Assange lawyer says he has key info on rape claims August 23, 2012 - 11:03 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's lawyer Thursday, Aug 23 said he had key information relating to the rape claims his client was facing which would be surprising when revealed, a report said, according to AFP. Baltasar Garzon, who spent hours in a briefing with Assange on Sunday discussing his legal strategy, said the defence had requested a prosecutor from Sweden travel to London to take a statement from the former hacker. "I think that will be a very good option," he was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald. The 41-year-old Australian, who has been holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London since June, is wanted in Sweden for questioning over allegations of rape and molestation, claims he denies. British authorities won their case to extradite him to Sweden but because he sought asylum in Ecuador's embassy they have so far been unable to send him there. Assange believes Stockholm plans to hand him over to the United States, where he fears prosecution over WikiLeaks' release of a vast cache of confidential U.S. government files Garzon, best known for trying to extradite Chile's Augusto Pinochet from London to Madrid in 1998, declined to go into specifics on the rape claims but said there was "fragmented knowledge" about the matter. He reportedly said the defense was in possession of a number of fundamental elements about the allegations that when made public would be a "big surprise". "We cannot divulge them right now but we have requested that the prosecution take a statement from Mr. Assange," he said on the sidelines of a conference in the Australian city of Brisbane. Meanwhile, Garzon hit out at Australia, claiming Canberra had ignored requests by Assange for diplomatic assistance, including a letter sent as recently as 15 days ago. He said the government's response had been "entirely negative". "Not at any point in time have consular authorities visited Mr. Assange," he said. "And I understand that to be an obligation for all citizens of Australia." Australia insists it has offered Assange the same assistance it would give any other citizen in trouble overseas.   Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads.   Partner news |  Latest news Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia  Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28.Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia.Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports.Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |
