Sweden rejects Assange’s appeal

Stockholm – Sweden’s Supreme Court said yesterday it rejected an appeal by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to revoke a detention order over allegations of sexual assault.

The 43-year-old Australian has been stuck inside Ecuador’s London embassy since June 2012 to avoid his extradition by Britain to Sweden, which wants to question him on allegations of sexual assault. The detention order was issued by prosecutors in 2010. Assange denies the allegations and says he fears if Britain extradited him to Sweden he will then be extradited to the US where he could be tried for one of the largest information leaks in US history.

The court said the prosecutors’ decision to question Assange in London supported the ruling to uphold the detention order.

“We are of course disappointed and critical of the Supreme Court’s way of handling the case. This decision has been taken without letting us close our argument,” said Assange’s lawyer Per Samuelson.

Prosecutors first said Assange must go to Sweden for questioning, but in March agreed to conduct the interview in London. One of the five Supreme Court judges dissented, arguing for the lifting of the arrest warrant.

Even if Sweden drops the investigation, Assange faces arrest by British police for jumping bail granted while the British courts considered the European arrest warrant issued by Sweden. – Reuters