Assange 'guarantees' spark Amnesty spat

[struggle4progress]

Source: The Local

28 Sep 12 15:00 CET

The Swedish division of human rights group Amnesty International said Friday that it doesn't support demands from its parent that the Swedish government guarantee WikiLeaks-founder Julian Assange would not be extradited to the US should he come to Sweden.

“The Swedish chapter of Amnesty International does not agree with the way the organization handled the question of guarantees,” Bobby Vellucci, the Country Information Coordinator with Amnesty in Sweden, told The Local on Friday.

“We do not consider it to be appropriate or possible to ask the Swedish government to give guarantees ensuring Assange is not extradited to the US.”

The comments come after Amnesty International urged Sweden to give Assange assurances that it will not extradite him to the US if he comes to Stockholm for questioning ...


Read more: http://www.thelocal.se/43510/20120928/

[randome]

1. Great. Now he has human rights divisions fighting each other.

What a kerfuffle!

[msanthrope]

3. He ain't worth it. nt

[heaven05]

4. huh

yes he is.

[msanthrope]

13. I fear many will come to regret their support of Assange. nt

[msanthrope]

2. This is the second time Amnesty stepped into this mess, only to be rebuked--

After they tried declaring Bradley Manning a UK citizen--

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/01/bradley-manning-uk-citizen

Manning's criminal defense attorney had to tell them to knock it off--

http://www.armycourtmartialdefense.info/2011/02/clarification-regarding-pfc-mannings.html

I love Amnesty, but they should have spoken to the defense attorney first.

[struggle4progress]

6. Amnesty does great work, when they use their network to focus attention on forgotten prisoners --

which is what they were originally set up to do and which is something that always needs to be done

When Amnesty decides it needs to weigh in on high profile cases that are already garnering plenty of attention, the organization doesn't have as splendid a track record

[frylock]

5. GOLDSTEIN!!1

[backscatter712]

7. s4p's here for his Two Minutes Hate! n/t

[struggle4progress]

9. DUers sometimes post current news stories here in LBN

[frylock]

12. DUers sometimes have an agenda that's apparent to all

[struggle4progress]

14. "You're entitled to have your very own opinion, but you're not entitled to have your very own facts"

[George II]

8. Inasmuch as he PROMISED he would return to Sweden to face the allegations....

....and now he attaches conditions to that return shows how shiftless and sleazy the man is.

Who knows, if he gets that guarantee, would he then pick another country that they'd have to guarantee not to extra him? It never ends.

The rape allegations are totally unrelated to anything else. The more he continues this charade the more likely it is that he committed the rape for which he's being investigated.

[Comrade Grumpy]

10. Why wouldn't the Swedish chapter support a promise of non-extradition?

It seems quite reasonable and would remove one purported obstacle to Assange's return.

[hack89]

11. They think the entire issue is secondary to the rape accusations

I also suspect they think Assange is using the entire extradition issue as a smoke screen and he has no intention of ever voluntarily surrendering to Swedish authorities.