Wikileaks grundare Julian Assange eftersökt för våldtäkt i Sverige

The U.S.-U.K. extradition framework is governed by a 2003 bilateral treaty. Article 2 lists the relevant offenses which are extraditable. It is arguably more lenient than Sweden’s framework providing that “[a]n offense shall be an extraditable offense if the conduct on which the offense is based is punishable under the laws in both States by deprivation of liberty for a period of one year or more or by a more severe penalty.” At present, Sweden has dropped the charges against Assange. Should Sweden later reinstate charges or introduce new ones, any extradition request to the U.S. would be governed by U.K. Extradition Act of 2003. It states that in cases where warrants from two countries compete, the home secretary must decide which took precedence based on a variety of factors including: the relative seriousness of the offences, the date the requests were received, and whether the person had been accused or convicted.

As between Sweden and the U.K. or between the U.K. and another EU country, the European arrest warrant (EAW) is instructive. It provides that a warrant issued by one EU country’s judicial authority is valid throughout the EU. Unlike traditional extraditions, decisions are made by judicial authorities alone with no political considerations involved.

Elisabeth Massi Fritz, lawyer for the Swedish woman whose case against Assange remains outstanding, has given the Guardian a longer statement:

My client and I have today received the news that Assange has been arrested in London. It did understandably come as a shock to my client that what we have been waiting and hoping for since 2012 has now finally happened. We are going to do everything we possibly can to get the Swedish police investigation re-opened so that Assange can be extradited to Sweden and prosecuted for rape. No rape victim should have to wait nine years to see justice be served.

I have requested an urgent procedure [from the prosecutor to extradite Assange].

Ett amerikanskt åtal mot Assange kan drabba vartenda mediehus som publicerat Wikileaksmaterial. För svensk del gäller det bland andra Aftonbladet, Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet och Sveriges television. De mediehusen har ett särskilt ansvar att försvara Assange för den meddelarfrihet, press- och yttrandefrihet som är förutsättningen för hela vår verksamhet.

Complete totalitarian system