Four days in August could decide how the world looks on the WikiLeaks founder, writes Mark Hennessy
JULIAN ASSANGE flew from London to Stockholm on August 11th to speak at an event held by the Swedish Christian Social Democrats. His standing was high in the country, famed for its almost 250-year-old freedom of information laws.
The events of the next four days are now the cause of Sweden’s attempt to extradite Assange from London on the back of a European arrest warrant, which has been used to deliver 700 people from the UK to trial in other EU member states in the last year.
However, the four days are surrounded by a maelstrom of accusation and denial, as well as allegations that one or both of the women who filed sexual misconduct allegations against him, are the dupes of intelligence agencies seeking to discredit the 39-year-old Australian. Hard, verifiable, fact about what happened is difficult to come by.
Once in Sweden, ever-mindful of security, Assange stayed away from hotels, staying in the flat of a woman in her early 30s who had offered accommodation while she was due to be out of town – but who seems to have been involved in offering the speaking invitation. She later became known as “Miss A” to the Swedish prosecutor’s office after she became one of two women to file allegations against Assange.It is alleged the woman came back early from her out-of-town trip and had dinner with Assange, agreeing to allow him to stay in the apartment. During dinner, she claims he stroked her leg, snapped her necklace and pulled off some of her clothes.
In a copy of her statement published by the Guardian, she alleges she tried to put back on her clothing, but that the Australian pinned her arms back and tried to stop her reaching for a condom. Eventually, he did put one on, but it tore.
However, there is agreement that Assange stayed with her for days subsequently, while Miss A sent a tweet to friends the following day saying: “Julian really wants to attend a crayfish party, anyone got two spare places?”
None was on offer, so Miss A, who has been named by a number of American media organisations, organised a party herself. Assange attended, along with members of the Swedish libertarian Pirate Party, some journalists and others. From the party, Miss A sent another tweet, “I’m with the most important, exciting people in the world.”
The second woman, known as “Miss W”, saw Mr Assange appear on television some weeks before he came to Sweden, finding him “interesting, brave and worthy of admiration”. She decided to attend his speech, staying on for dinner after she met Miss A.
Speaking with police later, she claims that she sat beside him at dinner, during which he flirtatiously fed her bread and cheese and put his arm around her. Later, the two went to a movie together, where they caressed in a back-row seat. Two days later, they met again in Stockholm’s old town, deciding to go to Miss W’s home town of Enköping after Mr Assange refused to stay in a hotel. She bought him his rail ticket after he said he did not have money and feared he could be traced if he used his credit card.
In her apartment, the two had sex – with a condom. However, she claims she awoke to find him having sex with her again, this time without a condom. Tempers flared when she claims he “ordered” her to get orange juice and water for him.
From there, Assange is alleged to have returned to the Stockholm apartment of Miss A, where the latter claims he again tried to initiate sex while naked from the waist down. Later that week, Miss W contacted Miss A, irritated by the Australian’s failure to telephone her.
During a conversation, the two now allege they discovered then that Assange had had unprotected sex with both of them, before deciding he would have to have a test for sexually-transmitted diseases. Initially, the Australian refused, but he did so later.
So far, he has not been charged with any offence, but lawyers for the Swedish prosecution who addressed the London court hearings, say they want to question him about four allegations, including two of rape and sexual molestation.
Swedish legal experts say the rape allegation is covered by the third and least serious of three categories of rape, known as “less severe” under Swedish law, where men use threats or mild degrees of force to have sex. The maximum sentence is four years.
Assange’s supporters claim the allegations are part of a “honey trap”, by agencies such as the CIA, to destroy his reputation in retaliation for his publishing of US diplomatic cables.