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Assange likely to remain in embassy pending U.S. Wikileaks probe
by Mark Hosenball via stan - Reuters Saturday, Mar 21 2015, 10:47pm
international / prose / post

Personally I have no time for Assange as he broke the cardinal rule for hackers, ANONYMITY, and set an appalling example for young hackers, many of whom have since been rounded up and given long jail sentences; Assange and others are now paying the price for seeking personal notoriety -- skilled young hackers beware! Nevertheless, Assange's flawed personality issues aside, there are critical issues at stake, not least exposing State crimes, journalistic integrity and freedom of speech. Assange's forced confinement is not only the result of his own stupidity but is an indictment on Australian conservative government's that make a practice of licking American arse and feeding their own citizens to the dogs, I refer to the outrageous surrender of the 'Bali nine' to a barbaric nation that executes drug offenders, the AFP has much to answer for in this regard and the current Abbott government has much to answer for for not lifting a finger to effectively assist Oz CITIZEN, Assange.

Julian Assange

Aussies 'catch and kill' their own, if necessary, but traditionally we definitely do not betray each other or surrender our own to foreign brutes and lawless (Chelsea Manning case) mass murdering criminal States such as America.

It is no secret that Oz occupies a vital strategic location today and has plenty of bargaining power as result. If the USA values this relationship and its military "pivot to Asia" it would be wise to reconsider public opinion not the spineless actions of knee-walking politicians from both major corporate-owned parties.

The current failed PM Tony Abbott, is clearly a 'dead man walking' and so this message is for politicians that consider protecting our citizens of prime political importance, which most nations do as a matter of course. The Australian people are not only sick and tired of spineless minority serving lackey governments they are also loath to support politicians that do not support them, be advised all concerned -- Assange must be assisted and protected by government as a matter of duty and on PRINCIPLE!

Reuters article follows:

(Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is likely to remain at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London where he has taken refuge as long as U.S. authorities pursue a criminal investigation of his anti-secrecy group, one of his lawyers said.

Speculation rose that he might leave the embassy after Swedish authorities last week offered to question him there over allegations of sexual misconduct, dropping their insistence that he go to Stockholm for questioning about a 2010 incident.

He refused to return to Sweden, arguing that the Swedes would send him on to the United States to face possible trial. Assange, 43, denies the allegations, which are not related to WikiLeaks' publication of U.S. military and diplomatic documents five years ago.

Michael Ratner, a U.S. lawyer who represents Assange and WikiLeaks, said if Assange left the embassy, where he has been holed up for just over 1,000 days, he was likely to be arrested by British authorities and risked being extradited to America.

"Even were the Swedish case to be disposed of, the U.K. would arrest Assange upon leaving the embassy for claimed violations of bail conditions or something similar," Ratner told Reuters. Washington would almost certainly seek his extradition, he said.

Ratner said a recent federal court ruling disclosed that the FBI and U.S. Justice Department were conducting a "multi-subject investigation" of WikiLeaks and he said it had been going on for "at least five years."

Another legal source close to Assange said he would remain in the Ecuadorean Embassy until the U.S. ended a grand jury investigation of WikiLeaks.

Joshua Stueve, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Alexandria, Virginia, said the investigation into WikiLeaks remained open. Other U.S. law enforcement sources said criminal charges had not yet been filed against Assange.

The sex allegations against Assange, who is an Australian, were lodged against him by two female WikiLeaks supporters who hosted him during a visit to Sweden.

British authorities have declined to say what they might do if Sweden were to close its investigation of Assange and he were to try to leave the Ecuadorean Embassy in London.


(Reporting By Mark Hosenball; Editing by David Storey and Alan Crosby)

Abbott, couldn't give a shit about the people

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/19/us-usa-assange-investigation-idUSKBN0MF2HQ20150319