Swedish authorities announced Monday that they’re reopening their rape case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after he’d been kicked out of the Ecuadoran embassy in London. The nation’s deputy director of public prosecutions Eva-Marie Persson made the announcement in a news conference, according to the BBC.
He remains locked up at the Belmarsh prison in London, after being sentenced to 50 weeks behind bars for violating bail conditions.
Sweden would seek extradition, but this will complicate similar efforts in the United States. The Department of Justice wants to prosecute him for helping Chelsea Manning crack a password on U.S. Department of Defense computers.
Julian Assange: Sweden prosecutors reopen rape investigation, raising the question of which extradition request should take precedence: that of Sweden or the US over his alleged role in the release of classified military and diplomatic material in 2010https://t.co/aPtHrQZ1ft pic.twitter.com/Xbb8BUIwW7
— Alfons López Tena #FBPE (@alfonslopeztena) May 13, 2019
Statement regarding the reopening of a preliminary investigation in Sweden.
Facts on the Swedish Investigation:https://t.co/5J1PtxWXgX pic.twitter.com/VbhBAON1ek
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) May 13, 2019
Sweden dropped their criminal case two years ago, while Assange remained at the Ecuadoran embassy.
“Since Julian Assange was arrested on 11 April 2019, there has been considerable political pressure on Sweden to reopen their investigaiton, but there has always been political pressure surrounding this case,” WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson said in a statement. He maintained that Assange was willing and able to answer questions about the case at the Ecuadoran embassy.
Here’s the full text of the formal decision reopening the Swedish investigation into rape allegations against Assange. pic.twitter.com/BbxWsSwSNY
— Steve Peers (@StevePeers) May 13, 2019
[Image via Jack Taylor/Getty Images]
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