2012-05-27 Swedish state media grasps at straws to smear Assange with link to murder case

Sunday 27 May 2012 Stockholm: Swedish state radio attempted early this morning to lay the blame for difficulties in the ongoing investigation of an unrelated Swedish murder case on Julian Assange.

Their article published online attempts to claim Assange is obstructing the course of justice by appealing his case before the UK Supreme Court and that killers pursued by Swedish authorities might go free as a result of a ruling in his favour.

Background

Two brothers were arrested in London on suspicion of involvement in the November 2011 murder of a 22 year old man in Stockholm's Old Town. The man was found fatally wounded and later passed away in hospital. The two brothers fled Sweden after accusations were brought against them. The one brother agreed to be extradited back to Sweden where he is now sitting in detention, but the other has refused.

Radio Stockholm interviewed Joakim Eriksson, the prosecutor handling the case, who said he hoped for help in the extradition proceedings based on the Supreme Court's ruling in Julian Assange's case, which will be handed down on 30 May.

This latest gambit comes less than 72 hours before the ruling is to be announced in London.

Sweden wagging the EU again

The Swedes seem again to be involved in a 'wag the dog' scenario - or more correctly: to change the entire EU to suit their ideas of jurisprudence.

The Swedish authorities have already distinguished themselves by having their prisons condemned by human rights organisations. They have no trial by jury save in freedom of the press proceedings. They don't even have educated jurists sitting on their court benches. They offer no bail whatsoever to people in Julian's situation. They vehemently opposed his house arrest in December 2010, insisting he spend the holidays in Wandsworth prison.

They open, then shut, then reopen the Assange case, then refuse to come to an agreement to question Assange, refuse to use accepted means of interrogation for over 500 days. They hint that they want Assange in isolated custody to 'soften him up', and they refuse to notify Assange of the accusations against him in a language he understands.

They also refused to let Assange's attorney Björn Hurtig view the complete case documentation and attempted (unsuccessfully) to stop him from witnessing at the High Court in Belmarsh this past February.

And now they're trying to blame Julian Assange for an attempt by the highest court in England to bring about a much-needed reform in EAW policy.