Icelandic MP Claims US Vendetta Against WikiLeaks 227
Stirling Newberry writes "Icelandic MP Birgitta Jónsdóttir details more of the evidence for what she calls a 'judicial vendetta' against WikiLeaks and its volunteers, including attempts to gain access to her Twitter account. Her efforts to block the National Defense Authorization Act were discussed here previously. The story was taken up last year by Glenn Greenwald and Wired. As a result, the International Parliamentarian Union adopted a resolution on her case. What's new? She asserts that there is a grand jury investigation into WikiLeaks and related organizations, and is calling on Sweden to provide assurances that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange not be re-extradited to the U.S. She says, 'There is no doubt that the U.S. wants to get even with WikiLeaks.'"
Re:seriously, the USA is just making a martyr (Score:3, Interesting)
The only people for whom he will be a martyr are those for whom the message "we will get you" is being sent.
Such as the Icelandic MP Birgitta Jonsdottir who used to be an activist working for Wikileaks, something you think an honest summary would mention.
Re:seriously, the USA is just making a martyr (Score:5, Interesting)
You posted the other day against Assange. Obviously you have an agenda, I may have one, too. But I'm not being paid. Are you?
Now, the US are in fact inverting History by demanding and getting a non-national to be extradited (that TV site guy from England). This is even more significant on the 4th of July. Do you thing the founding fathers (the ones who gave their blood) wanted it that way?
And the reasons? The reasons for all that? Oil and the mythical beast called "intellectual property" -- as if one could be entitled to own any idea. Did you see the voting against ACTA on Europe? 478 to 39. Let me translate for you: that's the way you say, on political terms, "no fscking way, now go home".
You are your country now. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and all the ol' good guys did their part and risked their lives. Were things different and they would be hung up. It was not just risky, it was noble -- even today I cannot explain to sheepish idiots why having Freedom is important. Just imagine what it was back then.
And then, now, you get fine Politicians who do what we have seen in these last 15 or so years and people post here "many will be okay with using fake charges to get him into U.S. custody via Sweden". And guess what? I bet they're nodding and saying "Yeah", just like you (probably).
The USA has been a great country and deserved better people than the ones it got nowadays.
Re:Iceland (Score:4, Interesting)
Don't know who "we" and "you" are in this post, but Iceland is awesome. Freaking beautiful landscape, freaking beautiful skyscapes, super-creative population, great food, no summer heat, surprisingly mild winters (warmer than NYC, for example), virtually no pollution, great infrastructure compared to the population density, virtually no crowds, awesome music and party scene, a well educated and generally non-bigoted populace, clean energy, abundant volcanic hot water delivered straight to the home, etc. I love my adoptive country. :)
Re:seriously, the USA is just making a martyr (Score:5, Interesting)
It's pretty obvious Assange collaborated with Manning to steal secret documents.
That's a crime for sure.
For Manning, who was under US jurisdiction, sure.
For Assange, who wasn't, which law, exactly did he break in this instance, under which jurisdiction?
I know it's a right-wing American dream that US law applies to non-Americans outside the US, while US citizens are not subject to any other country's laws. It's time to wake up, because that is just a dream. In the real world, if the US wants its laws to be recognized, the US has to also recognize the law of other countries. Even when it lets people walk free.
Re:seriously, the USA is just making a martyr (Score:5, Interesting)
If you believe what you wrote, then I assume you also believe that the military should stop pushing the BS about how accurate it is and how well it can tell civilians from militants, and openly admit that it can't tell the difference between things like a camera and an RPG from firing range and will quite readily mow down anyone who they can't tell whether is a threat or not?
Do you not also think that for civilians to know whether they want to endorse military action, they need to know this, and to be able to see what war is actually like than the sanitized, sterile picture presented?
While I think Assange is an arse who's simply trying to avoid jail for crimes unrelated to his political activity, I think that in this sort of regard, Wikileaks has done a lot of good.