When the Leaker Gets Leaked: Irony of the Year Award 2010
Note to Julian: The truth is never the problem.
Julian Assange
In a move that historians may record as among the most audacious and least self-aware complaint of all time, lawyers for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange have loudly condemned the leaking of secret government documents pertaining to the rape charges against Assange. Swedish police files about the case against Assange were leaked to the Guardian, the same newspaper to which Assange recently leaked thousands of classified U.S. State Department cables.
The lawyers for Assange, who describes himself as an activist for "radical transparency," complain that the leaked police files unfairly damage Assange and make his legal defense more difficult. Assange's representatives are especially angered by what they call the political motivations behind the leak -- the same charge many critics have leveled against WikiLeaks.The Australian Times reports:
Bjorn Hurtig, Mr Assange's Swedish lawyer, said he would lodge a formal complaint to the authorities and ask them to investigate how such sensitive police material leaked into the public domain. "It is with great concern that I hear about this because it puts Julian and his defence in a bad position," he told a colleague."I do not like the idea that Julian may be forced into a trial in the media. And I feel especially concerned that he will be presented with the evidence in his own language for the first time when reading the newspaper. I do not know who has given these documents to the media, but the purpose can only be one thing - trying to make Julian look bad."
6 Comments
EDDNah. While hypocritical and somewhat bad-PR, this is nowhere near as ironic as US State Department's official announcement of US hosting World Press Freedom Day 2011: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/12/152465.htm
silvercord>> ^EDD:
Nah. While hypocritical and somewhat bad-PR, this is nowhere near as ironic as US State Department's official announcement of US hosting World Press Freedom Day 2011: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/12/152465.htm
Love it. That is irony as well. But you've got to admit that the leaker squealing about the leak ranks up with the best in irony.
dystopianfuturetodayA predictable and simplistic false comparison that succeeds only so long as you don't apply scrutiny.
Wikileaks does not target the private lives of individuals.
Government/Corporate corruption has an impact on our lives. These institutions affect us personally in many ways. We have a huge stake in the way they conduct themselves. To the contrary, Julian Assange's sex life has no impact on our lives. We have no stake in whether or not he wears a condom, or the details of his court case. If these leaks were related to his work on Wikileaks, which is matter of public concern, it would be fair game.
They are not.
The argument that the 'transparency' of an individual's private life is somehow the same thing as the transparency of government and industry is a dangerous one. Totalitarian even.
silvercord>> ^dystopianfuturetoday:
A predictable and simplistic false comparison that succeeds only so long as you don't apply scrutiny.
Wikileaks does not target the private lives of individuals.
Government/Corporate corruption has an impact on our lives. These institutions affect us personally in many ways. We have a huge stake in the way they conduct themselves. To the contrary, Julian Assange's sex life has no impact on our lives. We have no stake in whether or not he wears a condom, or the details of his court case. If these leaks were related to his work on Wikileaks, which is matter of public concern, it would be fair game.
They are not.
The argument that the 'transparency' of an individual's private life is somehow the same thing as the transparency of government and industry is a dangerous one. Totalitarian even.
While I don't agree with what's happening with Assange, the same axiom applies to both governments and individuals: you're only as sick as your secrets. I truly hope he has nothing to hide.
GeeSussFreeKNot to mention that "government" secrets are really just actions of individual government agents. It seems what is leaked are the sworn testimonies of the 2 ladies and Assange...the facts of the case in other words. Something that would of been reviled in time anyway, but is most likely being used as a smear in the eyes of the public. Trial in the public eye without the trial. There is a difference between leaking evidence that will determine the outcome of a case, and leaking evidence that would never see the light of day.
radxI was going to comment on this last night, but it would have basically been a less eloquent version of DFT's last paragraph.
Anyway, during this AlJazeera Interview, Assange is questioned about this particular irony around the 14 minute mark. Worth a mention, at the least.
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