Xenophobia

[BTGBullseye]

I tend to stay away from Assange references as a negative for the USA, especially since I know someone who very nearly ended up in the land of the not living because of something he 'leaked' at an inappropriate time. (not at liberty to tell you which)

[Vapymid]

Well, I understand America may not like Assange (I personally don't like him either) but the fact is - he is not an American and he owes nothing to the US in terms of obligations to keep American secrets secret. So, when a third party government officials are bribed or blackmailed into persecuting that guy for some made-up reasons, it is an unlawful interference.

 

Regards

[BTGBullseye]

Agreed, but when it's a simple request to delay releasing the information a few days to keep someone from being murdered, and it's not going to harm anything or anyone to delay, and he refuses, that's the same as attempted murder in my book. (the government agency that made the request didn't really care at that point if he released the info, just so long as they had the time to extract their personnel) When it comes to attempted murder of a US citizen, I am never against trying to extraditing the person responsible. (it could even be argued that it was premeditated since the reason for the delay was included in the request to delay)

 

Most countries have extradition treaties with the USA, meaning if they are a criminal to the USA, the country that has one of those treaties will arrest the criminal and send them to the USA for trial. IIRC Assange was in a country with one of those treaties, so it wasn't in the slightest underhanded IMO. (no blackmail or bribes required to get most countries to honor their extradition treaties)

[Vapymid]

Well, I agree - you can be within your rights yet either play nice or nastily. The rightfulness of it is the circumstance, your behaviour, though is your choice.

 

But extradition does not usually apply to political crimes and things like treason.

 

Regards

[BTGBullseye]

As I said, it wasn't political... It was in response to him actively putting out information, knowing it would likely kill someone. He attempted to commit murder, indirectly, but that's equivalent to hiring a hitman.

 

Last I checked, all crimes were a part of a full extradition treaty... Only a rare few are limited to specific crimes. Treason is a crime, but only happens if you are a citizen of the country, and is very much a part of every US extradition treaty. Political crimes is such a vague concept that it is effectively meaningless anymore. (I personally consider every politician to be a criminal, so would their actions be political crimes?)

[Vapymid]

Well, there is a concept of jurisdiction. A non-Amreican outside America, doing something that is legal where he is, cannot be commiting crime in America even if he endangers the life of an American in some remote place. Because America does not have jusrisdiction over him and that place. And if America then tries to impose its American justice on such an individual it can only be considered as an extra-jusdicial thuggery.

 

And even American Courts and Judges are very careful about ruling on extraterritoriality of the US laws...

 

Regards

[BTGBullseye]

That's exactly what extradition treaties are for. It's an agreement between countries that they enforce the other's laws on their own citizens should the criminal's actions affect the other country's citizens directly.

[Vapymid]

That's exactly what extradition treaties are for. It's an agreement between countries that they enforce the other's laws on their own citizens...

 

No no no no no. That's NOT what extradition is for.

 

Extradition agreement is for one country to hand over a person to another country only if that other country has a reasonable case AND the jurisdiction to prosecute that person.

 

Regards

[BTGBullseye]

https://encrypted.google.com/#q=extradition

Definition: "the action of extraditing a person accused or convicted of a crime."

 

Accused or convicted, nothing more required.

 

You need to read up on the treaty in question.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK%E2%80%93US_extradition_treaty_of_2003

[Vapymid]

Ah, yes - can't deny... The current Extradition Treaty between the US and the UK is a bit shit... Tony Blair should be put in prison forever for that alone...

 

But even that piece of outrageous tukheslechery requires the US authorities to claim a reasonable suspicion of a crime committed within the US jurisdiction... And English courts are taking ever dimming view of the treaty now...

 

Regards

[BTGBullseye]

But even that piece of outrageous tukheslechery requires the US authorities to claim a reasonable suspicion of a crime committed within the US jurisdiction...

I don't recall it saying anything about it needing to be within US jurisdiction... Even if it did, the governments in question can always make a case specific agreement without having to make it a law.