JULIAN ASSANGE

was a computer “guru” who became a so-called “hacker”.

A Hacker is a person who breaks into somebody's computer for the purpose of stealing information. He is not much different from the person who breaks into somebody's home for the purpose of stealing things.

After having hacked the computer systems of the U.S. Pentagon, U.S, Department of Defense, Citybank, and sundry other Government Agencies as well as private companies, banks, universities etc. he was arrested by Australian police, charged with a number of offenses, find a minimal amount, and released on a “Good Behavior Bond.”

There followed a period of positive and negative attention paid to Assange and his e-platform “WikiLeaks” from a variety of individuals.

In November of 2010 Assange was accused by Swedish authorities to have, during a visit to their country, committed a number of sex related offenses.

He fled to England and in August of 2012 asked the Ecuadorian embassy for “political asylum”.

(One wonders what is “political” about charges of rape?)

Julian Assange has lived in a room there ever since.

His reluctance to leave the Ecuadorian Embassy seems to be based on his concern of being arrested by British Authorities, being extradited to Sweden, possibly tried for the sex related charges and then being extradited to the U.S.A. where he would face charges of Espionage activities.

Julian, it seems, is slowly getting tired of life in one room in a South American embassy and has applied to the United Nations for a finding on his situation.

In February of 2016 a five member panel, in a 3:2 decision found that Julian Assange has been subject to “arbitrary detention and should be compensated".

British and Swedish prosecutors rejected this finding and, quite frankly, I am at a total loss, how three out of five panel members can possibly come to such a conclusion.

No one is detaining the man in the Embassy. He went there of his own free will and has remained there voluntarily ever since.

If, as he states, he is innocent of all charges, why does he not come out, and rely on the honesty of Swedish prosecutors, who will be unable to convict him. His innocence will be proven in a Court of Law.

I, in fact, do not believe that these Swedish charges are what Julian is really worried about. I think he is more concerned that Sweden will be positively inclined to allow the U.S.A.'s request for extradition to the USA, where he would be tried for Espionage.

Julian, the Hacker, now has a choice: Come out of the narrow protection of Ecuador and face the charges raised against him, be found innocent or guilty, as the evidence or lack thereof may direct,

or he may remain “in Ecuador”, in order to avoid prosecution in Sweden and/or the USA.

The operative word now is “may”. 

He may stay ( as long as Ecuador is willing to host him ), 

or he “may” leave and face the music.

Under no circumstances can he claim, nor should a UN panel have found that he is being

“arbitrarily detained”.

Arbitrary: 1.) uncontrolled or unrestricted by law.

                 2.) capricious, unreasonable, unsupported.

Detention:     keeping a person in custody or confinement.

Neither of these dictionary definitions fit the circumstances of the case.

If hiding from the Authorities can be compared to detention, then every accused person who seeks escape from lawful prosecution could make this same claim.

Al Capone or John Dillinger, both of whom hid for many years from the authorities could have filed a claim for “compensation”.

It staggers my imagination how such a finding could have been arrived at by persons of sound mind.

What do you think ?

Bertstravels