Assange ordered back to Sweden

Julian AssangeA British judge ruled today that Julian Assange should be extradited to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations. The Wikileaks founder’s lawyers said they would appeal the ruling.

Judge Howard Riddle dismissed Assange’s arguments, which sound a lot like media hype, including that Assange would then be extradited to the U.S. where he might be executed. His lawyers also claimed the charges would not amount to rape in other European countries. I’m glad to have a legal ruling saying that’s not the case.

We’ve said it over and over again – you can recognize the politics behind the sexual assault charges against Assange, while also recognizing it’s a good thing that sexual assault charges are being taken seriously. Assange has turned this whole situation into a media circus to try to keep himself out of a Swedish jail. He certainly doesn’t seem to care about what all this negative attention means to the two women who have been so regularly insulted in the press and courts of multiple countries.

Boston, MA

Jos Truitt is Executive Director of Development at Feministing. She joined the team in July 2009, became an Editor in August 2011, and Executive Director in September 2013. She writes about a range of topics including transgender issues, abortion access, and media representation. Jos first got involved with organizing when she led a walk out against the Iraq war at her high school, the Boston Arts Academy. She was introduced to the reproductive justice movement while at Hampshire College, where she organized the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program’s annual reproductive justice conference. She has worked on the National Abortion Federation’s hotline, was a Field Organizer at Choice USA, and has volunteered as a Pro-Choice Clinic Escort. Jos has written for publications including The Guardian, Bilerico, RH Reality Check, Metro Weekly, and the Columbia Journalism Review. She has spoken and trained at numerous national conferences and college campuses about trans issues, reproductive justice, blogging, feminism, and grassroots organizing. Jos completed her MFA in Printmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute in Spring 2013. In her "spare time" she likes to bake and work on projects about mermaids.

Jos Truitt is an Executive Director of Feministing in charge of Development.

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