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In reply to the discussion: Julian Assange bids to sue Julia Gillard for defamation over WikiLeaks comments [View all]struggle4progress
(118,286 posts)Swedish authorities were negotiating with his lawyer, trying to arrange for him to surrender himself for interrogation. The authorities were then led to believe Assange would return to Sweden in early to mid October, but he failed to return. In November, a Swedish court ordered him arrested, and a EAW arrest warrent was later taken out. He was finally arrested in London the first week of December 2010, somewhat less than two years ago. He spent eight nights in jail and was released on bail 16 December 2010. He then jumped bail in June 2010.
You imagine he's been imprisoned for three years in the somewhat less than two year period since he was first arrested
Most people won't count time spent released on bail as time spent imprisoned: "Your honor, can I have time off my sentence for the days I was out on bail" won't fly
And most people won't count time spent hiding out after jumping bail as time spent imprisoned: "Your honor, can I have time off my sentence for the days I was a fugitive after jumping bail" won't fly either
So you need to brush up on arithmetic. And you really should learn the differences between being imprisoned, being released on bail, and being a fugitive, so you don't confuse them again
Also, Ecuador, Sweden, the UK, and the US are all different countries. Assange apparently had sex with some Swedish girls in Sweden, and they complained to the police about the way he treated them. So far, Sweden is the only country in the story. While the Swedish authorities were trying to arrange an interrogation of Assange, through his Swedish lawyer in Sweden, Assange bolted to the UK. Now Sweden and the UK are the only countries in the story. When the Swedish authorities finally got tired of playing games with Assange and his lawyer, they took out an arrest warrent and asked the UK to extradite him. So the UK arrested Assange, and about a year and a half of court battles followed, in the UK courts. Finally, in June, during the period in which Assange would have been allowed to appeal to Strasbourg, he jumped bail and has been hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy in London. At this point, Ecuador and Sweden and the UK are the only countries in the story
In particular, there's no US in the story. The US has always taken the PoV that the Swedish accusations were between Assange and some Swedes, that the extradition fight was between Sweden and the UK, and the silly posturing at the embassy was between Ecuador and the UK. Of course, if your geography is weak, you might confuse one or another of the countries, Ecuador or Sweden or the UK, with the US, but that would be no one's fault except your own