Sweden Reopens 9-Year Old Rape Investigation Against Julian Assange; Seeks
His Extradition
May 13, 2019
The Swedish prosecuting authority announced at a Stockholm press conference
Monday that Sweden would seek Assange's extradition from Britain to face
investigation on a nearly decade-old allegation of sexual assault.
By Joe Lauria
Special to Consortium News
Sweden's deputy director of public prosecution, Eva-Marie Persson, said
Monday that Sweden would seek the extradition of Julian Assange to face a
nearly ten-year old allegation of rape.
Persson: Reopen investigation.
Assange is serving a 50-week sentence at Belmarsh prison in London for
skipping bail in the rape case in 2012. Assange had lived inside the
Ecuadorian embassy from June 2012 to April 11 this year, when Ecuador lifted
his asylum and allowed British police to enter the embassy and arrest him.
On the same day the United States unveiled a sealed indictment accusing
Assange of intrusion into a government computer. The U.S. also filed an
extradition request for Assange.
Persson told a press conference in Stockholm on Monday that it would be up
to British authorities to determine which extradition request-to Sweden or
to the U.S.- would take precedence. She also said she wouldn't speculate on
an extradition request from the U.S. to Sweden since one had not yet been
made.
Finne in 2010: "I don't think there is reason to suspect that he has
committed rape."
Persson said her decision was based on the evidence, which she said was
sufficient to suspect Assange of rape. Swedish authorities had twice dropped
the investigation. The first time was just weeks after the allegations were
made in August 2010. An arrest warrant was canceled on Aug. 21. Then
Swedish chief prosecutor Eva Finne said that day: "I don't think there is
reason to suspect that he has committed rape."
Assange left Sweden for Britain with Sweden's permission in September. When
he arrived in Britain an international arrest warrant was issued for him on
Nov. 18, 2010.
Assange turned himself in on Dec. 7 and was released on bail. He fought
Sweden's extradition requests after Sweden refused to give his lawyers an
assurance he would not be then extradited to the U.S. When his final appeal
was lost, Assange asked for and received political asylum in Ecuador's
London embassy.
In cryptic tweet, Ardin says she wasn't raped.
Assange said he would welcome Swedish prosecutors coming to the embassy to
question him, and prepared a written statement, but documents uncovered in a
FOIA request by Italian journalist Stefania Maurizi showed heavy pressure
from the British government on Sweden not to come to London. In 2017,
Swedish prosecutors ultimately visited Assange at the embassy and in May of
that year ended the investigation, which has now been revived. At the time
the investigation was dropped for a second time, Katrin Axelsson and Lisa
Longstaff of Women Against Rape wrote:
"The allegations against [Assange] are a smokescreen behind which a number
of governments are trying to clamp down on WikiLeaks for having audaciously
revealed to the public their secret planning of wars and occupations with
their attendant rape, murder and destruction. The authorities care so little
about violence against women that they manipulate rape allegations at will.
[Assange] has made it clear he is available for questioning by the Swedish
authorities, in Britain or via Skype. Why are they refusing this essential
step in their investigation? What are they afraid of?"
The statute of limitations on the rape allegation runs out in August 2020.
Persson said the investigation would end after that if no charges are filed
against Assange. The rape allegation was made by Anna Ardin, a Swedish
national, who later admitted in a cryptic tweet she was not raped. Ardin's
lawyers held a press conference at 7:30 a.m. EDT on Monday. Ardin said
through her attorney that she was "relieved" that the investigation will be
restarted.
Greg Barns, Assange's Australian lawyer, tweeted: "Sweden request to re open
questioning after closing their files twice is extraordinary. This is abuse
of process."
Catherine Vogan contributed to this article.
