I'm Swedish too, and I think there is a core of truth to what he's saying.
The joke about how you're half a rapist just for having a penis and a fully qualified one if the condom breaks — not true of course, it was just a joke, ha-ha.
But, actually, we do have a pretty liberal definition of rape these days, not that liberal, but still. Rape used to have to contain some element of violence or threat of violence, these days rape doesn't have to contain either. As Assange's accusors have conceded, it was consensual sex.
The feminist movement in Sweden is trying, has been for years, to expand the word "rape" to include less aggrievous stuff. This seems to be another attempt at expanding the definition of "rape" into meaning that the offender didn't "honor the agreement" of the "sexual relation". As if they had arrived at an agreement before they had sex.
I don't think they will win this case though. I expect Assange to be freed of all charges. Possibly a minor charge of non-sexual harassment, or something.
If that's the common expectation then why this all out effort to bring him to justice ? I've looked at the interpol site, it's not exactly crawling with Swedish requests to bring sex offenders to justice, the only other guy on there is a Swedish national that has some other ominous wording next to his 'sex offenses' relating to children.
And I do agree with you that this case is anything but usual, numerous things about it strikes me as odd and weirdly coincidental.
Reuters claims all Ardin and the other accuser really wanted was to get Assange to take an STD test.
I think Assange's concern was not that he'd be convicted, but that once he's in police custody, he could be extradited to the US or murdered more easily.
And I doubt even the US would be stupid enough to try something like that even though there are enough politicians baying for blood.
I wished they were as assertive about bringing people to trial when it comes to the Guantanamo inmates.
People die in London police custody at about the rate of one every month, if I remember correctly. It's not really such an unusual occurrence. Without knowing much about the UK, I doubt that the police officers who kill those captives usually get indicted for murder.
Is it customary that the Swedish authorities would involve Interpol in a case like this ?
The film shows how the two men drops Christer with punches. Then one of them stomped him five times to the head with full force. The men then disappear into their cabin. After 30 seconds, one of them returns and kicks the unconscious Christer twice in the face. [...] But since the crime took place in Swedish waters, and none of the people involved are Finnish citizens, they were released and returned to Ireland. [...] In Sweden, the matter was taken over by prosecutor Thomas Holst. Despite the surveillance film, and the the two perpetrators being identified, he decided to drop the investigation. - "The people can't be contacted", he says.
But they are known and available in Ireland? - "If we were to try to bring home all the people who committed crimes not serious enough, we would get very busy."
He doesn't see asking them to be extradited as a realistic option. - "We only do that kind of thing when it's serious crimes - like murder."
You can check for yourself: http://www.interpol.int/Public/Wanted/Search/ResultListNew.a...
Are you sure about that? There was also no way the tpb guys would get jail, it's getting darker now.
I'd say us Americans should understand that perfectly
Assange had a bit of bad luck when he met Anna Ardin, the girl who stirred up this whole thing. She's a very peculiar person in Swedish "politics" as she is working hard to merge religion and politics, something a vast majority of Swedes believe is a really bad idea. She is also a sort of radical feminist, and she's written an article called "7 Steps to Legal Revenge" where she describes how to really crush someone who has cheated on you or hurt you in any way. By the looks of it, she's following that very article to get some revenge at Assange for sleeping with a friend of hers.
So, Swedes are on Assange's side even though the idiot prosecutor might make things seem like we aren't. We're all shaking our heads at this whole farse and we're all embarrassed. There is, however, no way that Assange will be convicted for any of the charges he is facing. It's just a case of "we have to get him here to interrogate him because that's the procedure".
So, from Sweden, just want to say that we're sorry that a couple of idiots have managed to create all this fuss. But don't be hatin'.