Assange embassy exit likely after Sweden drops rape probe
Swedish prosecutors say they are closing their investigation of rape allegations against Julian Assange, and will not renew a European arrest warrant, clearing the way for the WikiLeaks founder to leave the Ecuadorean embassy in London.
Assange, an Australian citizen, jumped bail before he was due to appear before an English court to answer the European arrest warrant, and sought asylum in the Ecuadorean embassy, where he has been holed up for nearly five years.
He has consistently claimed that if he was sent to Sweden, the US authorities would step in and have him extradited over what they claim is his role in the release of more than 20,000 classified documents by former intelligent analyst Chelsea Manning, who was sentenced to 45 years in jail. Manning was pardoned by former President Barack Obama after serving seven years and released this week.
Manning is a transgender person and now prefers to be addressed as a woman.
Assange, 45, had said that as soon as Manning was released, he would fly to the United States, as long as his lawyer obtained assurances about his civil rights there. Such an assurance was not forthcoming, his lawyers have said.
Although US President Donald Trump had initially hailed Assange as a hero for releasing documents about his presidential rival Hillary Clinton, recently US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said prosecuting Assange and WikiLeaks over the release of documents was a priority.
However, British officials say no formal extradition request has been received so far.
One of Assange’s lawyers, Melinda Taylor, said on Friday that the closure of the preliminary investigation into him or the lifting of the European arrest warrant would not necessarily mean the Australian would make a hasty exit for Ecuador.
“The first thing one likely needs to do is seek guarantees from the British authorities that he won’t be seized in some other way,” she said.
Both British and US authorities have “consistently refused to confirm or deny” if there is a request for extradition to the US, she said. Assange is also accused of breaching his bail conditions in the UK for fleeing to Ecuador’s embassy, she said.
After refusing to travel to Sweden for questioning, Assange was grilled in December by an Ecuadorean prosecutor on questions provided by Swedish officials, with Swedish prosecutor Ingrid Isgren present.
He has consistently denied the rape allegations, saying the sex was consensual.
London’s police force issued a statement saying that the dropping of the European arrest warrant meant he was now wanted for the less serious offense of jumping bail, for which a magistrate in Westminster issued an arrest warrant, which is still valid.
The police statement said it would provide a level of resourcing “proportionate to the offense”, adding that the Metropolitan Police’s priority was arresting those wanted for serious violent or sex crimes.
Lawyers said one scenario was that Assange could appear before a standing magistrate, who could grant him bail without sureties, provided he agreed to leave the country.