He does not face the prospect of execution if he goes to the US.
This is for two reasons. First, the execution bit (AFAIK) relates to the idea that he committed treason. That idea was briefly popular among a few right-wing idiots; but it's utterly nonsensical.
Second - and more important - Sweden (like the UK) is bound by the ECHR, and is legally precluded from extraditing a person to a country in which that extradition is for a charge that brings the death sentence.
As for Sweden being bullied: Ecuador is massively reliant on trade with the US for the sake of its economy. Sweden isn't. Which is the more likely to be leaned on?
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Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Tue 21 Aug 2012, 18:48,
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From looking at how Bradley Manning has
been treated, I'm sure Assange is equally afraid of a similar fate. We always conveniently forget the US was using torture and illegal extradition and more importantly, detaining without trial. All very dangerous and completely un-democratic.
Added to this Stratfor which is another terrifying development :S
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dazbrilliantwhites has been meaning to change this..., Tue 21 Aug 2012, 18:59,
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...
Bradley Manning's case is importantly different from Assange's. Notably, being a member of the US armed forces, he would have had obligations to the US armed forces that Assange doesn't. This is not to say that Manning has been well treated - just that his story is only tangentially relevant here.
Assange might be afraid of all kinds of stuff. That doesn't mean his fear is warranted, or that it should make the blindest difference to the legal process.
And the fact that it's non-democratic bounces off me completely. I've been here long enough, and sounded off enough, for it to be pretty common knowledge that I have no love for democracy; but even if I did, it would make absolutely no difference to the legal or moral merits of the US' complaint against Assange.
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Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Tue 21 Aug 2012, 19:35,
Reply)
^this
Ecuador is massively reliant on an economic agreement with the United States, to the tune of almost a hundred thousand jobs I read somewhere. The United States would probably find it far easier in the long run to get their claws on him there than from Sweden.
Rafael Correa won't be in office forever. A far more US friendly President could get elected and simply hand him over, or even covertly co-operate with a US military operation to get Julian Assange.
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Jahled Three shades of black, Tue 21 Aug 2012, 19:01,
Reply)
I would also imagine Assange does not plan on sticking in Ecuador forever.
On top of that he does know it's in his interest to have the rape charges cleared and I can imagine he will work towards this as mouch as he can outside of sweden.
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dazbrilliantwhites has been meaning to change this..., Tue 21 Aug 2012, 19:05,
Reply)