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Comment by mirimir | Hacker News Reader

> I can't respect someone who talks about curing the world of ignorance, and having the courage to tell the truth, but then cowers for 7 years in a embassy because he's too afraid to stand up and tell the truth, whatever it was, about what happened.

It was more about not wanting to rot in US prison, I think.

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> It was more about not wanting to rot in US prison, I think.

That seems a perfectly rational decision to me.

Except that a) the US weren't interested (ironically, they may be now) and b) he repeatedly refused to meet Swedish investigators at the embassy, where there was no chance of rendition whatsoever.

People were dropping out of Wikileaks 10 years ago because of Assange's behaviour. Seems like Poitras is just the latest in a long line of people who are attracted to the principles of Wikileaks, but turned off by the reality.

he repeatedly refused to meet Swedish investigators at the embassy, where there was no chance of rendition whatsoever.

Sources? Because this is the exact opposite of what I read: that Swedish investigators had repeatedly refused to interview him there.

Edit: I googled and I'm still convinced I'm right: https://www.google.com/search?q=why+dont+swedish+police+inte...

Edit2: unless someone can show sources moomins answer I'll say it is wrong and dangerously wrong in that it spreads a lie.

I still can't understand why no-one has bother to either downvote it or provide sources for it.

I don't necessarily like Assange but lets not lie to create more trouble for him.

He was interviewed in the embassy by Swedish prosecutors[1][2][3][4].

1 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/julian-assange-poli...

2 http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ecuador-sweden-assange-idU...

3 http://www.smh.com.au/world/swedish-prosecutor-ingrid-isgren...

4 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assange_v_Swedish_Prosecution_...

You're correct. Sorry, I misremembered.

So - unless anyone has more trustworthy sources - Assange has offered his testimony for years as long as they would meet him in the embassy and Sweden has refused.

Actually, he did a show interview in the embassy, where the prosecutors weren't allowed to ask direct questions.

>he repeatedly refused to meet Swedish investigators at the embassy

It was them who repeatedly refused to meet him. He offered to meet them repeatedly.

The US wasn't interested? With Manning in jail? He's not a US citizen. For him, US prison would be a lucky outcome. Rendition and torture would be a realistic fear.

I do, on the other hand, wonder why he'd consider Sweden a greater risk than the UK.

Well, us patriots would have found some reason to despise him anyway.. so why not get a room with a view?

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