Julian Assange Sexual Assault Allegations Questioned By Journalist

AOL News:

A Swedish journalist who knows WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and the two Swedish women who have accused him of sexual assault is raising questions about the veracity of one of the women's claims.

It is the first time any of the witnesses in the Swedish police investigation has spoken publicly about the case.

Read the whole story: AOL News

Comments

[TheIndependenceParty]

03:26 PM on 02/07/2011

Anna Ardin has a strange background, and even stranger behaviors.

http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/12/09/rundle-r-pe-case-complainant-has-left-sweden-may-have-ceased-co-operating/

[lisakaz2]

02:36 PM on 02/08/2011

If the poster who said there was no DNA on this torn condom is correct,she might want to escape a charge of presenting falsified evidence.

[MarcEdward]

09:23 AM on 02/07/2011

How desperate of the cops that they are relying on "witnesses" who change their story whenever they need to. Not that I ever wanted to go to Sweden, but I'll make sure it's the last place in Europe I take my family now. yeeesh

[lizipoo]

03:25 AM on 02/07/2011

How funny that the new right-winger campaign to redefine 'rape/victims' would likely exonerate Mr Assange.   They will be so mad when they figure that out as they are already prepping his last meal. 
 
 

[GraphicMatt]

10:11 AM on 02/07/2011

Why would the defenition of "rape" in the USA have an effect on a rape trial in Sweden?

[lizipoo]

11:35 AM on 02/07/2011

You're being more literal than I intended.  I'm just pointing out that the ones who have cried for him to be strung up before he's tried and convicted would be the first to give him a break on an alleged 'rape' charge.   I find their priorities a bit ironic, that's all.  

[sameasalways55]

12:21 AM on 02/07/2011

...."Hottest man on the planet"? bwahahhahahahha

[Yellowbird]

12:09 PM on 02/07/2011

And I suppose you are the one who would know what women like?

[henrypapillon]

11:52 PM on 02/06/2011

watta slot

[henrypapillon]

11:25 PM on 02/06/2011

DMSmith---show me where it says that.

[ibsteve2u]

11:17 PM on 02/06/2011

So Sweden has some sort of a law that differentiates between protected and unprotected consensual sex? Or is it protected consensual sex, and if unprotected it is assumed to be without consent?

If that is the case, I'm suddenly glad I don't live there...dangerous situation, to have protected consensual sex and then fall asleep in the same bed together. I wouldn't dare to assume the right to speak for Assange or anybody else, but there are some things that I can do half asleep in the middle of the night without a whole lot of thought...

Among which I would count sex without running down through Sweden's apparent checklist for what constitutes kosher consensual sex.

That would be a rude way to find out that I hadn't, in fact, had an unusually pleasant dream - to be hauled off to jail.

[henrypapillon]

10:47 PM on 02/06/2011

Unless Ardin actually was there, he would NOT be a witness.

[MarcEdward]

09:22 AM on 02/07/2011

He's a witness to what the "accusers" claimed and how their stories changed (especially regarding sex).

[henrypapillon]

09:37 PM on 02/07/2011

About like a character witness?

[Lynda Filler]

10:20 PM on 02/06/2011

This whole thing is suspect. Scary to think what can happen to a famous person on the "he says, she says" especially with the totally conflicting stories...

[Edward Standley]

06:49 PM on 02/06/2011

If Assange is guilty of "sex by surprise" , I hope he pays the penalty. If his accusers are guilty of falsely accusing him, or are conspiring for other reasons, I hope they pay the appropriate penalty.

[MarcEdward]

09:25 AM on 02/07/2011

I think the penalty is a $700 fine, but judging the reliability of these "witnesses", the judge should just fine Assange $5 a piece, turn to the accusers and say "its more than you're worth"

[Edward Standley]

09:45 AM on 02/07/2011

I remember seeing that the fine was about $700. That made me really curious as to why his surety bond upon release from jail was in the six figures. A six figure bond for a three figure "crime"? Very odd.

[henrypapillon]

09:38 PM on 02/07/2011

If he's is innocent, and the case is so hokey, then he should be able to easily defeat the case, but then he wouldn't get the publicity.

[UpBone]

03:06 PM on 02/06/2011

We're always being told to recycle..

[ForemostPanda]

02:58 PM on 02/06/2011

birds of a feather stick together. the real reason assange went to sweden is because of the treatment women get there. 46% of swedish women are physically abused by men. 92% of swedish women don't report rapes. assange thought he was in hog heaven there.

[Edward Standley]

06:41 PM on 02/06/2011

You're comical.

[ThinkCreeps]

04:25 AM on 02/07/2011

You're very generous.

[Apathy Man]

06:43 PM on 02/06/2011

Interesting claim, you wouldn't happen to have any proof to back that up would you? If so please provide it to us.

[ForemostPanda]

08:05 PM on 02/06/2011

You should read "the girl with the dragon tattoo" by Stieg Larsson. As to the statisitics:

http://www.hrea.org/lists/women-rights/markup/msg00341.html

[henrypapillon]

10:49 PM on 02/06/2011

Nobody here is under any obligation to supply any documentation to back up anything they say. It is not a term paper. It is a forum.

[henryberry]

02:41 PM on 02/06/2011

As with nearly every story/case of this kind, we'll never know what actually happened. One point which keeps coming to my mind though in trying to discern bases for the accusations is that both women were politically active and savvy. They really don't sound like women who wouldn't know what they were doing in a brief sexual episode with Assange, nor women who would be reluctant to tell a man off or to advise him what he was about to do or was doing was criminal under Swedish law.

Furthermore, the tag-team approach to reporting the alleged crimes is troubling. I just don't see any moral outrage. Neither woman acted as if she were violated. Apparently, they both had to think it over if they were violated. If Swedish law on such conduct is so ambiguous and poorly understood by Swedish citizens, it's puzzling to me how Swedish law-enforcement can take the steps it is to pursue criminal charges against a foreigner who passed through their country.

Lastly, with their activism and knowledge of process and media, I'm sure neither woman was ever hesitant about calling attention to what they saw a political crimes. Yet, with Assange they acted uncharacteristically in the manner in which they eventually went to the police.

[ForemostPanda]

03:01 PM on 02/06/2011

it a typical trick of criminals to try and paint the victims as the villians. why don't we let justice take its course and decide the case on the known facts, not ome biased speculation from the peanut gallery. We do know that assange is a thoughtless scoundrel, but that doen't necessarily make him guilty.

[wakawaka09]

08:13 AM on 02/07/2011

Actually, we don't know Assange to be a thoughtless scoundrel. You think him so because you are a conservative and because he's exposed your heroes and the institutions you bow down to.

[MarcEdward]

10:20 AM on 02/07/2011

I can only speak as a guy, but if Julian Assange had raped me, I wouldn't make him a nice breakfast after. These "charges" smell worse than 3 day old fish.

[lisakaz2]

02:44 PM on 02/08/2011

Or let him stay with me for days after and tweet my enthusiasm over the situation.

[Neil Bolton]

04:28 AM on 02/06/2011

I love the bit where they keep used condoms for a week and at the same time complain about their lover not showering!

(Actually, why would anyone keep used condoms. And why would two different women do it in the same week? A staggering coincidence.)

[Sinister Minister]

12:20 PM on 02/06/2011

The same reason someone would keep a stained dress.

[CoronaDischarge]

12:43 PM on 02/06/2011

Kind of depends on how often the trash gets picked up doesn't it?

[thepoliticalcat]

11:59 PM on 02/05/2011

Funny, the story doesn't mention that Anna Ardin has apparently left the country. I understood she had gone abroad? Does anyone know? Very strange and oddly coincidental.

[SageSpencer]

04:12 AM on 02/06/2011

I heard one of them is now working in Yanoun, Israel but that wasn't recent news and I cannot remember is it was Anna?

[thepoliticalcat]

03:25 PM on 02/06/2011

I believe it was, yes. She's been rather chary of the press since the contradictions in her stories were uncovered.

[pietromp]

04:39 PM on 02/06/2011

She went to Cuba first, and the to Israel...go figure why