By jumping bail in June he broke the law as well as let down those who supported him financially, his instinct for self-preservation, at all costs, apparently the priority for him, and his flight to the Ecuadorian Embassy disappointed many of those who had put him on a pedestal. There are arguments, of course to justify his actions, and certainly what he did, human or noble, has been the catalyst for international repercussions of a scale which he would not have expected.
It is a fascinating situation which is far beyond the personal case of Mr Assange and the allegations against him of sexual misbehaviour in Sweden. There are issues over the ethics of whistleblowing, the practices of Wikileaks, the American legal system, Swedish prejudice, the British government’s clumsy threats, extradition rules, diplomatic relations between many countries, the nature of asylum, the sanctity of embassies, and of compassion and fairness. It is very much about integrity also.
His humanity, his human frailties, have opened Pandora’s Box and its contents cannot be hidden from the world. They have a life of their own now and no-one knows where they will go, or how far, not even Julian Assange.]]>
