I pondered this very question just recently in a
post by asking whether or not there were any cables in the 250,000 released by Wikileaks, and founded by Julian Assange, that related to trumping up a few charges such as rape and sexual molestation. I particularly wondered whether these cables might be from and between the US Embassy in Sweden and the State Department in Washington D.C.
It seems I am not the only one wondering such things.
Andrew Wilkie, the recently elected independent MP for Denison in the federal parliament of Australia and a former intelligence officer, has stated today that the charges "
could definitely be a set-up".
Wilkie would have to be a kindred spirit of Julian Assange as they are both whistleblowers of some renown. Wilkie, while still an intelligence officer, came into knowledge that lead him to question the reasons and rationale for Australia's commitment to going to war in Iraq. He resigned and went public. He was hounded for his efforts. He is now a federal politician.
I guess time will tell as to what evidence the Swedish police have on Assange. Everyone has a right to a presumption of innocence until such time as a competent court finds otherwise. Until then, Assange finds himself the subject of an Interpol Red Notice. And, this means that he is subject to arrest wherever he is found. Although, the legal hoop-jumping is likely to be long if he is arrested in a state that may be partial to offering some form of protection or asylum. Ecuador made an offer of asylum over the past 24 hours but withdrew it almost as quickly as the offer was made.
The case is an intriguing one!
