Thursday, December 16, 2010

UK, not Sweden, behind efforts to keep Assange in jail: report

Ah right, it's the English who are making a mockery of justice while holding Assange for lack of condom.

From Raw Story.


Assange's lawyers say they were lied to on effort to prevent bail

Human Rights Watch: Don't prosecute Assange over cables


British prosecutors, rather than Swedish officials, are behind the effort to keep WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from being granted bail, the Guardian reports.

Assange was granted bail by a London judge on Tuesday, but remained in custody reportedly because of plans by Swedish prosecutors to appeal the decision.

"But today the Swedish prosecutor's office told the Guardian it had 'not got a view at all on bail' and that Britain had made the decision to oppose bail," the newspaper reported.

"The decision was made by the British prosecutor," Swedish prosecution service spokeswoman Karin Rosander said. "I got it confirmed by the CPS this morning that the decision to appeal the granting of bail was entirely a matter for the CPS. The Swedish prosecutors are not entitled to make decisions within Britain. It is entirely up to the British authorities to handle it."

Assange's lawyers "reacted with shock" the news, the Guardian reports, saying they had been informed by prosecutors it was Sweden who had insisted on the appeal.

British prosecutors will reportedly request that Assange be kept in jail until his extradition hearing is complete.

According to his lawyer, Mark Stephens, Assange is being held in solitary confinement for 23-1/2 hours per day.

"He is in isolation. He doesn't have access to newspapers or television or other news devices. He is not getting mail, he is subject to the pettiest forms of censorship," Stephens said.

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