Posted by UK’s Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg (LBC Radio Thursday 5th Feb 2015) :
“Imagine the frustration of the Swedish government – hardly an illiberal rogue state. This is a country of impeccable democratic credentials with a well-respected judicial system”
But Sweden’s representatives believe in indefinite detention of uncharged suspects, hardly a liberal approach to administering justice, neither very democratic if you ask me. Unless of course, Justice and Democracy excludes all those who are called Julian Assange:
At the end of the Universal Periodic Review the head of the Swedish delegation to the UPR, Annika Söder, state secretary for political affairs at Sweden’s foreign ministry, said that:
Annika Söder: We find this exercise extremely useful, and we will bring all the conversations back home to see how we can improve, I think I will stop there and ask if there are any questions
Question: What is the government doing to resolve the situation of Julian Assange?
Annika Söder: This is a very complex matter in which the government can only do a few things. We are aware of Mr. Assange’s being in the embassy of Ecuador and we hope that there will be ways to deal with the legal process in one way or the other. But this is up to the legal authorities to respond.”
Question: Is there any deadline for the prosecution?
Annika Söder: Now you are asking somebody that is not completely updated on deadlines, no, my colleagues are saying no, there is no deadline.
Sarah Harrison of WikiLeaks then approached Anders Rönquist, The director-general of legal affairs in Sweden’s foreign ministry, for some questions:
Anders Rönquist: […] a possibility to have a person who is suspected of crimes to have that person detained until the charges have been made and he is facing the court.
Sarah Harrison: and there is no limit on the time you can detain somebody without those charges
Anders Rönquist: No there is no limit
Sarah Harrison: and that’s ok in a human rights aspect?
Anders Rönquist: Yeah, yes it is.
Sarah Harrison: To detain somebody indefinitely before you charge them?
Anders Rönquist: Not more time than it is necessary for, to have established the facts.
Sarah Harrison: You don’t have a limitation on that…time to..
Anders Rönquist: No we don’t, no, and there is no obligation under Human Rights Law to fixed maximum length of detainment.
Sarah Harrison: Ok
Anders Rönquist: Ok, Thank you.
Related:
Nick Clegg In Spat With Julian Assange, Could Face Legal Action http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/02/06/nick-clegg-in-spat-with-assange-could-face-legal-action_n_6632522.html
Glimmer of Hope for Assange http://www.ipsnews.net/2015/01/glimmer-of-hope-for-assange/
No Global Norm Exists Requiring Recognition of Diplomatic Asylum http://sputniknews.com/politics/20150204/1017793309.html
greekemmy 