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A skeleton outline of the Assange defence

The stakes are now raised in the situation in which Julian Assange finds himself, for now his legal team must, in effect, set aside the attempt to extradite their client to Sweden - not to face a charge, but merely to be questioned. Quite extraordinary on one level. But then again the suspicion that the Swedes are seeking the extradition on behalf of the US won't go away.

The Guardian has published some of the arguments which will be put forward, based on a 35 page document released by Assanges' lawyers outlining the arguments in skeleton form.

"Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, could be at "real risk" of the death penalty or detention in Guantánamo Bay if he is extradited to Sweden on accusations of rape and sexual assault, his lawyers claim.

In a skeleton summary of their defence against attempts by the Swedish director of public prosecutions to extradite him, released today, Assange's legal team argue that there is a similar likelihood that the US would subsequently seek his extradition "and/or illegal rendition", "where there will be a real risk of him being detained at Guantánamo Bay or elsewhere".

Continue reading here. It should be quite some "challenge".

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