Julian Assange

Kiki speaking at a conference titled "Accountable Democracy: The Crimes of the 1%". Held in London on 10 November 2012. Kiki criticises the way rape survivors are denied justice and the right to asylum, and questions the official response to rape allegations against Julian Assange.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kphlGs2L1Y&feature=plcp

The author, critic and playwright Bonnie Greer and Lisa Longstaff, from the advocacy group Women Against Rape, debate the fate of the WikiLeaks boss
 

Oliver LaughlandThe Guardian, Friday 24 August 2012 20.59 BST

 Sky news interview 21 August 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d2GEuvVGrc&feature=plcp

For decades we have campaigned to get rapists caught, charged and convicted. But the pursuit of Assange is political

Katrin Axelsson and Lisa Longstaff
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 23 August 2012 09.00 BST

When Julian Assange was first arrested, we were struck by the unusual zeal with which he was being pursued for rape allegations.

It seems even clearer now, that the allegations against him are a smokescreen behind which a number of governments are trying to clamp down on WikiLeaks for having audaciously revealed to the public their secret planning of wars and occupations with their attendant rape, murder and destruction.

Justice for an accused rapist does not deny justice for his accusers. But in this case justice is being denied both to accusers and accused.

If the prosecution against DSK is dropped, the myth that women, not men, lie about rape will prevail once more

Katrin Axelsson
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 3 July 2011

Julian Assange should not become the target for expressions of fury over sexism

French     Swedish

Katrin Axelsson
The Guardian, Friday 21 January 2011

Séries: Réponse

Julian Assange ne devrait pas devenir la cible d’une fureur contre le sexisme.

Katrin Axelsson
The Guardian, Vendredi 21 janvier 2011.

On 16-17 January 2011, Women Against Rape was quoted in a number of papers as “criticising” Julian Assange’s legal team for including the names of the women making allegations against Mr Assange in their skeleton argument.

The articles gave a misleading impression of our views. We never criticised or even mentioned Mr Assange’s legal defence in our comment to the Press Association. Following our complaint, the PA apologised for their mistake by circulating the advisory below with our full quote. Can you please publish and/or circulate this correction.

Press Association wire 19 January at 1635:

Letters, Guardian 9 December 2010

Many women in both Sweden and Britain will wonder at the unusual zeal with which Julian Assange is being pursued for rape allegations (Report, 8 December). Women in Sweden don't fare better than we do in Britain when it comes to rape. Though Sweden has the highest per capita number of reported rapes in Europe and these have quadrupled in the last 20 years, conviction rates have decreased. On 23 April 2010 Carina Hägg and Nalin Pekgul (respectively MP and chairwoman of Social Democratic Women in Sweden) wrote in the Göteborgs-Posten that "up to 90% of all reported rapes never get to court. In 2006 six people were convicted of rape though almost 4,000 people were reported". They endorsed Amnesty International's call for an independent inquiry to examine the rape cases that had been closed and the quality of the original investigations.

The rape allegations against Julian Assange have become entangled with the politics centred on Wikileaks. In the last few months this has led to the publication on the internet of the names of the women involved, and to a call for women who report rape to lose their anonymity. Rape victims’ right to anonymity and defendants’ right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty, are both crucial. We oppose the use of rape for political agendas which undermine protection and justice for both rape victim and accused. We are appalled that rape allegations may be manipulated to facilitate Mr Assange’s extradition or even rendition to the US where elected officials have called for his execution for his Wikileaks activities. How can anyone ignore this threat? WAR cannot. We oppose the death penalty for any crime, let alone when no charges have been brought.

14 Jan 2011