Wikileaks diplomatic cables

[Mahone]

-- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been arrested in London, CNN confirms.

Also worth noting that he has been arrested because he has been accused of rape, and not because of his association with wikileaks. Well that's the official reason anyway.

Also, the infamous hacker group "anonymous" have vowed to use ddos attacks against the websites and online services of any companies who part ways with wikileaks as a result of political pressure. So far this includes Amazon, Paypal, EveryDNS and the Swiss Bank.

Anonymous is associated with 4chan, and having seen what this organisation is capable of doing, I think I'd rather face the political pressure...

[HoosierGuy]

The rape charge has not been made clear. In Sweden he was not charged with rape. He was charged with having s*x without using a condom and I don't think that is an offence you can go to prison for. So I've heard, you can get in legal trouble having s*x with no condom if you are not married to that person. So two women said he had s*x with them with no condom. Word is the women did this on purpose because they were after famous men. Supposedly one or both of the ladies have ties to the CIA.

[Just_A_Guy]

From what I've heard--yes, the substance of the charges is that the women were led to believe Assange was using - er - protection, but he wasn't (or had tampered with it somehow). Even in the US, in some states that could probably be considered "fraud in the inducement" and lead to a rape charge.

I'm rarely one to agree with HoosierGuy, but these charges do seem awfully convenient.

[Mahone]

And to add a dose of irony to the whole thing: U.S. to Host World Press Freedom Day in 2011 - not a good day for such a press release, especially this paragraph:

Press Statement

Philip J. Crowley

Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs

Washington, DC

December 7, 2010

The United States is pleased to announce that it will host UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day event in 2011, from May 1 - May 3 in Washington, D.C. UNESCO is the only UN agency with the mandate to promote freedom of expression and its corollary, freedom of the press.

The theme for next year’s commemoration will be 21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers. The United States places technology and innovation at the forefront of its diplomatic and development efforts. New media has empowered citizens around the world to report on their circumstances, express opinions on world events, and exchange information in environments sometimes hostile to such exercises of individuals’ right to freedom of expression. At the same time, we are concerned about the determination of some governments to censor and silence individuals, and to restrict the free flow of information. We mark events such as World Press Freedom Day in the context of our enduring commitment to support and expand press freedom and the free flow of information in this digital age.

Edited December 7, 2010 by Mahone