Monday 20 August 2012

Assange is in no greater danger of being extradited from Sweden than from the UK « on: Today at 09:46:03 PM » _ The Official WikiLeaks Forum August 20, 2012, 10:07:34 PM

http://www.wikileaks-forum.com/index.php?topic=14036.0

 

Assange is in no greater danger of being extradited from Sweden than from the UK

Here is the explanation why it would not be any easier to extradite Assange to the US from Sweden than it would be from the UK: 

1. It is frequently suggested that ONLY Sweden has got a special extradition treaty with the USA. Of course, this is not true. Here is a list of all countries which have signed such a contract with the US:  
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_extradition_treaties

2. As can be seen above, the UK is also on this list. Interestingly, the treaty between the UK and the USA contains exactly the same clause about “temporary surrender” as the treaty between Sweden and the US. So, if this clause is supposed to mean that Assange could be sent to the US without further ado, then why would the Americans be waiting for him to  come to Sweden even though they could already have requested “temporary surrender” while Assange is in the UK:  

UK treaty: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2003/jul/UK_USA_extradition.pdf  (Art. 14)

Sweden treaty: http://internationalextraditionblog.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/us-sweden-extradition-supplementary-treaty-35-ust-2501.pdf (Art. VI)

3. As for the „temporary surrender“ clause: It does NOT mean that somebody can temporarily be taken to the US "quickly and secretly", as we are made to believe. “Temporary surrender” is, along with “deferred surrender”, a measure which is meant for the extradition of people who have been charged with another crime or sent to prison in the country where the extradition is being requested. 

Quote
Article VI
If the extradition request is granted in the case of a person who is being prosecuted or is serving a sentence in the territory of the requested State for a different offense, the requested State may:

(a) defer the surrender of the person sought until the conclusion of the proceedings against that person, or the full execution of any punishment that may be or may have been imposed; or

(b) temporarily surrender the person sought to the requesting State for the purpose of prosecution. The person so surrendered shall be kept in custody while in the requesting State and shall be returned to the requested State after the conclusion of the proceedings against that person in accordance with conditions to be determined by mutual agreement [*7] of the Contracting States.


4. So, if the US has to request the extradition in any case, regardless of where Assange is or whether he is free, charged with a crime or sentenced, then why are the US waiting for him to be extradited to Sweden and for proceedings which might then possibly be instituted against him? 

The mystery remains - why are all these facts being concealed by Assange and his legal team, and what is the real reason why Assange does not want to go to Sweden? All rumors that Sweden is planning to secretly hand overAssange  to the CIA are pure speculations.