Barry Graham: Illusory Flowers in an Empty Sky

Owen Jones, author of the excellent book Chavs, has a piece in today’s Independent in which he argues that Ecuador should not offer asylum to Julian Assange.

Jones seems to miss the point that Assange has not been charged with anything. Not rape, not any sex crime. Two women he was having sex with got angry and made some accusations only after they found out about each other. I have seen not a shred of evidence to suggest that he might be guilty of such crimes, which is probably why - again - no charges have been brought against him.

Can you think of any other instance of there being an international manhunt for, and attempt to extradite, a person who has not been charged with a crime?

Jones, of course, is right that no one should be immune to being tried for rape (or any other crime they might be charged with) - but there have been no charges. The issue of asylum is not about protecting an accused rapist - it is about protecting a man from being handed over to the U.S.A., a terrorist state, that might unlawfully execute him.