Pirate Bay Founder's Custody Extended to February 5th

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Pirate Bay Founder's Custody Extended to February 5th

Posted by Unknown on Thursday January 9, 2014 @08:20AM from the copyright-more-important-than-freedom dept.

The Pirate Bay co-founder Warg has been held in solitary confinement since being turned over by Sweden to Denmark in December. Yesterday, he appeared in a closed court session where the judge ordered he continue to be held until at least February 5th. From the article: "In an attempt to free the Swede, or at least improve his circumstances, a petition was launched recently, directed at the Danish Prime Minister. Initially there were only a few hundred backers but when a banner was added to the homepage of The Pirate Bay this quickly grew to more than 50,000. Among other things, the petition demands that Gottfrid is given free access to books and other reading material." Although kept from computers and books, he is at least no longer being held in solitary confinement as of last week.

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Re:Well yeah by Anonymous Coward · 2014-01-09 08:32 · Score: 1, Insightful

Erm, he's going to be held in solitary for a few weeks - a few dorks trying to storm the Bastille is not going to release him.
It'd be only mildly less effective at promoting "freedom" than the US in Iraq, or the Arab Spring in Egypt.
Re:Well yeah by Anonymous Coward · 2014-01-09 08:40 · Score: 0, Insightful

Well, you could always get a bunch of your friends together, storm the prison, and free him yourself.
What's that? Your 'moral code' doesn't involve risking your own life to save someone with whom you ideologically agree?
Hmph. "American sickness" my ass.
Thanks John Wayne for that over simplified answer, leave it to an American to solve everything with violence.
Do you think Gottfrid would appreciate that?
The books thing seems a bit harsh. by tlambert · 2014-01-09 08:41 · Score: 5, Insightful

The books thing seems a bit harsh.
PS: If you locked me away without books for 3 months, I'd probably come out of it as a supervillian, bent on wreaking vengeance on society. I'm just saying.
1. Re:The books thing seems a bit harsh. by lgw · 2014-01-09 08:56 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  Yes, that's exactly why "solitary confinement" is the closest thing to brutal torture most modern societies will inflict. Vile mental punishment.
  WTF has this guy done to anger the authorities to such an extent? Do American corporations really have such reach? I doubt that - makes me wonder what the rest of the story is.
  
  --
  Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
2. Re:The books thing seems a bit harsh. by gnick · 2014-01-09 09:32 · Score: 1, Insightful
  
  ...Do American corporations really have such reach? I doubt that...
  Personally, I don't doubt that for a second... Either I'm paranoid, you're naive, or both.
  
  --
  He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse.
EU human rights court by EMG+at+MU · 2014-01-09 08:41 · Score: 5, Insightful

Maybe after the EU human rights court gets done listening to Snowden they can take a look inwards at their own terrible examples of not respecting human rights.

Puting a guy in solitary because he ran a file sharing website? God in Wisconsin you can drive drunk and your first offence is just a traffic ticket. You can kill people driving drunk, I don't understand why we punish guys who threaten profits more than guys who threaten lives.
1. Re:EU human rights court by Narcocide · 2014-01-09 09:00 · Score: 4, Insightful
  
  When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
  Human life must be practically valueless compared to corporate profits.
2. Re:EU human rights court by Anonymous Coward · 2014-01-09 09:53 · Score: 2, Insightful
  
  Please understand that is not because of Piratebay!
  He's accused of hacking the danish social security numbers and drivers license database.
Solitary Confinement? by Anonymous Coward · 2014-01-09 08:42 · Score: 4, Insightful

So he gets the same treatment as mass murderers? Clearly the copyright barons have 1) swung the pendulum to have copyright last far longer than is reasonable (20 years, 1 generation, is reasonable, forever is what we have now), and 2) they have corrupted anyone they deal with into 'going along' with their 'forever copyright, infinite profits, infinite fines and jail' mentality.
Re:Well yeah by sjames · 2014-01-09 08:47 · Score: 3, Insightful

Your claim that you're either a violent revolutionary anarchist or you are the oppressor is a false dichotomy, but thanks for playing.
Nothing to do with TPB or copyright infringement by Anonymous Coward · 2014-01-09 08:48 · Score: 5, Insightful

Gottfried is charged for hacking the largest financial service in northern Europe. He claims being a victim of malware on his personal pc.
Generally speaking the Scandinavian countries has one of the most fair justice systems in the world.
Re:Nothing to do with TPB or copyright infringemen by FriendlyLurker · 2014-01-09 09:11 · Score: 5, Insightful

Generally speaking the Scandinavian countries has one of the most fair justice systems in the world.
That may have been the case several decades ago. That is defiantly no longer the case, especially in Swedens case - they have fallen far and fast.
Why put this guy in Solitary at all? by LordZardoz · 2014-01-09 09:29 · Score: 3, Insightful

Solitary Confinement is the sort of thing that should only be used for the following reasons:
- The inmate is dangerous to both other inmates and to the prison staff
- The inmate is guilty of crimes that call for very harsh punitive measures, but execution is not an option
- The inmate is being punished for rules infractions in prison (in which case solitary should be used for a limited time).
You need to have solitary confinement as an option to punish an inmate, otherwise the inmate may become uncontrolable. If your in prison and have no chance to ever be released, then why not stab that annoying cellmate / guard? They cannot keep you locked up for 2 life times. Solitary is the 'things can still get worse' measure.
The guy who created pirate bay is guilty of copyright infringement. I am going to assume he is not a threat to himself or others. So what basis is there for dropping him in solitary confinement?
END COMMUNICATION
Re:Solitary confinement is standard practice by xaxa · 2014-01-09 09:37 · Score: 4, Insightful

Here's a link for anyone else interested in further information on this: http://www.humanityinaction.org/knowledgebase/323-solitary-confinement-a-threat-to-denmark-s-credibility
Re:Well yeah by skegg · 2014-01-09 09:53 · Score: 3, Insightful

no, they just locked him up alone
And you're being particularly obtuse. Solitary confinement has historically been used as a way of punishing prisoners, and only ever for short periods.
X0563511 is correct: the state should foot the bill of posting a guard at his door.
Further reading: Solitary Confinement
The opening paragraph says it all.