'SWEDE' RELIEF FOR JULIAN
Rape case is nixed but WikiLeaker isn’t free yet
Swedish prosecutors on Friday dropped their rape probe into WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange — but British authorities said they will still arrest him if he leaves the Ecuadorean embassy in London.
“Seven years of detention without charge — imprisoned under house arrest and almost five years in this embassy without sunlight,” Assange said on the embassy balcony, the UK’s Telegraph reported.
Sweden’s top prosecutor, Marianne Ny, said she determined that “at this point, all possibilities to conduct the investigation are exhausted,” The Guardian reported.
“In order to proceed with the case, Assange would have to be formally notified of the criminal suspicions against him. We cannot expect to receive assistance from Ecuador regarding this.”
“Baywatch” actress Pamela Anderson — who has visited Assange numerous times — discreetly celebrated the good news, retweeting the announcement that Swedish authorities dropped their case.
Anderson shared the initial WikiLeaks post as the news broke: “BREAKING: Sweden has dropped its case against Julian Assange and will revoke its arrest warrant.”
Anderson, 49, later retweeted the celebratory picture the 45year-old WikiLeaks founder posted of himself on his own account.
Assange has been holed up at the Ecuadorean embassy since 2012 after losing court battles to avoid extradition to Sweden and amid fears of an indictment in the US for his role at WikiLeaks.
Juan Branco, one of his lawyers, said he would seek political asylum in France — though he did not detail how the Australian computer programmer could get there without being collared.
It also remained unclear Friday how the new development will affect Assange’s risk of being extradited to the United States if he leaves the Ecuadorean embassy.
Assange has denied rape and molestation allegations by two women, claiming they were part of a plot to get him extradited to the US over his role in the leaks of a vast trove of classified military and diplomatic documents.
British police released a statement saying there was still a warrant out for his arrest after he skipped bail and failed to appear in court in June 2012.
On the balcony of his embassy haven, a jubilant Assange said he was ready to talk to British officials and the US Justice Department “about what is the best way forward” — but also defended his right to stay put.
“The road is far from over. The war, the proper war, is just commencing!” he told supporters after raising a clenched fist in a gesture of victory.