On the Julian Assange case
Updated 20 August 2012, with the Spanish version below.
The Julian Assange case was again highlighted this week, following the press conference with Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Patiño on Wednesday. Sweden finds it unacceptable that Ecuador in this way is trying to prevent the Swedish judicial process and European judicial cooperation from taking its course.
What this case is about is that Julian Assange is suspected of sexual offences in Sweden and that it is important that prosecution proceedings are allowed to take their course in Sweden, particularly bearing in mind the victims of the alleged offences.
Sweden emphatically rejects the gross accusations made against the Swedish judicial system as expressed during Wednesday’s press conference.
Sweden (the Ministry of Justice) has not received any request for Julian Assange’s extradition to the United States – the case only concerns offences committed in Sweden. Sweden does not allow the extradition of persons if they face the risk of capital punishment.
On Thursday, Ecuador’s Ambassador in Stockholm, Mario Guerrero, was summoned to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs for a meeting at which the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Frank Belfrage, presented the points above.
Already a few days after Assange took refuge in Ecuador’s London Embassy, a meeting was held between the Ambassador of Ecuador in Stockholm and officials at the Ministry of Justice. At this meeting, the Swedish officials informed the Ambassador about the Swedish judicial system, Swedish extradition legislation and the regulations relating to European arrest warrants.
As stated, Sweden has not received any request for Assange’s extradition to the United States. Requests for extradition from Sweden to states outside the European Union are processed by the Swedish Ministry of Justice in accordance with the provisions of the Swedish Extradition Act. Under this Act, and in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights, an extradited person may not be subjected to capital punishment.
For more information on the case, have a look at the Swedish Prosecution Authority’s webpage.
För information på svenska, se Åklagarmyndighetens webbsida om Assangeärendet.
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To our readers: This blog portal – blogg.ud.se – is the Ministry for Foreign Affairs blog portal. Most of the content you find here is in Swedish. For more content in English, please check out the Ambassadors’ blog - blog.swedenabroad.se.
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Versión española:
Sobre el caso de Julian Assange
Esta semana, el caso de Julian Assange se convirtió en foco de atención nuevamente tras la rueda de prensa del miércoles ofrecida por el Ministro de Exteriores de Ecuador, Ricardo Patiño. Suecia considera que es inaceptable que Ecuador trate de impedir así que el proceso judicial sueco y la cooperación judicial europea sigan su curso.
De lo que trata el caso es que Julian Assange es sospechoso de delitos sexuales en Suecia y que es importante que se permita realizar diligencias a la Fiscalía en Suecia, en especial, tomando en cuenta a las víctimas de los presuntos delitos.
Suecia objeta rotundamente las graves acusaciones que se han hecho contra el sistema judicial sueco según fueron expresadas durante la rueda de prensa del miércoles.
Suecia (el Ministerio de Justicia) no ha recibido ninguna petición de extradición de Julian Assange a los Estados Unidos – el caso trata únicamente de los delitos cometidos en Suecia. Suecia no permite la extradición de las personas si estas corren el riesgo de ser condenadas a la pena capital.
El jueves, el embajador de Ecuador en Estocolmo, Mario Guerrero, fue convocado al Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores a una reunión en la cual el Secretario de Estado de Asuntos Exteriores, Frank Belfrage, presentó los puntos anteriores.
Ya unos días después de que Assange se refugiara en la embajada de Ecuador en Londres, se celebró una reunión entre el embajador de Ecuador en Estocolmo y oficiales del Ministerio de Justicia. En dicha reunión, los oficiales de Suecia informaron al embajador sobre el sistema judicial sueco, sobre la legislación sueca respecto a la extradición y sobre la normativa relacionada con las órdenes europeas de detención y entrega.
Como se ha declarado, Suecia no ha recibido ninguna petición de extradición de Assange a los Estados Unidos. Las peticiones de extradición de Suecia a Estados fuera de la Unión Europea son tramitadas por el Ministerio de Justicia de Suecia de acuerdo a lo estipulado en la ley de extradición sueca. Conforme a dicha ley, y según el Convenio Europeo de Derechos Humanos, una persona extraditada no podrá ser sometida a la pena capital.
For more information (in english) on the case, have a look at the Swedish Prosecution Authority’s webpage.
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A nuestros lectores: Este portal de blog – blogg.ud.se – es el portal de blog del Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores. La mayoría del contenido que encontrará aquí está en sueco. Para acceder a más contenido en inglés por favor visite el blog de los embajadores – blog.swedenabroad.se
augusti 18, 2012 kl 12:45
In the US, Julian could be sentenced to life emprisonment in solitary confinement which is a lot worst than the death punishment.
Sweden is now known as an hypocritical sycophant to the USA.
Noone wants to go there anymore.
This whole affair smells of cheap politics. Clas Bostrum the women’s lawyer is a joke. Marianne Ny has gone overboard. Your justice system is a disgrace to the civilized world.
augusti 18, 2012 kl 16:11
Pierre,
interesting points. Mårten Schultz has written an article on Sweden’s legal system that you might find interesting http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/justice-for-sweden
Teo Zetterman, Press Office, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
augusti 19, 2012 kl 16:34
When Sweden prevents judicial procedings in other countries due to human rights, we demand that they respect our decision. Then why, after refusing to interrogate him in London or to give him any guarantees, should we not respect Ecuador’s? This is blatant hypocracy from the Utrikes Departamentet and the Swedish government.
The former commenter is right. Sweden is a sycophant to the U.S. I am ashamed of my country.
augusti 22, 2012 kl 11:25
The self-confidence Swedish political leaders are presenting concerning Julian case to the outside wolrld is similar to what I remember from the communist time in my country – Poland. You are not uniqe anymore. Shame
augusti 28, 2012 kl 05:28
I agree with the commentators who have said that Sweden’s prosecuting authorities have disgraced themselves. Mårten Schultz’s article also has a number of commentaries indicating that people who have given this case sober consideration believe that the Swedish prosecuting authorities are behaving in a way that is improper. It seems that technicalities in Swedish law are being exploited to blow up trivial events into serious allegations. One has to question why the Swedish prosecution authorities would behave in so absurd a manner.
augusti 29, 2012 kl 00:16
I totally agree with the assessment of ‘Women against rape’ – http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/23/women-against-rape-julian-assange – the case is entirely political!!
If it is not – the Swedes are ridiculously incompetent. 1. They worked hard to get maximum publicity on a thing as sensitive as a rape trial. Everything that should have stayed confidential is now public.
-Why give information to the press from the beginning?
-Why issue a RED notice AND MAKE IT PUBLIC – as you knew where Assange was all along??
It is clear from the babbling of your own prosecutor that Assange won’t get a fair trail. Though he is entiteled to the presumption of innocence – she has said that she already ‘knows’ that she will charge!! So what is the point of the whole interview??
In no legal system that I know of is the prosecution of crime dependent on cooperation by the suspect. So… show the world the evidence you pretend to have & charge & even make a verdict. It is perfectly ok. for a suspect not to cooperate & to be represented by his lawyer. So – what stops you apart from lack of evidence?? Why continue pretending and waste 80.000 pound English taxpayer money a day??