DIANNE Abbott has today sparked fury after defending Julian Assange, arguing: “We all know it’s not about the rape charges.”
The Shadow Home Secretary was quickly accused of “dismissing” sexual assault allegations the Wikileaks co-founder faced in Sweden.
She has even called for Britain to block his extradition to the US after he revealed sensitive military information.
Ms Abbott defended the 47-year-old and repeated the phrase “charges were never” brought against him three times during a radio interview this morning.
Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, she said: "The allegations were made but the charges were never brought.
"We all know what this is about. It's not the rape charges.
"It's about the Wikileaks and all of that embarrassing information about the activities of the American military and security services that was made public."
WHISTLEBLOWER
She added he was a "whistleblower" and his leaks of thousands of unredacted documents and state secrets were in the "public interest".
Charges were never brought against him for the rape and sexual assault allegations, she argued, but this was because his evasion in the embassy meant he wasn't able to be questioned.
Her comments this morning sparked outrage online with many social media users suggesting he was only seeking immunity in the Ecuadorian Embassy to escape charges.
Yesterday, Assange was arrested and found guilty of breaching bail and now faces being booted over to America.
WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR:
- Julian Assange was found guilty of skipping bail in UK and could face a year in jail
- Arrested after 2,487 days holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy – costing taxpayers more than £10m
- He went into hiding in August 2012 to avoid facing extradition to Sweden for sex assault and rape allegations
- Wanted in US for espionage and publication of sensitive government documents
- He fears he could face death penalty if extradited to US over WikiLeaks scandal
District Judge Michael Snow told the court that Mr Assange had shown "the behaviour of a narcissist who cannot get beyond his own selfish interest".
But Ms Abbott and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have defended him, saying the government should oppose his extradition.
He said last night: “The extradition of Julian Assange to the US for exposing evidence of atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan should be opposed by the British government."
And controversial MP Chris Williamson – who is currently suspended from the party over anti-Semitism remarks – also tweeted his backing for him, calling his arrest "disgusting".
Their defence of Assange sparked a furious row among his own MPs.
EVADED CHARGES
Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips blasted the party for their backing and said he should face justice.
She tweeted: "The fact that Assange has evaded charges of sexual violence and skipped bail should be opposed by the Labour Party. I'm sure it is, I'd like to hear it."
And her colleague Diana Johnson added: "You don’t appear to mention the rape charges against him and the fact he has evaded justice for 7 years? #ViolenceAgainstWomen."
Assange took refuge at the embassy in 2012 to avoid being extradited to Sweden, where authorities wanted to question him as part of a sexual assault investigation.
Theresa May said yesterday she believed all MPs would welcome his arrest and welcomed his arrest after years of hiding.
FACING JUSTICE: Assange rape accuser demands case is reopened
ONE of Julian Assange's rape accusers today demanded Swedish prosecutors re-open the sex assault case against him.
In August 2010, an arrest warrant was issued for Assange for two separate allegations – one of rape and one of molestation – after he visited Sweden.
The Wikileaks journalist, who denies the allegations, requested political asylum after British courts ruled that he should be extradited to Stockholm.
Sweden later dropped the charges in 2017 – five years after he sought refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy to hide from the allegations.
The reason the case was dropped was because authorities did not believe Assange would be handed over within a reasonable time.
Speaking today, the lawyer of one of the accusers said she hopes the Swedish preliminary investigation against Assange will resume.
Elisabeth Massi Fritz said: "My client and I have just received the news that Assange has been arrested.
“That what we have been waiting for and hoping for almost seven years now, of course, comes as a shock to my client.
“We will do everything we can to ensure that the prosecutors resume the Swedish preliminary investigation so that Assange can be extradited to Sweden and prosecuted for rape.”
She said: "This goes to show that in the United Kingdom, no one is above the law."
Tory Minister for Women, Victoria Atkins MP blasted: "Diane Abbott’s dismissal of rape charges speaks volumes about Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party.
"It’s astonishing that the party which prides itself on fighting for women’s rights is so willing to ignore allegations of sexual violence.
"Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott need to realise that not even their heroes are above the law."
Assange waved to the public gallery at Westminster Magistrates' Court before he was remanded into custody yesterday.
Last night he was transferred to Wandsworth Prison in South West London, where he joined speedboat killer Jack Shepherd, another recaptured fugitive.
He will now learn his fate at Southwark Crown Court on May 2.
The fact that Assange has evaded charges of sexual violence and skipped bail should be opposed by the Labour Party. I'm sure it is, I'd like to hear it. https://t.co/17vv19pNA7
CASE AGAINST HIM IN THE US
THE criminal case against Julian Assange in the US was revealed last night.
The WikiLeaks hacker is wanted on conspiracy charges for committing “computer intrusion”.
And he is charged with conspiring with ex-intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning — jailed for 35 years before her sentence was commuted in 2017 — to crack a Department of Defence password.
Assange faces a maximum five years if convicted.
Details of the US investigation emerged in a six-page charge sheet filed at Virginia’s Eastern District court on March 6, 2018.
US prosecutors say Assange knew Manning had already handed over four huge secret databases to WikiLeaks in 2010.
They included 90,000 Afghanistan war reports, 400,000 Iraq reports, 800 briefings on Guantanamo Bay detainees and 250,000 diplomatic cables.
Despite that, he agreed to help crack the password, telling her: “Curious eyes never run dry in my experience.” Later, he asked her for more information to help the operation, adding: “No luck so far.”
The pair used the Jabber online chat service to plot the hack and took measures to cover Manning’s tracks as it unfolded, prosecutors allege.
CASE AGAINST HIM IN SWEDEN
SWEDISH prosecutors are considering relaunching a rape investigation into Julian Assange.
Officials said the allegations made against him were due to expire under the country’s statute of limitations in August next year.
But his arrest means the investigation could be reopened after a request from an alleged victim.
Deputy chief prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson said: “We will now examine the matter to determine how we proceed. The preliminary investigation has therefore not been resumed yet and we do not know today whether it will happen. We cannot promise any timetable for when decisions will be made.”
Assange was accused of attacking a woman after they met at a WikiLeaks conference in Stockholm in 2010. She alleged that Assange had unprotected sex with her while she was asleep even though she had refused him repeatedly.
The case was dropped in May 2017 after the director of public prosecutions ruled it impossible to proceed while he was under Ecuador’s protection.
But yesterday, the woman’s lawyer Elisabeth Massi Fritz piled pressure on prosecutors, saying: “No rape victim should have to wait nine years to see justice be served.”
Officials said the allegations made against him were due to expire under the country’s statute of limitations in August next year.
But his arrest means the investigation could be reopened after a request from an alleged victim.
Deputy chief prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson said: “We will now examine the matter to determine how we proceed. The preliminary investigation has therefore not been resumed yet and we do not know today whether it will happen. We cannot promise any timetable for when decisions will be made.”
Assange was accused of attacking a woman after they met at a WikiLeaks conference in Stockholm in 2010.
She alleged that Assange had unprotected sex with her while she was asleep even though she had refused him repeatedly.
The case was dropped in May 2017 after the director of public prosecutions ruled it impossible to proceed while he was under Ecuador’s protection.
But yesterday, the woman’s lawyer Elisabeth Massi Fritz piled pressure on prosecutors, saying: "No rape victim should have to wait nine years to see justice be served."
Source: Read Full Article