# Julian Assange (remember him?) update **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 5, 2016, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210 "2016-02-05T07:20:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/201 "2018-07-30T07:28:04Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > The Deputy Attorney General in one Canadian province a few years ago sent a memo to all Crown prosecutors which said that their overall goal was to get convictions. > > The memo somehow ended up with the press. The assumption was that a Crown prosecutor did not think it accurately set out their legal and constitutional duties. > > The Deputy AG was gone within a week or two. [In England its literally Rule 1.1 of the Criminal Procedure Rules](http://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/criminal/docs/2015/crim-proc-rules-2015-part-01.pdf). ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/202 "2018-07-30T10:16:34Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > [In England its literally Rule 1.1 of the Criminal Procedure Rules](http://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/procedure-rules/criminal/docs/2015/crim-proc-rules-2015-part-01.pdf). Eh? That’s not what it says at all. To quote directly: > [@](#): > > —(1) The overriding objective of this procedural code is that criminal cases be dealt with > justly. > (2) Dealing with a criminal case justly includes― > (a) acquitting the innocent and convicting the guilty; > (b) dealing with the prosecution and the defence fairly; > (c) recognising the rights of a defendant, particularly those under Article 6 of the European > Convention on Human Rights; > (d) respecting the interests of witnesses, victims and jurors and keeping them informed of the > progress of the case; > (e) dealing with the case efficiently and expeditiously; > (f) ensuring that appropriate information is available to the court when bail and sentence are > considered; and > (g) dealing with the case in ways that take into account― > (i) the gravity of the offence alleged, > (ii) the complexity of what is in issue, > (iii) the severity of the consequences for the defendant and others affected, and > (iv) the needs of other cases. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/203 "2018-07-30T11:48:25Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > The Deputy Attorney General in one Canadian province a few years ago sent a memo to all Crown prosecutors which said that their overall goal was to get convictions. > > The memo somehow ended up with the press. The assumption was that a Crown prosecutor did not think it accurately set out their legal and constitutional duties. > > The Deputy AG was gone within a week or two. Sure, it’s not just a semantic difference between “do whatever is necessary to convict!” and “give a detailed and reasonable analysis of the reasons to prosecute, based on the merit of the evidence in the case at hand.” But once a Prosecutor has looked at the evidence, determined which crimes seem reasonable to prosecute, and what the sentencing guidelines are for that, it’s not unreasonable to say, “Here’s what we’re planning to prosecute, and here’s what we’re trying to convince the court is the correct sentence for those crimes.” ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2018, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/204 "2018-08-03T15:59:51Z")
Sure, but that’s a case-by-case approach, based on the prosecutor’s overall assessment of the facts and the law. That’s quite different from representatives of the Prime Minister saying that the goal is to convict two people, and that little things like a lack of evidence shouldn’t allow someone to walk free. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/205 "2018-08-07T19:39:50Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > That said, as I have noted in other threads, the UK better keep Assange until Trump is out of office. The instant he’s in the US, Assange has a strong motive to provide Trump with information about malfeasance on the part of Democrats (e.g. Clinton) and Trump has a strong motive to pardon Assange. Why wouldn’t they extradite him to Sweden instead? It’s that extradition request that led Assange to flee to the Ecuadorian embassy. If Trump gets him and pardons him, I’m sure that Sweden would request his extradition from the US, and it would look pretty bad for Trump, who breaks up families of asylum seekers because he says their rapists, to grant asylum to an actual person fleeing rape charges. (not that these sorts of contradictions stopped him before.) ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/206 "2018-08-07T20:51:15Z")
Sweden dropped the investigation last year is why. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2018, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/207 "2018-08-07T21:24:59Z")
Based on a more recent Lawfare post, it seems that the US doesn’t actually have any criminal charge assigned to Assange, and potentially he’s saved from anything by First Amendment laws, so the whole question may be irrelevant. There are some options to try and get him, but none is a slam dunk and there’s no knowing whether we’ll actually try to charge him at the moment. > **[If Assange Leaves the Ecuadorian Embassy, What Next?](https://www.lawfareblog.com/if-assange-leaves-ecuadorian-embassy-what-next)** > > WikiLeaks founder and CEO Julian Assange might be nearing his final days in Ecuador’s London embassy, where he’s lived and worked since 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden for rape charges or, potentia ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/208 "2018-08-08T02:54:08Z")
> [@rat\_avatar](#): > > Sweden dropped the investigation last year is why. Only because the suspect was no longer available for questioning. Swedish law permits the investigation to be reopened once Assange becomes available (i.e., extraditable). ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2018, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/209 "2018-08-09T12:57:18Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Based on a more recent Lawfare post, it seems that the US doesn’t actually have any criminal charge assigned to Assange, and potentially he’s saved from anything by First Amendment laws, so the whole question may be irrelevant] Quite. The whole palaver over the possibility of his being extradited to the US has only ever come from his own imagination, AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2018, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/210 "2018-10-20T00:30:44Z")
Bumped. Assange is now officially the worst. houseguest. EVER: [Julian Assange sues Ecuador for 'violating his rights' | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/19/uk/julian-assange-ecuador-intl/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/211 "2018-10-20T01:11:23Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Bumped. > > Assange is now officially the worst. houseguest. EVER: [https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/19/uk/julian-assange-ecuador-intl/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/19/uk/julian-assange-ecuador-intl/index.html) My favorite part: > [@](#): > > …he must not only keep the spaces inside the embassy clean, but also take care of his cat…The leaked document says that the 47-year-old is at risk of losing both his pet and his asylum status if he does not comply. So is the cat pooping on the carpets? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2018, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/212 "2018-10-20T01:26:00Z")
He has to empty his cat’s _litter boxes?!?_ Just one more example of man’s inhumanity to man. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2018, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/213 "2018-10-20T01:29:25Z")
Benjamin Franklin: "Fish and houseguests begin to stink after [del]three days[/del] [del]three weeks[/del] [del]three _years?!?_[/del] pray God, make it stop !!! ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2018, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/214 "2018-10-20T04:31:39Z")
I’m a cat fancier and I’d enjoy a London vacation. How about I replace the nutter for a couple of weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2018, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/215 "2018-10-20T05:22:23Z")
I think we’d all enjoy a chat with him. I say **Muffin** goes in and Assange comes out. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2018, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/216 "2018-10-20T05:30:50Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > I’m a cat fancier and I’d enjoy a London vacation. How about I replace the nutter for a couple of weeks. Actually, it would be an Ecuadorian Embassy vacation. I think you would exhaust the sight-seeing possibilities in a few hours. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2018, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/217 "2018-10-20T06:44:23Z")
I wonder if London is now considered a hardship posting by the Ecuadorian Foreign Service? ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2018, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/218 "2018-10-20T06:44:49Z")
I’ll go. I could use some “me” time. ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2018, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/219 "2018-10-20T20:02:10Z")
I’m not entirely sure why, but it surprises me that Baltasar Garzón (judge of the Spanish Court that indicted Pinochet), is representing Assange. I would think he’d have better things to do with his time. Granted, genuine issues of asylum are involved, the cat notwithstanding. Under international law, asylum claimants must have freedom of speech. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210/220 "2018-10-20T20:43:39Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > I’m not entirely sure why, but it surprises me that Baltasar Garzón (judge of the Spanish Court that indicted Pinochet), is representing Assange. I would think he’d have better things to do with his time. > > Granted, genuine issues of asylum are involved, the cat notwithstanding. Under international law, asylum claimants must have freedom of speech. When I’m in charge of a group, I figure I should do the stuff no one else wants to do. The cat is probably peeing on the carpet. How does a guy hiding out in an embassy acquire a cat? :dubious: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/julian-assange-remember-him-update/745210.md?page=12)