assangewatch.blogspot.com
Irmeli Krans, an investigator involved in the rape and sexual molestation case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has political and social ties to one of Assange's rape accusers Anna Ardin, the other accuser being Sofia Wilen. Ardin and Krans are both politically active in the Swedish Social Democratic Party, and Krans is even listed as a friend on Ardin's facebook page.
Assange has been fighting extradition to Sweden where he has not been charged with anything but is wanted for questioning by the Swedish police about the accusations made against him by Wilen and Ardin. Assange denies the allegations and says he had consensual sex with the two women.
Assange's Swedish lawyer Bjoern Hurtig feels this information casts doubt on whether the rape and sexual molestation investigation against the WikiLeaks founder was carried out in an impartial manner and said:
"If this information is correct, then one should carefully consider whether the nature of the investigation is such that he can be assured a fair trial."Assange's UK lawyer Mark Stephens has been arguing in court that the Swedish judicial process has been improper and said:
"There are a whole raft of issues like this which should cause reasonable people a bit of concern. I'm delighted that the Swedes, who objected so strongly to our criticisms of the case, have started to acknowledge that there are systemic problems in their judicial process which allow this sort of thing to happen."Ardin has commented on Krans' facebook page as recently as February 10th and Ardin links to Krans' private blog from her personal page. Krans has also described Assange as a "bubble ready to burst" on her personal facebook page.
Stockholm police spokesperson, Ulf Goranzon, said of the facebook comment made by Krans:
"It is important for police officers to contemplate what they say and how they say it on social media."Goranzon denied any conflict of interest in the investigation saying Krans interviewed Wilen, not her friend Ardin and was not involved in the investigation after that.
According to the police reports in the Assange case that were leaked to the internet in early Febuary a statement from a witness said that Ardin had told him that she sat in on the interview with Wilen and helped "make her case stronger" by adding an unspecified sentence to Wilen's statement.
Also in the reports is Krans' statement that she was locked out of her original interrogation notes and was told by her superior to "create and sign" a new interview document with unspecified "necessary changes".
When the newspaper Aftonbladet hosted a recent webchat with Assange, Krans was in that chat and commented "What the heck is this! Judgment zero!". She also commented the previous day "Way to go, Claes Borgstrom!". Borgstrom is the lawyer representing Ardin and Wilen and a former Swedish Social Democratic Party politician, who Assange's lawyers have argued is acting from political motives.
Lawyers for Julian Assange have filed an appeal against Judge Howard Riddle's ruling that Assange, who is still under house arrest at Ellingham Hall in Norfolk,UK, should be extradited to Sweden because he felt Assange could get a fair trial in Sweden and that his extradition to Sweden would not violate his human rights.
Assange and his lawyers fear that if he is extradited to Sweden he may then be extradited to the United States, where he could face torture, confinement at Guantanamo Bay, both, or even the death penalty.
Assange has angered the United States with the releasing of leaked embarrassing diplomatic cables, the classified documents about the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and the 'Collateral Murder' video.
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