2013-11-02 Geoffrey Roberton's "The Refugee"

In an exclusive for the Sydney Morning Herald, Geoffrey Robertson has provided, from his new book published this week, an excerpt dealing with the "case" against Julian Assange.

This might be the most complete and most accurate summation yet.

The article deals with the systematic attempts to defame the WikiLeaks founder - some rather silly things that never got off the ground - and it also explains the full history of the case, as well as providing the legal entanglements that led to the current situation, including the very deplorable state of jurisprudence in what most people still assume is an ideal realm of "rule of law" in the far north of Europe.

Robertson and his wife put Assange up for a few days before the European Arrest Warrant was finally accepted in the UK. Roberton's wife also provided dialogue to the famous episode of the Simpsons featuring Assange.

More importantly, Robertson cites the actual facts in the case, facts that make Sweden of today look suspect at best and outright perverse at worst, before finally outlining four steps necessary to ending the current stalemate.

1. That on Assange's return to Sweden, arrangements should be made that would leave him at liberty (in the Australian embassy, if necessary) until any custodial sentence imposed at the end of his trial.
2. That his trial must be held in open court.
3. That he should be tried by a judge alone, or at least without "lay judges" recruited from political parties.
4. That when found not guilty, or at the end of any prison sentence served on conviction, he should be permitted to leave Sweden and return directly to Australia irrespective of any extradition request from any other state.

Robertson's book Dreaming Too Loud: Reflections on a Race Apart is published this week by Vintage Australia.
For more information on the case of Assange in Sweden, please consult the official websites:
http://assangeinswedenbook.com and http://swedenversusassange.com.