Julian Assange - WikiLeaks (40 page)

I found a few troubling coincidences: how these women persisted in meeting Julian, and after having had sexual relations with him, they continued to be in contact with their presumed rapist. That's very strange.

What really bothers me is how fiercely people are attacking them online. They've said next to nothing since the end of August.

We know very little about Sofia Wilén. She was said to have worked part-time in a museum and that her boyfriend was an American artist named Seth Benson.

Neither one of them give interviews. Since their accusation of sexual crimes, qualified by Julian many times as a set up to discredit WikiLeaks, the young women live far from the media's attention. Sofia has even cut off her phone. On December 17, Anna wrote on her blog that she was “
taking a break
,” but announced she would express herself soon on the site prataomdet.se (
Prata om det
means ‘to talk about it'). This forum was created in December of 2010, where you can read testimonials published since the
beginning of the affair on Twitter or in Swedish newspapers of women who claim they've been victims of comparable sexual aggression.

On Twitter, Ardin says she's happy to write that she's ‘
the real'
Anna Ardin. Finally, on December 8, she tweeted a weird allusion to the affair: “CIA agent, rabid feminist / Muslim lover, a Christian fundamentalist, frigid & fatally in love with a man, can you be all that at the same time...”

I read that according to
Granma
, the daily of the Cuban Communist Party, Anna is a militant feminist, an Anti-Castrist, and according to American magazine
CounterPunch
, she's linked to the CIA, and is said to have worked for the American Embassy in Sweden.

I talked to some Swedes on Facebook, particularly Lars who knows a thing or two about politics. He knows Anna Ardin. We e-mailed each other. He thought that linking her to the CIA was a bit of an exaggeration. It's not unusual in Sweden for a social democrat to be anti-communist, even anti-Castro. Lars told me that Anna has often criticized U.S. foreign policy as regards the embargo on the commerce against Cuba for example, or their lack of criticism against the Israeli agreement on the occupied territories, and U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rape or no rape? I think that this matter has taken on epic proportions. The matter has to be heard, then judged. Turning it into a media circus for six months is not the way to go about it, it messes with the references and with whatever facts there are.

Julian Assange is first and foremost a man, who's young and single. He seems to be a man with a very strong libido, like a rock star. Women find him fascinating, or found him fascinating before the
Swedish incident, because what he does is incredibly attractive and exciting. He laughs at the international establishment, all alone, like a kind of Robin Hood. That's very attractive.

Alone he's stronger than some leaders of the most powerful countries in the world. All that is very seductive. He's magnetic, which is why many women find him very attractive. Sofia Wilén was definitely one of them. Like many others, he knows how to work it. He surely hasn't been in this position for most of his life and all of a sudden he is. I think he meets lots of women and that the Swedish accusations underline his sex addiction. If the report of the women is true, I don't think he'll be accused of rape. The arguments are a bit weak, but they are pretty nauseating.

The story is quite disgusting. Meeting with these two young girls didn't sound very respectful. As a woman, I feel that ‘no' must mean ‘no.' I think that if a woman says ‘put on a condom,' that should be respected.

One thing makes me smile ironically: how did Julian rape Sofia Wilén when she was asleep or half asleep? It says this in Swedish law: unconscious, OK; drunk, OK; sick, I get it, but asleep? How much of a deep sleep do you have to be in or how many sleeping pills or other drugs do you need to take before you wake up and realize that a man is trying to have sex with you?

Rape or not? From what I read there's no rape, but there was violence. I see some sort of abuse and lack of respect. The girls were right to go down to the police station. Unfortunately for them, the matter got out of hand afterward. They were overwhelmed by the events, no matter what their intentions were. Much higher instances, more intelligent and more manipulative ones, took over the matter.

The opportunity is too nice to attack the messenger. There's obvious confusion as to the references between the man and his action.

But the fight is already lost. The message was launched on the quickest and sharpest tool known to this day: Internet. It's viral and exponential. Nothing will stop it.

As for Julian, he continues his odyssey: “Now that I am back to assist the directing of our ship, our work will proceed in a faster manner. But as we have seen with my absence, things are well set up to proceed even without my direct involvement.”

Assange alluded to his prison conditions. It sends chills down my spine.

During his ten days in prison, Julian said that he was transferred three times: “First I was in the introductory cells. Unlike other prisoners, my cell stayed closed for the entire period. Then I was transferred to Onslaw wing, which has about 350 prisoners and those are the ones who have a physical danger to other prisoners or guards, people who have been convicted of sexual offenses, murder of children … I could not leave my cell.”

Every cell had a camera. Every prisoner was isolated. He even mentioned a ‘Soviet-style' jail system. “I couldn't leave my cell, but prisoners wrote notes that they slipped under my door because people were curious about me.”

His lawyer also expressed himself on Sky News, a London news television: “He is in isolation. He doesn't have access to newspapers or television or other news devices. He is not getting mail, he is subject to the pettiest forms of censorship.”

Julian Assange evokes a ‘very bureaucratic' system with procedures that last ‘an eternity' just to make phone calls. He was only able to call four times, and none his lawyer.

I'm wondering if during his stay in prison, Julian thought of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, one of his favorite writers. Russian dissident, author of
Gulag Archipelago,
he was imprisoned in 1945. He was sentenced to an eight-year term in a labor camp for ‘anti-Soviet propaganda.' Did Julian remember the detention conditions in the gulag? You know, the constant terror and tension between prisoners? Rationing food to keep people hungry? Destroying any physical or moral resistance?

Are Bradley Manning's detention conditions inspired by the gulag? Did Julian even think about that during his nine days in jail? He says he doesn't know him.

I don't know him either, but I cannot stop thinking about him. What's happening to Bradley Manning, the twenty-three-year-old solider?

I'm absolutely revolted by this. The case of this young American-British soldier with blue eyes and boyish face has been largely glossed over these past few months, contrary to the media hype of anything Julian does. Detained since July 29 2010, Bradley stays alone in his cell twenty-two hours a day, has an hour walk per day and another hour to watch television. He is cuffed at the hands and feet during visits. He's not allowed to work in prison. Five months he's been in maximum isolation, with a guard asking him if he's OK every five minutes. At night, if the guard doesn't see him, he wakes him up to make sure he's OK. He's not allowed to have a pillow or sheets. Books and magazines he reads during the day are taken away from him at
night. He also has to hand over his clothes at night when he goes to sleep. What are they waiting for to complain?

His detention conditions are much worse than need be and he seems to be inhumanely treated by the American authorities. Bradley was supposed to be heard at the beginning of 2011 for a preliminary hearing, before appearing in front of court martial sometime in the spring.

I think that the United States doesn't respect the principle of having to presume innocence. And the military authorities seem to be using all the means they have to sanction him during his detention.

In the meantime Julian remembered that, “detention conditions were more and more difficult in each prison.” When he came out, he said: “It's wonderful to have left the confinement and solitude. I am very determined, as I saw that we have received support from around the world, particularly from Latin America and Australia.” In fact, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, President of Brazil, declared that incarcerating the founder of WikiLeaks undermined the freedom of expression. As for Ecuador, it was ready to welcome him before going back on its offer. Through its foreign ministry, the country suggested political asylum to Julian. But Mr. Correa went back on this proposal, even accusing the WikiLeaks site of breaking the law. According to the President of Ecuador Rafael Correa WikiLeaks “broke the law by releasing U.S. documents.”

Julian's setbacks will probably continue. The British authorities still have to examine his extradition to Sweden, without forgetting the instructions stated by the American authorities that are trying
to put together all the necessary evidence to indict him for conspiracy.

The Australian, who claims to have received death threats, just like his lawyer and his children, said that in prison, he had the support of fifty per cent of the guards: “I was handed a card by one of my black prison guards. It said, “I only have two heroes in the world: Dr. (Martin Luther) King, and you.”

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Just like an actor who doesn't stop being a man when he's in costume, Julian Assange doesn't stop being a man when he's wearing his armor as the Number One of WikiLeaks.

We wanted to write this book to discover the deeper meaning in the life of a man seeking to reveal the truth, nothing but the truth. An unshakeable faith motivates his quest: the trials of the actions of men and shady institutions alone help us understand how they work and open up the canals of human knowledge. Julian Assange has a fervent desire to wake up our consciousness and be a spokesperson as pioneer in the war for truth.

Little by little Julian Assange reveals himself by going through trials imposed upon him. He still has a lifetime of experiences to embark on. The trials intensify the question that has already been asked while crossing the threshold: where does his ego fit into the desire to act on an international level? Should he expose himself or not? Should he let the media turn him into a celebrity or not?

Ever since the beginning of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange has wanted to become a great man and have his work echo at high volumes. As Joseph Campbell wrote, “The original departure into the land of trials represented only the beginning of the long and really perilous path of initiatory conquests and moments of
illumination.” This book retraces the journey of Julian Assange with the launch of leaks, the precious help of sources and the recognition of journalists. We mentioned the difficulties, the responses of States, the summary of agreements with major newspapers and the legal affairs that still preoccupy Julian Assange at the end of writing this book. “Meanwhile there will be a multitude of preliminary victories, unretainable ecstasies and momentary glimpse of the wonderful land,” Campbell wrote in
The Hero with a Thousand Faces
. We realized this with the new laws on information in Iceland, timely support from the ‘Anonymous' group or the various citizens' movements popping up as a response to the leaks.

In an interview given to Mediapart on January 31 2011, Julian Assange explained the role played by WikiLeaks in the Tunisian revolution. He paid tribute to the population without which the revolution and change could not have happened. Then he saluted the satellite media, particularly Al Jazeera for broadcasting the riots.

As for the significant role played by WikiLeaks, he maintained that the diplomatic cables on the subject were handled and translated into Arabic by Lebanese newspaper
Al-Akhbar
. “These cables showed that the United States was ready to support the army against the government if it were destabilized.” The army then got involved confidently, and with the support of the army, the people dared oppose the regime of Tunisian President Ben Ali.

Assange then said: “There's no doubt that Tunisia was the example for Egypt and Yemen and Jordan, and all the protests that have happened there.”

WikiLeaks may only be the instigator of the current movement, but is indeed an obvious supporter. And in these countries, the youthful populations well versed in the Internet have already elevated Julian Assange to the rank of hero.

The most precious value this man can offer us is his faith in the truth. He had to make his determination known to the public at large, to which many media have contributed. Julian Assange talks of courage, as it's much needed to confront the truths that scare us. Today, he courageously raises this notion to State level. He suggested re-appropriating citizens' commitment. He demanded that politicians take on their responsibilities. We also support him for the democratic vitality in the actions of WikiLeaks, the goal being to regain confidence in political actions for the good of everyone.