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Today's WikiLeaks News 312

In today's episode of As WikiLeaks Turns we learn that WikiLeaks's main web site is back up less than 10 days after EveryDNS terminated the domain name over stability concerns. A 16-year-old Dutch boy suspected of being involved in the pro-WikiLeaks attacks on MasterCard and Visa has been arrested. But Dutch teenagers aren't the only Assange fans in the news. Many top journalists in Australia have sent a letter(PDF) to Prime Minister Julia Gillard today to express their support of WikiLeaks. The Sydney Police have written their own letter however to organizers of a pro-WikiLeaks rally saying that the police oppose a planned demonstration. Finally, special correspondent for The Times, Alexi Mostrous and freelance reporter Heather Brooke were given permission by the judge in the Julian Assange trial to post Twitter updates about the proceedings.
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Today's WikiLeaks News

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  • This time with more than just the pirate parties involved.

    but still-- "Police oppose a planned demonstration?" I will have to read the linked article, because that is some fishy sounding shit.

    • by eldavojohn ( 898314 ) * <eldavojohn@gm a i l . com> on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @02:12PM (#34564376) Journal

      This time with more than just the pirate parties involved.

      but still-- "Police oppose a planned demonstration?" I will have to read the linked article, because that is some fishy sounding shit.

      Let me help you:

      The assistant commissioner added that without a court notice authorising the rally, protesters and organisers would not have the support of the NSW Police Service.

      I don't know about Australia but in America you need a permit after your party gets to be a certain size on public property. The assistant commissioner stated:

      "Under Section 26 of the Summary Offences Act, I am advising you that I oppose the holding of your public assembly,"

      Doesn't that just sound like some fishy shit? Not supported by the NSW Police Service because you don't have a permit? Or massive government conspiracy?

      It's opposed because they didn't properly prepare for it and the police are not obligated to support it so if things get ugly for whatever reason, people may get out of control and hurt. And if you march on streets that are normally occupied by vehicles without police support, you're going to get hit with obstruction offenses. The police don't oppose it, the assistant commissioner said that they oppose it because they didn't follow the law to get authorization to assembly. All this is going down immediately (this evening). The complaint from the commissioner is that the paperwork wasn't submitted in a timely manner.

      When I was in Boyscout Troop 238, we would apply for the right to assembly when we had larger functions in the town's parks weeks or months ahead of time. And it's not because Big Oil wanted us stopped ...

      • I can understand that-- (I have read the linked article now, btw. I posted in true slashdot tradition by not reading it first.)

        But I would follow up your post a little-- I don't know about Australia, but in the US we also have these 'nosebleed section' areas that the local politicians call "free speech zones." [wikipedia.org] The fact that these even exist at all speaks contrary to the "No, the current enforcement is good and wholesome, if you would just file the paperwork on time!" rhetoric.

        Like all galvanized media eve

        • I am not very well versed in that concept, but I did see this sentence in the article.

          The police offered alternatives including holding a static protest, marching an alternate route or holding the march at another time.

          So the police tried to help them out. But the protestors simply didn't want to listen. It's like any other major city thoroughfare - if you want to march down, say, third avenue in New York or Broad Street in Philadelphia or Theobald's Road in the Bloomsbury section of London, it's disruptive and has to be properly planned out. Detours and road closures so you don't get carnage, for instance.

          • It worries me that people feel the government is entitled to determine when, where, and how protests are held. It seems to me that controlling those aspects of a demonstration is as damaging as preventing it outright.

            • by bsDaemon ( 87307 )

              If you're trying to make an organized event/march in good faith, then it pays to go ahead do things by the books. Its not that the police get to determine when/where your protest is, but if you're not trying to screw over everyone else in the city by sucking up roads, or if you don't want your people to get hurt because traffic is coming and the cops aren't there to block them, then cooperation is key. Of course, if your intent is mischief or mayhem, then of course, don't bother. But that might hurt, so

            • by spun ( 1352 )

              It is not "the government" that determines this. It is a local governing body. They determine what can and can not be done with property the citizens own collectively, i.e. public property. Do you only support property rights for certain classes of owners? If this were a mall, would you dispute the mall owner's right to limit who does what, when, inside the mall? The people of a particular city have a right to say, "We don't want protesters blocking our streets unless they get a permit so the police can rou

          • Something fishy about that. If the problem is lack of a permit, how are two of those three alternatives any different?

            • by spun ( 1352 ) <loverevolutionary&yahoo,com> on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @04:29PM (#34566468) Journal

              Because the lack of a permit is not the actual problem. The permit is just one solution to the real problem, the police offered several other solutions. Now, I bet if you stopped to think about it, you would realize what the real problem is. The real problem is, how do we fairly allocate the use of resources we share? Why should the protesters get precedence over the daily users of streets and sidewalks? It is a tricky issue, to be sure, and one I have been on both sides of. In my mind it boils down to this: either you play by the rules and try not to piss off the people you are attempting to reach with your message, or you specifically DO try to piss them off, to show how serious you are. But if you do that, you must accept the possibility that you will be inconvenienced at least as much as the people you are trying to piss off, if you get thrown in a holding cell for a few hours and have to pay a $100 fine.

              Do you see how it works? Either we agree to play by the rules and hold a protest that is respectful of its audience and all the other users of public property, or we participate in civil disobedience to show how serious we are. What we do NOT do, unless we are assholes, is claim a right to disrupt other people's lives without consequence.

          • by vux984 ( 928602 )

            So the police tried to help them out. But the protestors simply didn't want to listen. It's like any other major city thoroughfare - if you want to march down, say, third avenue in New York or Broad Street in Philadelphia or Theobald's Road in the Bloomsbury section of London, it's disruptive and has to be properly planned out. Detours and road closures so you don't get carnage, for instance.

            What you are describing is a "parade" not a "protest".

            Its like how I've been protesting my strata's holiday decoratio

      • by sgt_doom ( 655561 )
        I agree with your sentiments, good citizen, but realize some will not. So if you chose to email the attorneys who volunteered to represent the honeytrappers, er...I mean accusers, Claes Borgstrom and former Justice Minister Thomas Bodstrom, who was instrumental in the passage of Sweden's warrantless wiretapping (and email eavesdropping, etc.) law, and also busted the Pirate Party back in 2006 under pressure from the USA, please contact them with your support at:

        claes.borgstrom@advbyra.se

        Thomas.bodstrom

        • You're too clever. I don't see what you're doing there. Perhaps you could be a little more blatantly obvious. (You might to at least be on the same continent as the topic).

      • by dachshund ( 300733 ) on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @04:47PM (#34566714)

        When I was in Boyscout Troop 238, we would apply for the right to assembly when we had larger functions in the town's parks weeks or months ahead of time. And it's not because Big Oil wanted us stopped ...

        Multi-week delays are perfectly reasonable for a Boy scout troop --- they can plan their functions weeks ahead of time. However, it's absolutely not reasonable to delay peaceful political protest on issues that have an inherent component of timeliness, e.g., court cases, legislation, etc. In many cases, enforcing a delay is tantamount to preventing the assembly itself, simply by delaying it until the protest no longer has relevance.

        I can't speak to UK law, but most democracies have explicitly guaranteed a freedom of assembly precisely because that right is so important, and because it's so easy to deny. Protecting the right means supporting its spirit, not just paying lip service to it.

  • One down (Score:5, Insightful)

    by tmosley ( 996283 ) on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @02:00PM (#34564192)
    One "hacker" down, 4,999,999 to go!
  • tweets? Damn (Score:3, Insightful)

    by FredFredrickson ( 1177871 ) * on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @02:03PM (#34564238) Homepage Journal
    I can't think of a more useless medium to give updates about a trial.

    OMG! Ass. is up for Qs. Its gonna be bad. He's vervus. SHORT.URL?XVHEHWK
    • by blueg3 ( 192743 )

      For one, your example isn't journalism by a long shot. For another, it's only about half the Twitter limit.

      • You're right! A proper journalist would be more subtle than that. Let's fix it.

        Alleged rapist and terrorist Julian Assange has been brought in for questioning. Extradition by the end of the week? #rape #terrorism #news
  • Bradley Manning (Score:5, Informative)

    by gambino21 ( 809810 ) on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @02:06PM (#34564274)

    Related to this, Bradley Manning has been in solitary confinement for 5 months [salon.com]. And there doesn't seem to be an end, or even a trial, in sight.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by blair1q ( 305137 )

      If he's lucky, they'll give him time served for that, but it's likely to be a sliver of his sentence.

      Security systems are built on trusting the people doing the work. What he did broke that trust, and it broke a law he was reminded of every time he entered a secured area. He was trained in how to deal with improperly classified information, and instead of doing that he tossed it over the wall to someone he didn't even know, and along with it tossed a pile of properly classified information.

      People making a

      • Re:Bradley Manning (Score:5, Interesting)

        by gerddie ( 173963 ) on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @02:21PM (#34564500)

        Security systems are built on trusting the people doing the work. What he did broke that trust, and it broke a law he was reminded of every time he entered a secured area. He was trained in how to deal with improperly classified information, and instead of doing that he tossed it over the wall to someone he didn't even know, and along with it tossed a pile of properly classified information.

        From the linked article:

        But ultimately, what one thinks of Manning's alleged acts is irrelevant to the issue here. The U.S. ought at least to abide by minimal standards of humane treatment in how it detains him. That's true for every prisoner, at all times. But departures from such standards are particularly egregious where, as here, the detainee has merely been accused, but never convicted, of wrongdoing. These inhumane conditions make a mockery of Barack Obama's repeated pledge to end detainee abuse and torture, as prolonged isolation -- exacerbated by these other deprivations -- is at least as damaging, as violative of international legal standards, and almost as reviled around the world, as the waterboard, hypothermia and other Bush-era tactics that caused so much controversy.

        • Re: (Score:2, Troll)

          by blair1q ( 305137 )

          Seriously? Someone is using him as a poster boy for a campaign against the paradox of pretrial incarceration in a free society?

          That legal ship sailed a long time ago.

          He's been charged. A judge has ordered him held. The law is being satisfied, as are his rights to due process.

          He's not being tortured. Nobody is any more.

          Fer fuck's sake, people with tiny minds have lost what little they had over this junk.

          • Re:Bradley Manning (Score:5, Interesting)

            by copponex ( 13876 ) on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @02:44PM (#34564830) Homepage

            He's not being tortured. Nobody is any more.

            You do realize that's what the USG claimed last time around, right? And then this organization named WikiLeaks documented that they were lying: [csmonitor.com]

            The WikiLeaks documents reveal numerous cases of torture and abuse of Iraqi prisoners by Iraqi police and soldiers, according to the Qatar-based news agency Al Jazeera, which was given early access to the cache. "It was one of the stated aims of the war to end the torture chambers. But the secret files reveal a very different story. In graphic detail they record extensive abuse at Iraqi police stations, Army bases, and prisons."

            US troops reported the abuse to their superiors on more than 100 occasions, according to the documents, but the military – at the highest levels – ordered troops not to intervene.

            The Monitor has detailed the alleged torture and abuses that have continued in Iraqi prisons since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

            Hopefully, if Manning is being tortured, someone on the staff there has at least a little human dignity and will let the world know. If it were you, I'm guessing you'd convince yourself that he deserved it every time you went to cash your paycheck. Because that's the type of human being you are.

            • Hopefully, if Manning is being tortured, someone on the staff there has at least a little human dignity and will let the world know.

              From the article you quoted, but apparently didn't read:

              The WikiLeaks documents reveal numerous cases of torture and abuse of Iraqi prisoners by Iraqi police and soldiers,

              As you may recall, the United States isn't Iraq. Manning is not Iraqi, and is being held in the US. And, for what it is worth, Iraq is a sovereign state. The United States can influence them, but they make

              • There is a lot of research on solitary confinement. A large part of that reseach qualifies it as a form of torture.

                As far as I'm concerned Manning is a hero. He found out things that he didn't want any complicity in and thought the public should be aware of and took an incredible risk to follow his conscience in getting it out.

          • I distinctly remember reading something about a right to a speedy and public trial, and access to council. Mr Manning has had neither.

            • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

              Bradly Manning, as an active-duty member of the military, is subject to the UCMJ, not civilian courts. The rules are different. (And he knew what he was getting into when he took the oath.)
              • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

                Yeah right. All those soldiers the US government has sent out to fight their wars over the last century knew exactly what they were getting involved in. My god what an incredibly simplistic and easy worldview you must have.
                The whole reason Manning leaked the information to Wikileaks was that he hadn't realised what he had gotten involved in. Thanks in large part to the lies, duplicity and hypocrisy of the responsible politicians and the inane press that believed journalism could be equated to quoting govern

              • The rules are different, but the rights in question don't go away just because he's a soldier.

                Access to council: section 832. Art. 32. (b) and section 838. Art. 38. (b)
                Speedy trial: section 810. Art. 10.

          • The point of the article that GP quoted from is that solitary confinement of the kind he's being kept under is torture, according to most of the civilized world (and a few US court decisions, to boot).

          • Someone is using him as a poster boy for a campaign against the paradox of pretrial incarceration in a free society?

            No. Read the link before attempting to refute it in ignorance.

            He's not being tortured. Nobody is any more.

            He's being held in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, with limited outside contact.

            That's considered torture by a lot of people -- nations, even.

            Read the linked article. The author went into some detail about why it's considered torture in some places, and the deleterious effect

          • If you don't think that solitary confinement is torture, then you haven't experienced it for yourself.
          • I take it you didnt actually RTFA. Because if you had, I think you'd at least want this 22 year old KID to be able to interact with some other prisoners.

            FTFA:

            "EEG studies going back to the nineteen-sixties have shown diffuse slowing of brain waves in prisoners after a week or more of solitary confinement." Medical tests conducted in 1992 on Yugoslavian prisoners subjected to an average of six months of isolation -- roughly the amount to which Manning has now been subjected -- "revealed brain abnormalit

      • Congratulations. (Score:2, Insightful)

        by copponex ( 13876 )

        Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.

      • by vxice ( 1690200 )
        "People making a hero of him are ignorant of the law and naive about the need for security." If you are American tell it to our founding fathers. Heroes aren't heroes because they do the easy thing. Hopefully it will be worth it for him.
    • Re:Bradley Manning (Score:5, Informative)

      by radtea ( 464814 ) on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @02:13PM (#34564406)

      And meanwhile, Roman Polanski [wikipedia.org] is still free, and it took almost thirty years for the United States to get around to having an international warrant for his arrest issued despite his having actually admitted to sex crimes involving a thirteen year old girl. I guess that doesn't count very much compared to embarrassing powerful people.

      And why exactly is Assange being harrassed for doing something that is far less serious than what this English woman has admitted doing in a major newspaper [thesun.co.uk]: having sex with men using condoms deliberately tampered with so she can get pregnant?

      Is the government of England really concerned with the sexual integrity of Swedish womanhood? Or are they just using the legal system to harrass someone who has made them look like the bunch of wankers they are?

      • Is the government of England really concerned with the sexual integrity of Swedish womanhood? Or are they just using the legal system to harrass someone who has made them look like the bunch of wankers they are?

        This sounds like the type of question my wife asks me, when she says 'Do you want to hang this shirt up now?' or 'Do you feel like a cup of tea?'

      • Ok, technically, it's a newspaper, but over here in the UK if you said to somebody "I know Fact X is true because I read it in The Sun" they'd burst out laughing. It's regarded as a bit of a joke here, light entertainment. Referring to it as a major newspaper and your main information source rather undermines your argument.

        It's what a lot of people read to get entertainment gossip, horse racing tips, football results, and to see a woman showing her boobs on Page 3. Very few people would use it as their sole

    • Re:Bradley Manning (Score:5, Insightful)

      by IamTheRealMike ( 537420 ) on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @02:23PM (#34564522)

      Does anyone in the USA actually believe the constitution has power anymore? I mean, I regularly see Americans argue from the position of "You can't do that, it's unconstitutional" yet the right to not be imprisoned without charges and a trial is the only right that is included in the original text, sans amendments.

      If Manning ends up in a Guantanamo type limbo nobody will be surprised. Very sad. Especially given how unreliable a witness Lamo is. If Lamo is the only thing they have on Manning then a good defence lawyer could make great progress with his case.

    • by Motard ( 1553251 )

      Related to this, Bradley Manning has been in solitary confinement for 5 months [salon.com]. And there doesn't seem to be an end, or even a trial, in sight.

      And the legal defense funding promised by Wikileaks hasn't found its way [cbsnews.com] to Manning's attorney. I wonder if they've found a 'better' use for it.

      • You caught the news about all Wikileaks' accounts being frozen, didn't you? My bet is, if they haven't passed it along, it's because they don't have it themselves. But that's just speculation on my part. Much like your own post, I guess.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by BitZtream ( 692029 )

      Guess he should have thought of that before committing a military crime while he was an active member of the military service. He is governed by a different set of laws that aren't nearly as nice as civilian laws.

      Or at least, he might have thought of that BEFORE HE STARTED FUCKING BRAGGING ABOUT IT.

      • Re:Bradley Manning (Score:5, Informative)

        by grcumb ( 781340 ) on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @05:49PM (#34567610) Homepage Journal

        Guess he should have thought of that before committing a military crime while he was an active member of the military service. He is governed by a different set of laws that aren't nearly as nice as civilian laws.

        Or at least, he might have thought of that BEFORE HE STARTED FUCKING BRAGGING ABOUT IT.

        If he valued his own safety more than anything, perhaps he would have. But let's look at his motivation for leaking the materials [salon.com]:

        To see why that's so, just recall some of what Manning purportedly said about why he chose to leak, at least as reflected in the edited chat logs published by Wired:

        Lamo: what's your endgame plan, then?. . .

        Manning: well, it was forwarded to [WikiLeaks] - and god knows what happens now - hopefully worldwide discussion, debates, and reforms - if not, than [sic] we're doomed - as a species - i will officially give up on the society we have if nothing happens - the reaction to the video gave me immense hope; CNN's iReport was overwhelmed; Twitter exploded - people who saw, knew there was something wrong . . . Washington Post sat on the video David Finkel acquired a copy while embedded out here. . . . - i want people to see the truth regardless of who they are because without information, you cannot make informed decisions as a public.

        if i knew then, what i knew now - kind of thing, or maybe im just young, naive, and stupid . . . im hoping for the former - it cant be the latter - because if it is were fucking screwed (as a society) - and i dont want to believe that were screwed.

        Manning described the incident which first made him seriously question the U.S.Government: when he was instructed to work on the case of Iraqi "insurgents" who had been detained for distributing so-called "insurgent" literature which, when Manning had it translated, turned out to be nothing more than "a scholarly critique against PM Maliki":

        i had an interpreter read it for me and when i found out that it was a benign political critique titled "Where did the money go?" and following the corruption trail within the PMs cabinet i immediately took that information and *ran* to the officer to explain what was going on he didnt want to hear any of it he told me to shut up and explain how we could assist the FPs in finding *MORE* detainees

        i had always questioned the things worked, and investigated to find the truth but that was a point where i was a *part* of something i was actively involved in something that i was completely against

        And Manning explained why he never considered the thought of selling this classified information to a foreign nation for substantial profit or even just secretly transmitting it to foreign powers, as he easily could have done:

        Manning: i mean what if i were someone more malicious- i could've sold to russia or china, and made bank?

        Lamo: why didnt you?

        Manning: because it's public data

        Lamo: i mean, the cables

        Manning: it belongs in the public domain -information should be free - it belongs in the public domain - because another state would just take advantage of the information try and get some edge - if its out in the open it should be a public good.

        That's a whistleblower in the purest and most noble form: discovering government secrets of criminal and corrupt acts and then publicizing them to the world not for profit, not to give other nations an edge, but to trigger "worldwide discussion, debates, and reforms." Given how much Manning has been demonized -- at the same time that he's been rendered silent by the ban on his communication with an

      • by BobMcD ( 601576 )

        Or at least, he might have thought of that BEFORE HE STARTED FUCKING BRAGGING ABOUT IT.

        To be completely fair, I don't believe he did. I've been suspicious since I first heard the telling that Lamo was operating a sting on Manning at the gov's behest.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      Greenwald is an idiot. A military prosecutor has 120 days to bring a case to trial. If the delay is longer than that, it's at the request of the defense. Manning could have demanded a speedy trial months ago, and there's not much the government could have done about it.

      More likely, he's in solitary for his own protection. If he was put in the general prison population, he probably wouldn't last a week. Most soldiers don't take very kindly to treason.

      • Re:Bradley Manning (Score:5, Insightful)

        by copponex ( 13876 ) on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @02:55PM (#34564988) Homepage

        Most soldiers don't take very kindly to treason.

        Actually, they can end up with their own TV shows. It just depends on who they commit treason for. If it's the American public, or even worse, the world's public, you are correct. If they are good little soldiers and stomp on throats at the request of the powerful, well... how else do you think they get promoted?

      • by radtea ( 464814 )

        More likely, he's in solitary for his own protection.

        Right, that explains why he isn't allowed to exercise in his cell, and has no sheets or pillow on his bed.

        The difference between scientists and non-scientists is not formal training, but attention to detail and the willingness to draw logical inferences from the data.

        In this case, if the reported facts are true it is clear his detention is punishment, before he has been charged with any crime. That may be ok under the Uniform Code of Military Justice or whatever governs the US armed forces these days, but

        • More likely, he's in solitary for his own protection.

          Right, that explains why he isn't allowed to exercise in his cell, and has no sheets or pillow on his bed.

          The difference between scientists and non-scientists is not formal training, but attention to detail and the willingness to draw logical inferences from the data.

          I agree. From TFA:

          And as is true of many prisoners subjected to warped treatment of this sort, the brig's medical personnel now administer regular doses of anti-depressants to Manning to prevent his brain from snapping from the effects of this isolation.

          Given that he's suffering from depression, removing items that could be used for suicide might be a reasonable precaution, no?

          Maybe you're not quite the scientist you thought you were...

          • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

            by Altus ( 1034 )

            If he is depressed, exercise would do him good. Also his depression was likely caused by the lack of exercise and lack of any comfort.

            Plus, as the article says, he has never been on suicide watch. So maybe you should take a closer look at the data before you start talking smack.

  • by redelm ( 54142 ) on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @02:09PM (#34564330) Homepage
    Step back and look a bit. Assange may be more ape than angel, but he still has rights various powers are working hard to deny him -- why? It appears they've caved on bail, and eventually the British system grinding slowly and ever-so-carefully will get around to reviewing some substance of the matter. I'm a bit surprised extradition for "material witness" warrents is included, or to a place without traditional protections (right of silence). Even more unusual would be extradition for an offense which is not a crime in the holding country. But hey, it is their treaty, and the Brits did goofy things when they were after the IRA.

    At a higher level, this just indicates the extraordinary influence (coersion? CIA blackmail?) the US wields. Just why would Sweden (of all places) dance to Hillary's tune? Their politics runs more the opposite. Some feminists might like the broadening and exposure of sexual misconduct laws, but the more thoughtful might consider this stretch happens on the backs of women who are indisputably abused. Dubious claims and outright false allegations justify unfortunately piercing scrutiny of victims and further humiliation.

    Britian is similar. First we had the unbelieveable spectacle of a Labour government supporting the American invasion of Iraq, and maintaining support after WMD unfound and Tony Blair putting down three quite representative backbencher revolts. They will grind it all through very carefully, trying to stay reasonable lest they suffer the voter backlash that Sweden is almost certain to see.

    Astonishing how the US gets people to jump in front of a bus. Proof more Wikileaks are needed.

  • Can we have Nathan Fillion and Summer Glau play parts? pleaaaase!
  • Police Letter (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    What the hell is the point of a letter from the police stating they oppose the demonstration? Does Australia protect the right of people to peacefully assemble, or does it not? A letter from the police on this subject is ominous for Australia's political and economic security.

  • ...and not one reference to Dutch boys putting their fingers in dikes. Those Swedish prosecutors must be scary...

  • Don't forget! There was also an XKCD comic published about this. Or is that just common knowledge?
  • by Somewhat Delirious ( 938752 ) on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @02:57PM (#34565042)

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/8202745/WikiLeaks-Swedish-government-hid-anti-terror-operations-with-America-from-Parliament.html [telegraph.co.uk]

    I think this sheds some interesting light on the Assange case in Sweden and its political connotations...

    • by Blue Stone ( 582566 ) on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @04:01PM (#34565946) Homepage Journal

      Good find. Gives the lie to the Swedish state being 'all above board' and very anti-corruption.

      Secret deals with the US government - plenty of people suspected that this was the case with the Pirate Bay crackdown - and now it's made clear that deals are being done and hidden from parliamentary scrutiny.

      • by SwedishPenguin ( 1035756 ) on Wednesday December 15, 2010 @10:16PM (#34569938)

        The sad thing is how they always get off the hook so easily. SVT (public service tv) did a great documentary on this. The politicians involved of course claimed not to know anything about it. It made the news for a few days and then it went away with any demands for the justice minister's head evaporating. (that woman seriously has too many lives, I can't count how many controversies she's been involved in, not to mention that she is not actually qualified for the job, she doesn't have a law degree and pretty much had nothing to do with law prior to being appointed justice minister)

        Only two parties wanted any actual investigation of the matter.
        The left party demanded a parliamentary investigation, the greens filed a report against the government with the constitutional committee (a parliamentary committee which is pretty much the closest thing we have to a constitutional court).
        The largest opposition party (the social democrats) made some statements regarding the matter but it was mostly just platitudes from a party that has been in government many times, and who's senior officials most likely knew full well this was going on..

  • Whatever you do, do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT google her at work. I happen to have been told about (I don't know about it personally, a friend of a friend) told me that there is a Heather Brooke online with her name spelled exactly the same and this other one (it could be the same one, if it is awesome) and she is not really into reporting. Her mic she puts in her mouth is skin tone and fleshy. Now I wonder how many people are going to google her to see if I am lying, and how many people are going to google

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