http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2008_09_22_archive.html</a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[11] <a data-mce-href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article11904361.ab" href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article11904361.ab">The verdict</a> stated:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #808080;" style="color: grey;"><em><strong> "According to this court, we found the plaintiff's story credible and that fully meets the requirements to form the basis for a conviction".</strong></em></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The lawyer defending the plaintiff was the social democratic politician and former minister of Justice Thomas Bodström. The "evidence" mentioned later in the verdict against Beltrán referred to declarations of two friends of the plaintiff which would "have heard" an account from the part of the plaintiff <i>after</i> the alleged happenings. Also in this case, it was not the plaintiff who have made a complaint to the police against Beltrán. It was another woman (Monica Dahlström-Lannes, known in Sweden as activist and campaigner concerning sexual-offence cases) who after her own private investigations and interviews on the case filed the complaint to the police - nine years after!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dahlström-Lannes was a board-member of the same organization, ECPAC, in which the social democratic politician and former minister of Justice Thomas Bodström was also a board-member. However, <a data-mce-href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article1671907.ab" href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article1671907.ab">Bodström denied</a> in the court hearings that he knew Dahlström-Lannes.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article11904361.ab" href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article11904361.ab">http://www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/article11904361.ab </a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">_______________________</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At a later stage, journalist Karin Wasteson send to me the draft of her text in which she had summarized my statements. The text here below, added a minor update:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">c</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Professor Marcello Ferrada-Noli provided a <a data-mce-href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/witness-statement-of-professor-marcello.html" href="http://ferrada-noli.blogspot.com/2011/02/witness-statement-of-professor-marcello.html">witness statement</a> to the first court hearing. He has conducted an independent study of the media coverage of the Assange case and analysed all articles in Swedish from 11 January to 11 February 2011. According to his study, 56 per cent of the articles contained negative reporting. 38 per cent was about Julian Assange as a person.He says: “In Sweden journalists follow a tradition of not questioning official policies, particularly on foreign-affairs issues. The mainstream media side with the government without being critical. As a results, most journalist-reporting in Sweden on those issues appear just politically correct or very naïve.”Ferrada-Noli says: “Journalism is supposed to be a critical source of information of what the government is doing. It is supposed to observe, criticize and scrutinize power. This has not been done in this case because a constellation of political factors”, he says. His thesis being that the Swedish case against Assange is politically motivated and has primarily to do with Sweden’s new alignment in the geopolitical scenario and he Swedish main-stream media is constrained because of ownership interests. Another political factor influencing the media reporting of the case, he says, is that “it has being used by the radical feminist movement flagging a further legislation on rape.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">He continues: “It's a Kamikaze attitude, and this is only hurting Sweden in the end. What happened with Assange was that the eyes of the world was turned to Sweden and everyone saw the flaws of the legal process regarding rape in this country.”</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">---</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div></div></div>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-9319089652368286012014-02-11T02:08:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.396-08:00The Board-Members affiliations of Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt. . . <h2 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #707070;" style="color: #707070;"><span data-mce-style="font-size: large;" style="font-size: medium;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;">How Bloomberg-Businessesweek’s Table “Board Members affiliated with Carl Bildt” shows our Minister of Foreign Affairs in a same “tree” connected to people at “Booz Allen Hamilton Corporation”, the NSA security contractor that employed Snowden? And with George Bush’s FM Condoleezza Rice? Pick your coincidence.</span><br /> </span></span></span></span></h2><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #808080;" style="color: grey;">- Minister Carl Bildt viewed as “Assange’s prosecutor”</span></span></span></h3><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #808080;" style="color: grey;"><i>Posted in <a href="http://professorsblogg.com/"><span style="color: #990000;">Professorsblogg.com</span></a> 15 Dec 2013 </i></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/calle-condi.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/calle-condi.png" target="_blank"><img alt="calle & condi" class=" wp-image-4840 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/calle-condi.png" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/calle-condi.png" height="416" width="828" /></a></span></div><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></span></h3><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">According to <a data-mce-href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=13396833" href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=13396833" target="_blank">Bloomberg Businessweek</a>, Mr Carl Bildt would be Senior International Advisor at Akim Gum Global Solutions, "a data-capture company":</span></span></h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/c-bildt-akim.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/c-bildt-akim.png"><img alt="C Bildt - Akim" class="size-full wp-image-4830 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/c-bildt-akim.png" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/c-bildt-akim.png" height="432" width="500" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">And in another site Bloomberg refers that Carl Bildt has <a data-mce-href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/relationship.asp?personId=3132569&privcapId=13396833&previousCapId=13396833&previousTitle=Akin%20Gump%20Global%20Solutions" href="http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/relationship.asp?personId=3132569&privcapId=13396833&previousCapId=13396833&previousTitle=Akin%20Gump%20Global%20Solutions" target="_blank">a number of Board Members affiliations</a>. Among these we found <span data-mce-style="color: #888888;" style="color: #888888;">[see below in the image a shortened list from "<i>Board Members affiliated with Carl Bildt</i>"]:</span></span></span></h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.<a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/bm-affiliated-with-cbildt-arrows.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/bm-affiliated-with-cbildt-arrows.png"><img alt="bm affiliated with CBildt - arrows" class="size-full wp-image-4845 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/bm-affiliated-with-cbildt-arrows.png" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/bm-affiliated-with-cbildt-arrows.png" height="797" width="500" /></a></span></span></div><h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #808080;" style="color: grey;">Being Ms. Condoleeza Rice the former FM of George Bush, and being Booz Allen Hamilton Holding a NSA contractor (the security firm also known for having employed Edward Snowden)</span></span></span></h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><h2 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;">Minister Carl Bildt "Assange's prosecutor"?</span></span></span></h2><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;">Not technically; but politically, yes; quite, I dare say.</span></span></span></h3><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Amid this intricate panorama of <i>affiliations</i> "connecting" executives at a variety of Board of Directors, and these to companies' International advisors, or at the same time corporation share-holders, that concomitantly form part of government's top ranks, and from there they are chasing whistleblowers and spying AND hacking on their people, well:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">it is not surprising that some may (wrongly) conclude that they are also "prosecutors" of the messenger. This below founded in the post <a data-mce-href="http://myownworldnews.wordpress.com/2013/08/07/the-booz-connection/" href="http://myownworldnews.wordpress.com/2013/08/07/the-booz-connection/" target="_blank">The Boos Connection</a>, at the site <i>My Own World News</i>:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: center;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/g-de-galles-on-bildt.png" href="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/g-de-galles-on-bildt.png"><img alt="g de galles on Bildt" class="wp-image-4833 aligncenter" data-mce-src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/g-de-galles-on-bildt.png" src="http://professorsblogg.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/g-de-galles-on-bildt.png" /></a></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-26468591620955236932013-12-15T11:48:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.424-08:00Open Letter to Intelligence Employees After Snowden- By Peter Kofod, Thomas Andrew Drake, Daniel Ellsberg, Katharina Gun, Jesselyn Raddack, Ray McGovern, Coleen Rowley<h3 data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;">Open Letter to Intelligence Employees: [1]<br /> </span></span></h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">At least since the aftermath of September 2001, Western Governments and Intelligence Agencies have been hard at work expanding the scope of their own power, while eroding privacy, civil liberties and public control of policy. What used to be viewed as paranoid, Orwellian, tin-foil hat fantasies turned out post-Snowden, to be not even the whole story.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">What's really remarkable is, that we've been warned for years that these things were going on: Whole-sale surveillance of entire populations, militarization of the Internet, the end of privacy.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">All is done in the name of "National Security" which has more or less become a chant to fence off debate and make sure governments aren't held to account – that they <b>can't</b> be held to account– because everything is being done in the dark; secret laws, secret interpretations of secret laws by secret courts - and no effective parliamentary oversight whatsoever.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><i><b>We are your friends – Big Brother loves you!</b></i></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">By and large the media have paid scant attention to this, even as more and more courageous, principled whistle-blowers stepped forward. The unprecedented persecution of truth-tellers, initiated by the Bush administration and severely accelerated by the Obama administration, has been mostly ignored, while record numbers of well-meaning people are charged with serious felonies simply for letting their fellow citizens know what's going on.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It's one of the bitter ironies of our time that while John Kiriakou (ex-CIA) is in prison for blowing the whistle on U.S. torture, the torturers and their enablers walk free.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Likewise WikiLeaks-source Chelsea (née Bradley) Manning was charged with – amongst other serious crimes – <b>aiding the enemy </b>(read: the public).<b> </b>Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison while the people who planned the illegal and disastrous war on Iraq in 2003 are still treated as dignitaries.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Numerous ex-NSA officials have come forward in the past decade, disclosing massive fraud, vast illegalities and abuse of power in said agency, including Thomas Drake, William Binney and Kirk Wiebe. The response was 100% persecution and 0% accountability on part of neither the NSA nor the government.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Blowing the whistle on powerful factions is not a fun thing to do, but despite the poor track record of Western media, whistle-blowing remains the last avenue for for truth, balanced debate and upholding democracy – that fragile construct which Winston Churchill is quoted as calling "the worst form of government, except all the others".</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;"><b><i>The Winds They Are A Changing</i></b></span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Since the summer of 2013 the public has witnessed a shift in debate over these matters. The reason is that one courageous person, Edward Snowden, not only blew the whistle on the litany of government abuses but made sure to supply an avalanche of supporting documents to a few trustworthy journalists.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The echoes of his actions are still heard around the world – and there are still MANY revelations to come.</span><br /><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><i><span data-mce-style="color: #993300;" style="color: #993300;">Now The Public Need You</span></i></b></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For every Daniel Ellsberg, Drake, Binney, Katharina Gun, Manning or Snowden there are thousands of civil servants who go by their daily job of spying on everybody and feeding cooked or even made-up information to the public and parliament, destroying everything we as a society pretend to care about.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Some of them may feel favourable towards what they're doing, but many of them are able to hear their inner Jiminy Cricket over the voices of their leaders and crooked politicians – and of the people whose intimate communication they're tapping.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Hidden away in offices of various government departments, intelligence agencies, police forces and armed forces are dozens and dozens of people who are very much upset by what our societies are turning into: at the very least , turnkey tyrannies.</span><br /><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">One of them is you.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You're thinking:</span><br /><br /><div data-mce-style="padding-left: 90px;" style="padding-left: 90px;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">● Undermining democracy and eroding civil liberties isn't put explicitly in your job contract.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 90px;" style="padding-left: 90px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">● You grew up in a democratic society and want to keep it that way</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 90px;" style="padding-left: 90px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">● You were taught to respect ordinary people's right to live a life in privacy</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 90px;" style="padding-left: 90px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">● You don't really want a system of institutionalized strategic surveillance that would make the dreaded Stasi green with envy – do you?</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 90px;" style="padding-left: 90px; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Still, why bother? What can one person do?</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Well, Edward Snowden just showed you, what one person can do.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">He stands out as a whistle-blower both because of the severity of the crimes and misconduct that he is divulging to the public – and the sheer amount of evidence he has presented us with so far – more is coming. But Snowden shouldn't have to stand alone, and his revelations shouldn't be the only ones.</span></div><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">You can be part of the solution; provide trustworthy journalists – either from old media (like this newspaper) or from new media (such as WikiLeaks) with documents that prove what illegal, immoral, wasteful activites are going on where you work.</span><br /><br /><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">There IS strength in numbers; you won’t be the first – nor the last - to follow your conscience and let us know what’s being done in our names.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Truth <b>is</b> coming – it can't be stopped. Crooked politicians <b>will </b>be held accountable: It's in your hands to be on the right side of history and accelerate the process.</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;">Courage is contagious.</span></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Peter Kofod, Musician/Ex Human Shield in Iraq (Denmark)<br /> Thomas Andrew Drake, Whistle-blower, Former senior executive of the NSA (US)<br /> Daniel Ellsberg, Whistle-blower, Former US military analyst (US)<br /> Katharina Gun, Whistle-blower, Former GCHQ (UK)<br /> Jesselyn Raddack, Whistle-blower, Former DOJ (US)<br /> Ray McGovern, Former senior CIA-analytist (US)<br /> Coleen Rowley, Whistle-blower, Former FBJ (US)</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">_____</span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">[1] <i>Sent for publication in Professorsblogg by Peter Kofod, 15 Dec 2013</i></span></div><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1485762216213334147.post-73496155846917237042013-12-15T04:23:00.000-08:002014-02-13T06:02:27.432-08:00Supplementary Letter to the Swedish Bar Association Regarding a formal complain on lawyer in “Swedish case VS Assange”<h3 id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P30"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br id="master_2_P1" /><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;"></span></span></h3><h3 id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P30" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #003366;" style="color: #003366;">Update received from Rafik Saley (general secretary African Committee for Sustainable Development – Sweden), of the <span data-mce-style="color: #7aa3cc;" style="color: #7aa3cc;"><a data-mce-href="http://professorsblogg.com/2013/12/01/updated-letter-to-the-general-secretary-of-the-swedish-bar-association-ms-anne-ramberg/" href="http://professorsblogg.com/2013/12/01/updated-letter-to-the-general-secretary-of-the-swedish-bar-association-ms-anne-ramberg/" target="_blank"><span data-mce-style="color: #7aa3cc;" style="color: #7aa3cc;">letter delivered to the Chairman of the Swedish Bar Association</span></a></span> regarding a formal complain on lawyer Ms. Elisabeth Massi Fritz, in the Swedish case VS the founder of WikiLeaks, Mr. Julian Assange</span></span></h3><div data-mce-style="text-align: justify;" id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span data-mce-style="color: #ffffff;" style="color: white;">.</span></span><br /><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P3"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">We have reasons to update the complaint against Elisabeth Massi Fritz as outlined in this supplementary letter.</span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P5"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Since writing to you about Ms Fritz’s political motivation against Mr Julian Assange she has made subsequent comments of a political nature:</span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P5"><br /></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P7"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/uppgifter-assange-atalas-inte-i-usa/" href="http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/uppgifter-assange-atalas-inte-i-usa/" target="_blank">http://www.expressen.se/nyheter/uppgifter-assange-atalas-inte-i-usa/</a></span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P7"></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P9"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Ms Fritz cannot possibly know that Julian Assange would be safe from extradition to the United States. If that was the case, the prosecution would guarantee what Mr. Assange’s legal team has been asking for, which would bring this despicable case to an end. They have refused to do so and continue to prolong the suffering of all parties involved, excluding the legal profession and politicians. Not only does Ms. Fritz make unwarrantable public statements but her whole strategy appears to be a character assassination campaign against Mr Assange despite him not having been charged with a crime. This is a most improper conduct from a lawyer.</span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P9"><br /></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P11"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Here is the original Washington Post story to which Expressen alludes and you can see that the Grand Jury investigation is still ongoing.</span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P11"><br /></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P13"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/julian-assange-unlikely-to-face-us-charges-over-publishing-classified-documents/2013/11/25/dd27decc-55f1-11e3-8304-caf30787c0a9_story.html" href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/julian-assange-unlikely-to-face-us-charges-over-publishing-classified-documents/2013/11/25/dd27decc-55f1-11e3-8304-caf30787c0a9_story.html" target="_blank">http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/julian-assange-unlikely-to-face-us-charges-over-publishing-classified-documents/2013/11/25/dd27decc-55f1-11e3-8304-caf30787c0a9_story.html</a></span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P13"></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P15"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Further confirmation that an investigation into Wikileaks is continuing comes from Fay Brundage at the attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Virginia, USA.</span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P15"><br /></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P17"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a data-mce-href="http://uk.news.yahoo.com/us-said-unlikely-prosecute-assange-publishing-leaks-203045509.html#WDToN3b" href="http://uk.news.yahoo.com/us-said-unlikely-prosecute-assange-publishing-leaks-203045509.html#WDToN3b" target="_blank">http://uk.news.yahoo.com/us-said-unlikely-prosecute-assange-publishing-leaks-203045509.html#WDToN3b</a></span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P17"></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P19"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">In the Expressen article, Ms Massi Fritz also makes a statement that “My client will be involved in the case and stick to the story of the serious violation that she believes that she suffered”. However, it would appear from evidence already in the public domain since September 2013 -http://wikileaks.org/IMG/html/Affidavit_of_Julian_Assange.html [see paragraphs 97-99] – that her client’s earliest comments regarding the matter on 20th and 21st August 2010 flatly contradict Ms. Massi Fritz’s statement in Espressen:</span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P19"><br /></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P21"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">According to a phone record of 20th August 2010 (17:06), Ms. S. W. said she was shocked “when they arrested JA because she only wanted him to take a test.” According to the younger woman’s phone records, to whom an allegation of ‘rape’ has been indicated, she wrote at 07:27 on 21st August 2010 that she “did not want to accuse JA for anything”; and at 22:25 that “it was the police who made up the charges”.</span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P21"><br /></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P23"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It is not credible that Ms. Massi Fritz would be unaware of her own client’s earlier statements, and this makes her public statement on the case made to Expressen last week an infringement of the Bar Association’s rules:</span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P23"><br /></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P25"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“§2. Lawyers’ conduct must be factual and correct, and such that confidence in the legal profession is maintained.”</span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P25"><br /></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P27"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Yours sincerely</span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P27"><br /></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P29"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Okoth Osewe – journalist and author – Kenya and Sweden</span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P29"><br /></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P30"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Rafik Saley – general secretary African Committee for Sustainable Development – Sweden</span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P30"><br /></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P31"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">John Goss – writer and researcher – United Kingdom</span></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P31"><br /></div><div id="page_elizabeth-massi-fritz-2_3_P32"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Dr. Selim Y Gool – retired, ex-teacher / academic, Norway</span></div></div>Marcello Ferrada de Noli (Italy)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10345949059085813491noreply@blogger.com0