"I was denied a defender"
As I noted a couple of posts ago, Gottfrid Svartholm was denied legal representation during his interrogation. I had read the article, but when I sat down to translate it, the web site was so overloaded I couldn't get to it. Anyways, it's back, and here's the translation.
Keep in mind, this was published June 1st. There is lots and lots of new info that has been revealed since.
*** *** *** Translation
"I was denied a defender"
Updated: Gottfrid Svartholm, one of the men behind Pirate Bay and owner of web host PRQ, was arrested shortly after 11.30 AM yesterday[May 31st]. "The police denied me a public defender, so I told them nothing at all", he says.
On 11.31 on wednesday, May 31st 2006, Gottfrid Svartholm was on his way to work at the office on Norra Stationgatan [that's a street] he hires from Bahnhof.
At that time, he was arrested by the police who brought him in for questioning. According to Gottfrid Svartholm, the interrogations were pointless; when he was released six hours later, the police still knew nothing.
- I was taken in for questioning, and they started asking me about Pirate Bay, what I knew and what my connections [to TPB] were, Gottfrid Svartholm says.
- I didn't get a public defender, and my regular legal advisor had been apprehended as well, so I told them nothing at all.
Why were you denied a public defender?
- According to the policemen, I'm not risking a prison sentence for the crime I'm a suspect of, and hence they don't have to give me a defender.
Today, after the police razzia, Gottfrid Svartholm is busy with helping all the customers of PRQ, who, despite having no connection to The Pirate Bay, have been affected because the police seized the servers their sites were on.
What happens to the Pirate Bay now, when will you reopen?
- I'm not really involved in that work, but it'll be soon, Gottfrid Svartholm says.
Here in Sweden, or abroad?
- Abroad.
Ulf Göranzon of the Stockholm police force confirms that there are limitation in the right to a public defender.
- There is a discrepancy between the right to have a defender present and the right to a public defender.
But wasn't the regular advisor was one of the arrested?
- I can't comment on details in specific interrogations, but if Gottfrid feels something wasn't handled correctly, I think he should report it to Polismålsenheten at Åklagarmyndigheten [Some kind of internal affairs, I'm not sure.].
*** *** *** End of translation
Notes
The red updated note is not mine, it was in the article.
Keep in mind, this was published June 1st. There is lots and lots of new info that has been revealed since.
*** *** *** Translation
"I was denied a defender"
Updated: Gottfrid Svartholm, one of the men behind Pirate Bay and owner of web host PRQ, was arrested shortly after 11.30 AM yesterday[May 31st]. "The police denied me a public defender, so I told them nothing at all", he says.
On 11.31 on wednesday, May 31st 2006, Gottfrid Svartholm was on his way to work at the office on Norra Stationgatan [that's a street] he hires from Bahnhof.
At that time, he was arrested by the police who brought him in for questioning. According to Gottfrid Svartholm, the interrogations were pointless; when he was released six hours later, the police still knew nothing.
- I was taken in for questioning, and they started asking me about Pirate Bay, what I knew and what my connections [to TPB] were, Gottfrid Svartholm says.
- I didn't get a public defender, and my regular legal advisor had been apprehended as well, so I told them nothing at all.
Why were you denied a public defender?
- According to the policemen, I'm not risking a prison sentence for the crime I'm a suspect of, and hence they don't have to give me a defender.
Today, after the police razzia, Gottfrid Svartholm is busy with helping all the customers of PRQ, who, despite having no connection to The Pirate Bay, have been affected because the police seized the servers their sites were on.
What happens to the Pirate Bay now, when will you reopen?
- I'm not really involved in that work, but it'll be soon, Gottfrid Svartholm says.
Here in Sweden, or abroad?
- Abroad.
Ulf Göranzon of the Stockholm police force confirms that there are limitation in the right to a public defender.
- There is a discrepancy between the right to have a defender present and the right to a public defender.
But wasn't the regular advisor was one of the arrested?
- I can't comment on details in specific interrogations, but if Gottfrid feels something wasn't handled correctly, I think he should report it to Polismålsenheten at Åklagarmyndigheten [Some kind of internal affairs, I'm not sure.].
*** *** *** End of translation
Notes
The red updated note is not mine, it was in the article.
posted by Snild at
12:54 PM
1 Comments:
some of the things here strike me as shocking. in the US you can get sued for filesharing even though it's thru a torrent, but there is no way in hell the police can ever question you without a lawyer present.
And there is even less of a chance to take your dna into evidence without a warrant from a district judge, which requires probable cause directly relating to a crime (i.e. where they need to compare dna).
It's quite obvious tpb's legal guy was given the dna treatment to humiliate him and to treat them like "common" criminals.
In any case Im not saying anything biased one way or another, Im just pointing out the irony that while filesharing gets you in so much trouble in the US, the kind of treatment given to the tpb guys would be severely actionable under US law. Many lawyers would take the case up for free.
For all its nazism, the nice thing about the US is it's a VERY litigious society (ready to sue at the drop of a hat), so sometimes good does come of it and big corporate goliaths do get their shit handed to them (see the tobacco cases or walmart being sued for discrimination).
Where the money is, there too is the freedom.
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Anonymous, at 2:16 PM
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