Julian Assange ‘sex assault victim’ blasts Diane Abbott for downplaying allegations against Wikileaks founder
The Swedish woman, known as Miss A, claims Assange assaulted her in 2010
A WOMAN allegedly assaulted by Julian Assange has made a furious criticism of Diane Abbott — as Baywatch bombshell Pamela Anderson told of her “love” for the Wikileaks founder.
The Shadow Home Secretary was accused of downplaying the allegations against the WikiLeaks founder.
Labour frontbencher Abbott said in a televised interview that Assange had been wrenched from the Ecuadorean Embassy over cyber crimes, saying: "It's all about WikiLeaks."
But a pal of his Swedish accuser — known as Miss A — told the : "It really is not 'all about WikiLeaks'."
The friend added: "She says it is about him treating people like s***, especially women."
Assange spent the last seven years in the sanctuary of the Ecuadorean Embassy after he skipped bail in 2012 to avoid being extradited to Sweden where he faced allegations of raping one woman and sexually assaulting another in 2010.
POLITICS
But both Abbott and Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn said his arrest on Thursday was about politics.
In a BBC interview, Abbott said he was targeted because Assange embarrassed the American armed forces.
Some people strongly disagreed with Abbott's analysis, which even another Labour shadow minister called "disgraceful".
Miss A's friend added that treating Assange as a political victim was "not helping the cause — no matter how important".
They said: "He has, all the time, wanted to draw attention away from his own failures and has used the importance of WikiLeaks to wash his own name. It has been painful to watch."
PAMELA CONNECTION
Actress Pammie is standing by her old pal, as photos emerged of the unlikely pair wrapped around each other in 2017.
The star, 51, described their relationship as a “romantic struggle”.
She also told Good Morning Britain’s Piers Morgan that her boyfriend, thought to be football ace Adil Rami, is jealous of Assange.
She added: “I understand that our ‘affair’ and the curiosity surrounding that might bring some attention to his situation. That’s fine but I’d rather not go into private details. Let’s just say everyone deserves love.”
ALLEGATION
Miss A claims to have been assaulted by Assange in 2010, alleging that he violently forced himself on her after an initial consensual encounter.
The five-year statue of limitations on her allegation is said to expire next August.
Assange denies assaulting Miss A and another woman referred to as Miss W — who is reportedly seeking to reopen an investigation in Sweden.
Ms Abbott defended the famous 47-year-old hacker and repeated the phrase “charges were never” brought against him three times during a radio interview this morning.
Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, she said: "The allegations were made but the charges were never brought.
"We all know what this is about. It's not the rape charges.
"It's about the Wikileaks and all of that embarrassing information about the activities of the American military and security services that was made public."
WHISTLEBLOWER
She added he was a "whistleblower" and his leaks of thousands of unredacted documents and state secrets were in the "public interest".
Charges were never brought against him for the rape and sexual assault allegations, she argued, but this was because his evasion in the embassy meant he wasn't able to be questioned.
Her comments this morning sparked outrage online with many social media users suggesting he was only seeking immunity in the Ecuadorian Embassy to escape charges.
Yesterday, Assange was arrested and found guilty of breaching bail and now faces being booted over to America.
WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR:
- Julian Assange was found guilty of skipping bail in UK and could face a year in jail
- Arrested after 2,487 days holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy - costing taxpayers more than £10m
- He went into hiding in August 2012 to avoid facing extradition to Sweden for sex assault and rape allegations
- Wanted in US for espionage and publication of sensitive government documents
- He fears he could face death penalty if extradited to US over WikiLeaks scandal
District Judge Michael Snow told the court that Mr Assange had shown "the behaviour of a narcissist who cannot get beyond his own selfish interest".
But Ms Abbott and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have defended him, saying the government should oppose his extradition.
He said last night: “The extradition of Julian Assange to the US for exposing evidence of atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan should be opposed by the British government."
And controversial MP Chris Williamson - who is currently suspended from the party over anti-Semitism remarks - also tweeted his backing for him, calling his arrest "disgusting".
Their defence of Assange sparked a furious row among his own MPs.
EVADED CHARGES
Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips blasted the party for their backing and said he should face justice.
She tweeted: "The fact that Assange has evaded charges of sexual violence and skipped bail should be opposed by the Labour Party. I'm sure it is, I'd like to hear it."
And her colleague Diana Johnson added: "You don’t appear to mention the rape charges against him and the fact he has evaded justice for 7 years? #ViolenceAgainstWomen."
Bridget Phillipson MP added: "Assange is not the victim in all this. Those who run from justice should face the consequences. This is about the rule of law, not the politics of the accused."
Theresa May said yesterday she believed all MPs would welcome his arrest and welcomed his arrest after years of hiding.
FACING JUSTICE: Assange rape accuser demands case is reopened
ONE of Julian Assange's rape accusers today demanded Swedish prosecutors re-open the sex assault case against him.
In August 2010, an arrest warrant was issued for Assange for two separate allegations - one of rape and one of molestation - after he visited Sweden.
The Wikileaks journalist, who denies the allegations, requested political asylum after British courts ruled that he should be extradited to Stockholm.
Sweden later dropped the charges in 2017 - five years after he sought refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy to hide from the allegations.
The reason the case was dropped was because authorities did not believe Assange would be handed over within a reasonable time.
Speaking today, the lawyer of one of the accusers said she hopes the Swedish preliminary investigation against Assange will resume.
Elisabeth Massi Fritz said: "My client and I have just received the news that Assange has been arrested.
“That what we have been waiting for and hoping for almost seven years now, of course, comes as a shock to my client.
“We will do everything we can to ensure that the prosecutors resume the Swedish preliminary investigation so that Assange can be extradited to Sweden and prosecuted for rape.”
She said: "This goes to show that in the United Kingdom, no one is above the law."
Tory Minister for Women, Victoria Atkins MP blasted: "Diane Abbott’s dismissal of rape charges speaks volumes about Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party.
"It’s astonishing that the party which prides itself on fighting for women’s rights is so willing to ignore allegations of sexual violence.
"Jeremy Corbyn and Diane Abbott need to realise that not even their heroes are above the law."
Assange waved to the public gallery at Westminster Magistrates' Court before he was remanded into custody yesterday.
Last night he was transferred to Wandsworth Prison in South West London, where he joined speedboat killer Jack Shepherd, another recaptured fugitive.
He will now learn his fate at Southwark Crown Court on May 2.
CASE AGAINST HIM IN THE US
THE criminal case against Julian Assange in the US was revealed last night.
The WikiLeaks hacker is wanted on conspiracy charges for committing “computer intrusion”.
And he is charged with conspiring with ex-intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning — jailed for 35 years before her sentence was commuted in 2017 — to crack a Department of Defence password.
Assange faces a maximum five years if convicted.
Details of the US investigation emerged in a six-page charge sheet filed at Virginia’s Eastern District court on March 6, 2018.
US prosecutors say Assange knew Manning had already handed over four huge secret databases to WikiLeaks in 2010.
They included 90,000 Afghanistan war reports, 400,000 Iraq reports, 800 briefings on Guantanamo Bay detainees and 250,000 diplomatic cables.
Despite that, he agreed to help crack the password, telling her: “Curious eyes never run dry in my experience.” Later, he asked her for more information to help the operation, adding: “No luck so far.”
The pair used the Jabber online chat service to plot the hack and took measures to cover Manning’s tracks as it unfolded, prosecutors allege.
CASE AGAINST HIM IN SWEDEN
SWEDISH prosecutors are considering relaunching a rape investigation into Julian Assange.
Officials said the allegations made against him were due to expire under the country’s statute of limitations in August next year.
But his arrest means the investigation could be reopened after a request from an alleged victim.
Deputy chief prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson said: “We will now examine the matter to determine how we proceed. The preliminary investigation has therefore not been resumed yet and we do not know today whether it will happen. We cannot promise any timetable for when decisions will be made.”
Assange was accused of attacking a woman after they met at a WikiLeaks conference in Stockholm in 2010. She alleged that Assange had unprotected sex with her while she was asleep even though she had refused him repeatedly.
The case was dropped in May 2017 after the director of public prosecutions ruled it impossible to proceed while he was under Ecuador’s protection.
But yesterday, the woman’s lawyer Elisabeth Massi Fritz piled pressure on prosecutors, saying: “No rape victim should have to wait nine years to see justice be served.”
Officials said the allegations made against him were due to expire under the country’s statute of limitations in August next year.
But his arrest means the investigation could be reopened after a request from an alleged victim.
Deputy chief prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson said: “We will now examine the matter to determine how we proceed. The preliminary investigation has therefore not been resumed yet and we do not know today whether it will happen. We cannot promise any timetable for when decisions will be made.”
Assange was accused of attacking a woman after they met at a WikiLeaks conference in Stockholm in 2010.
MOST READ IN POLITICS
She alleged that Assange had unprotected sex with her while she was asleep even though she had refused him repeatedly.
The case was dropped in May 2017 after the director of public prosecutions ruled it impossible to proceed while he was under Ecuador’s protection.
But yesterday, the woman’s lawyer Elisabeth Massi Fritz piled pressure on prosecutors, saying: "No rape victim should have to wait nine years to see justice be served."
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