Justice demands Julian Assange should be extradited

12 April 2012

Julian Assange is apparently wavering over writing his autobiography as he prepares to take his fight against extradition over rape allegations to the Royal Courts of Justice next week.

But if the potential loss of his near £1 million fee for the book is bad news, the WikiLeaks founder should expect worse once the hearing that will determine whether he is sent to face justice in Sweden concludes.

We'll doubtless hear much from celebrity fans such as Jemima Khan and Ken Loach about how he's the innocent victim of a politically driven "honeytrap" conspiracy designed to ensure his eventual prosecution in the US for posting secret files on the net.

There will also be attacks on the European Arrest Warrant system - which Sweden is using to secure his extradition - and the way it allows suspects to be handed over without testing the allegations against them.

Add in unsavoury website claims about the sexual attitudes and vengeful nature of his two female accusers, plus assertions from Assange's allies about the supposedly man-hating Swedish prosecutor bringing the case, and there'll be plenty to write about if the book ever does go ahead.

But is it all a feminist or CIA inspired stitch-up? Or is Assange simply exploiting his celebrity to dodge prosecution for serious criminal offences? The facts say the latter - and that his extradition should be approved. When he was last in court, his case was witheringly dismissed. The judge said it was "reasonable" to assume Assange had been "deliberately avoiding interrogation" before fleeing Sweden and had failed to respond to "constant" attempts by the Stockholm prosecutor to interview him.

Assange's lawyer was denounced as an unreliable witness who had deliberately set out to mislead the court. Most seriously of all, the judge rubbished Assange's distasteful argument that the allegations against him - including claims that he tried to have sex with one sleeping woman and that he forcibly pinned down another unwilling partner - would not be crimes in many countries.

Doubts about the European Arrest Warrant are more valid. The system relies on the notion that each country's justice system is fair and humane. But just as the euro has shown how delusional it is to think that common economic standards prevail in the EU, so too is it fanciful to believe justice is the same everywhere. Bulgaria and Greece don't have the same legal standards as Britain. Nor does Italy. Stricter checks should be made before suspects are handed to such countries.

The trouble for Assange is that such concerns hardly apply to Sweden. It can't seriously be argued that the Swedes won't give him a fair trial.

What of the American angle? Assange's supporters say he should stay here in case the US tries to extradite him from Sweden. They're wrong. Under extradition law, for him to go to America not only would the Swedes have to agree, but so would our Government and courts.

Of course, Assange's accusers could be flaky. But even if that's the case, it doesn't mean their allegations aren't true. Nor does it mean that the case should be halted now.

The place to decide whether the women's claims are true is Stockholm, not London. Assange should go.

Protecting an alleged rapist from investigation would be the real stain on British justice.

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