What exactly is the naughty Nordic crime WikiLeaker Julian Assange is alleged to have committed…twice? Turns out it may have more to do with the strength of Swedish condoms than the quality of justice in the country of blondes. Now, if only he’d been in Estonia, where they know how to call a spade a Swede.
Exactly what was the original charge alleged against WikiLeaker Jualian Assange in Sweden? It was not rape, as reported widely, but a peculiarly Swedish offence, with possibly blonde overtones…
‘Sex by Surprise?’
From AlterNet:
The charges against Assange in Sweden have now been characterized as “sex by surprise” – and no one seems to know exactly what that even means.
Assange’s London attorney, Mark Stephens, told AOL News that Swedish prosecutors told him that Assange is wanted not for allegations of rape, as previously reported, but for something called "sex by surprise," which he said involves a fine of 5,000 kronor or about $737.
"Whatever ‘sex by surprise’ is, it’s only a offense in Sweden – not in the UK or the US or even Ibiza," Stephens said. "I feel as if I’m in a surreal Swedish movie being threatened by bizarre trolls. The prosecutor has not asked to see Julian, never asked to interview him, and he hasn’t been charged with anything. He’s been told he’s wanted for questioning, but he doesn’t know the nature of the allegations against him."
The charges have something to do with condoms, and their lack of use, or breakage, although it’s largely unclear exactly what. The women accusing Assange have stood behind their accounts, but he believes the Swedish government’s seemingly wishy-washy actions are part of a larger conspiracy to nab him for WikiLeaks.
The New York Times:
According to accounts the women gave to the police and friends, they each had consensual sexual encounters with Mr. Assange that became nonconsensual. One woman said that Mr. Assange had ignored her appeals to stop after a condom broke. The other woman said that she and Mr. Assange had begun a sexual encounter using a condom, but that Mr. Assange did not comply with her appeals to stop when it was no longer in use. Mr. Assange has denied any wrongdoing and has questioned the veracity of those accounts.
NOTE: For information on the name “Sweden” in Estonian, see under Etymology:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden