Assange's lawyer seems to be acknowledging rape -- just calls it by another word.

[pnwmom]

Disrespectful? Discourteous? Or rape? Or attempted rape? You decide.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/07/12/assanges-lawyer-admits-sex-acts-were-disturbing-disrespectful/

WikiLeaks founder and editor-in-chief Julian Assange has been fighting a long legal battle regarding multiple rape allegations against him in Sweden, but his lawyer conceded Tuesday that he didn't want to "challenge whether (the accusers) felt Assange’s conduct was disrespectful, discourteous, disturbing or even pushing at the boundaries of what they felt comfortable with," The Guardian reported.

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Another woman claimed that Assange had tried to have unprotected sex with her, and she couldn't physically hold him off. As Ben Emmerson, Assange's lawyer described, she "tried several times to reach for a condom, which Assange had stopped her from doing by holding her arms and bending her legs open and trying to penetrate her with his penis without using a condom. says that she felt about to cry since she was held down and could not reach a condom and felt this could end badly."

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Previously, Assange's legal team had argued that the women were "honeytraps," and that they were merely spurned lovers taking out their anger at being shunted aside. Assange's new legal team, led by Emmerson, however, seems to be taking a new angle in his defense.

In his opening argument in today's London extradition hearing, Emmerson took a more sympathetic stance toward the accusers, and said "Nothing I say should be taken as denigrating the complainant, the genuineness of their feelings of regret, to trivialize their experience."

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[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. Not that I don't think men behave badly. TOO MANY DO. In this case, I think they're framing him

At least that's what I believe. This guy is dangerous to MANY governments. They're afraid of what corruption he might expose. He has already exposed plenty.

[pnwmom]

2. But his OWN defense lawyer is acknowledging behavior

that sounds to me like at least attempted rape. His OWN lawyer says he was holding her arms and bending her legs open and trying to penetrate her without a condom -- and he knew, from having sex with her previously, that she insisted upon a condom. Can you explain why this isn't attempted rape?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

5. Just saying, because this guy is enemy #1 of governments that lie.

You could be right. However, it begs some looking into, as every govt on the earth would benefit from making sure he never goes free again so they can lie with absolute impunity.

[demosincebirth]

4. Only if you like the guy is rape possibly excused?

[Shagbark Hickory]

3. Sounds like it to me. Let the man have his day in court.

He may have done some things we like but if raped someone he should face the music.