A reminder that I would like a 500 word – ish essay on whether or not it was right for Ecuador to offer the founder of Wiki-Leaks, Julian Assange, political asylum. This is a very complex issue, with lots of competing factors. Below are some links which might help you understand what has been going on and to help you form a view on it. I have arranged the links so that the top couple are a little more general and will give you an overview of the situation. Below that are articles which detail people’s opinions of the case and whether or not Asssange should go and face his accusers in Sweden. Good luck and have fun with this.
Background information on Assange and his case:
BBC Online Profile of Julian Assange
BBC Radio 4 Profile of Julian Assange (Audio)
Questions and Answers about Julian Assange’s Arrest (BBC)
Jokey Profile About the President of Ecuador – Rafael Correa
Channel 4 Report on Assange’s Speech
Leading Media Commentators on the Julian Assange Case
That should be enough for starters. I think it all comes down to whether you believe that the legal systems of democratic countries (in this case, the UK and Sweden) should be respected and Mr Assange be extradited, or whether you believe that the whole situation has been engineered to discredit Mr Assange and ensure his arrest and possible further extradition to the US. You may even take the feminist viewpoint that rape is a heinous crime and that Assange should face his accusers or the other feminist viewpoint that most people accused of rape are not pursued so virulently and the victims are not usually taken seriously, so that makes the circumstances surrounding the extradition very suspicious.
Have fun!
Mr K.
