[LINK] timeline of Assange’s visit to Sweden

[Kim Holburn]

http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/12/13/rundle-timeline-of-assanges-visit-to-sweden-and-events-that-followed/?source=cmailer

> Rundle: timeline of Assange’s visit to Sweden and events that followed
> 
> by Guy Rundle
> The following is a timeline and summary of the public record of Julian Assange’s visit to Sweden, incidents therein, and accusations arising therefrom. Since what would otherwise be a private legal issue has become a global public cause, and since the level of misinformation has been excessive, we’re presenting this run-down of events in the interests of clarifying debate.
> 
> All material, unless otherwise marked, is a matter of public record. Even parts that are marked unconfirmed have multiple separate  sources. Nothing that is purely directed towards the character or the history of the two female complainants has been included. Material that has been included is that which goes to questions of reliability of evidence in court proceedings. The timeline has been prepared from public sources in English and Swedish media, and from first-person interviews by Guy Rundle.

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> 7) On Wednesday August 18 or the 19th, Ardin and Wilen exchanged texts and arrange to meet. (Unconfirmed: tweets from Wilen are made at this time regarding the events of the previous days. Wilen’s internet presence later disappears so completely that Swedish hacker sites conclude that a professional clean-up job has been performed).
> 
> 8 ) On Friday August 20, Ardin and Wilen go to Klara police station in Stockholm to make inquiries about the possibility of forcing Assange to take an STI test. From the interview, the duty officer concludes that there may be grounds for charges. The on-duty prosecutor (a junior fill-in prosecutor, during the Swedish summer holidays) agrees and issues charges — one for rape/sexual assault for matters concerning Wilen, the other for “ofredande” (o-freda, unfreedom) a misdemeanour best translated as “annoyance”, applying to sexual and non-sexual crimes, in matters concerning Ardin.(Note: there is no equivalent to ofredande in English law, in terms of its reach across private and public life in Sweden. The charge applies equally to bothering someone repeatedly in the street, to the sexual conduct cited in this case. The usual translation of “molestation” is quite misleading in terms of the word’s connotations in Swedish).
> 
> 9) The details of the charges are immediately leaked to Espressen, the Stockholm tabloid comparable to the Herald-Sun, in style and politics. The leaks come either from the complainants, or the police. Contacted by the paper, the duty prosecutor confirms the charges, an act which is illegal under Swedish law.The duty prosecutor is later quoted as  not being aware that it was illegal to do this.
> 
> 10) Eva Finne, the chief prosecutor for the Stockholm region, hears of the charges in the news, and has the case file couriered to her holiday house. On Saturday August 21, she rescinds the rape charge, but allows the ofredande charge to stand. On the basis of the police interview with Wilen, Finne says that she does not dispute her story, but sees no description of rape within the statements.
> 
> 11) On Saturday August 21 (published August 22), Ardin gives an anonymous interview to Aftonbladet, the Stockholm broadsheet. In this Ardin remarked that: “The other woman wanted to report a rape. I gave my story as testimony to her story and to support her. / I immediately believed her account because I had an experience similar to hers. /It is quite untrue that we are afraid of Assange and and therefore didn’t want to report him. He is not violent and I do not feel threatened by him./ The charges against Assange are of course not orchestrated by either the Pentagon or anyone else. The responsibility for what happened to me and the other girl is with a man with a warped attitude to women and a problem with taking no for an answer.” (Ardin’s remarks appear to be responses to several questions by the reporter, so I’ve separated them with slashes).


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> 14) About this time, two tweets are deleted from Ardin’s twitter account — one organising the crayfish party on August 14, and one from the crayfish party announcing that she is with the most exciting people in the world. The tweets are retrieved from the Google cache by a libertarian website.


.......


> 20) At some point in September, Ardin deleted from her blog the seven-step guide to revenge, which features on Ardin’s blog. This is a translation of a US joke website item, which details ways in which to get revenge on ex-lovers. This too is retrieved from the Google cache by others. No other items are deleted from Ardin’s blog.


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> 	1 There are four formal accusations against Assange: three by complainant A (Anna Ardin): one of r-pe (using body weight to hold down and forcibly parting legs), and two of ofredande/misconduct/harassment: unsafe sex, and pressing p-nis against back. One by complainant S (Sofia Wilen): sexual assault, sex while complainant was sleeping.
> 	2 These were first made public at Assange’s extradition bail hearing on December 7. They vary from earlier accusations, both formal and informal.
> 	3 There remains confusion as to whether these are formal criminal charges, or retain the status of accusation.
> 	4 No supporting evidence was produced by the UK Crown Prosecution Service, acting for the Swedish Prosecutor in this matter. The judge made specific criticisms of the prosecution for this omission. Refusal of bail for Assange was based on his lack of community ties, not on any aspect of the charges per se.
> 	5 Contrary to many reports there is no accusation of consent being discontinued mid-act. Though this may emerge as part of the  detail, none of the accusations turn on the issue of withdrawn consent.
> 	6 Neither of the accusations involving unsafe sex are being made as full rape accusations.
> 	7 The accusation of physical force has not been previously aired, and is contradicted by interviews that the complainant gave  immediately after charges were made on August 20.
> 	8 Since the initial withdrawal of the rape investigation and its aftermath, there has been no public statement by either complainant. As elsewhere, the Swedish prosecution service is at liberty to continue an investigation, even if the initial complainants do not wish to continue it.




-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
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