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After months of accusations that Sweden's legal system is backwards and dysfunctional, the Swedish press is eager to give WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange a taste of justice. Today, Assange lost his final appeal in British court, which means he'll likely be extradited to Sweden where he stands accused of rape and sexual assault. In defending their client, Assange's lawyers often denigrated Sweden's legal system triggering rumors that men are considered rapists if they have consensual sex without a condom or that the country's courts are beholden to imperial U.S. interests. Now that Assange will likely be transfered to Sweden, a number of Swedes are eager to blow a hole in the myths and misconceptions about their country.
"Assange can be safe in the knowledge that his cause will be given a fair and neutral treatment of Swedish authorities and courts," wrote Marten Shultz, professor of civil law at Stockholm University, in the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. Dismissing claims that Sweden's sex crime laws are very different than most Western laws, he explained "I shall not be sentenced for rape [if] my condom breaks during a sexual act. However, I can be convicted of rape if I have sex with a sleeping or unconscious person, just like in many other countries." He dismissed the idea that Assange would be hastily ushered on a "CIA-chartered plane" and expressed relief that the "caricature" that Assange's lawyers painted of the Swedish legal system will finally be debunked.