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A SWEDISH APPEALS court has upheld an arrest warrant for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over a 2010 rape accusation, rejecting his request to have it lifted.
The court announced in a statement that Assange is “still detained in absentia.”
Assange has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012, fearing that if he returns to Stockholm he will be extradited to the United States to face charges over secret documents leaked by his organisation.
Today, the Swedish court has ruled against him for the eighth time.
The appeals court ruled that it:
Shares the assessment of the (lower) district court that Julian Assange is still suspected on probable cause of rape… and that there is a risk that he will evade legal proceedings or a penalty.
During a trip to Stockholm for a series of conferences, Assange is accused of having sex with a WikiLeaks supporter in her thirties without a condom while she was asleep on 17 August, 2010.
The statute of limitations on the rape allegation, which could lead to up to four years in prison, expires in August 2020.
An accusation of sexual misconduct by a second woman in the Swedish capital a few days earlier reached its statute of limitations in 2015.
Assange denies all allegations, insisting that the women gave their consent and that there is a political motivation for the investigations.
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Ongoing criminal investigation why are comments open?
Because the investigation is in another country. The world does not revolve around Ireland! Why do journal commentators think it does?
I think you’re missing the point Dublinlad
@dublinlad: have you been under a rock since the Olympics Lad?
The point has flown right over dublinlad’s head and soaring off towards the sun.
Alan, what point is that?
Where is Paddy Hickey right now DublinLad?
Alan get a piece of chalk and a drawing board out to explain it.
@dublinlad: Maybe something like the point we acan comments on this story which is still an ongoing investigation, but can`t comment on stories relating to another ongoing investigation in a foreign Country,………Like say Brazil ,Olympic tickets and Irish Olympic officials for instance??
Double standards, i think is the point Alan is trying to make.
Because if this rapist told us the moon is made of cheese the liberal elite would tell us it’s true so lefties all over the world are deliberately printing things that will make a fair trial possible so he will get away with his crime.
Comments open as assange is unlikely to sue
The swedes seem to be very concerned about this particular rapist (alleged). What about the hundreds of thousands of others that rape and then disappear into a PC ether. Would they pursue an afghan rapist for years and years or a Moroccan one. Or are the higher standards just for Swedish men.
@Margie Murph: Assange is high profile, so perhaps that is why we hear so much? Apart from that, your comment is just racist bile, designed to provoke.
@Neil Mcdonough: easy to label. Too easy which is why only thick lefties enrage in name calling for want of anything intelligent to say.
@Margie Murph: Why did you bring migrants into it? Your comment has clear racist undertones and I simply pointed that out. No name calling at all and nothing to do with intelligence levels at all, which if you had any, you would have seen that. And then you do a bit of name calling yourself …
@Neil Mcdonough: I’m sick of the double standards and I’m tired of the whole Julian Assange as rapist worldwide pursuit while Swedish women are being raped at unprecedented levels with nary a concern from the Swedish authorities for rapists that aren’t homegrown. I think it’s very relevant indeed.
@Margie Murph: There’s no worldwide pursuit – he’s hiding in a wardrobe in a embassy in London.
Swedish Authorities have convicted about 200 people of rape. So it is clear that Assange isn’t the only case they are dealing with.
@Margie Murph: What indisputable evidence do you have that Swedish authorities have no concern whatsoever for non homegrown racists? Or are you just making that up?
@Neil Mcdonough: they give them wristbands and ask them nicely to not grope, assault or play tarrakush with the Swedish girls….that’s of course when they actually admit that there might actually be a problem. Took them 30 years to admit to a correlation after they hid the statistics that they jive with the multicultural,utopia they were trying to create.
@Margie Murph: so true marge its an agenda
Very strange rape allegations. After the “rape”, victim A continued to share a bed with him for a week. What’s that about?
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/dec/17/julian-assange-sweden
Always wondered was this a real allegation or just an excuse for Sweden to get him so they can extradite to US over wikileaks
it would be quite easy to arrange a trial by camera in agreement with the equadorian government, and release if they agree it was a fair trial.
@Rosa Parks: It is an excuse to extradite him to the US. you dont have to wonder no more
Heat wears off over prior leaks, word is Assange is cleared. Announces new leaks, pursued again.
Shock. Horror.
Where are the stories about pay-to-play? The biggest story of political corruption of our time, which completely deconstructs the D.C establishment? Nah, that’s not news.
Probably away with Trumps “birther” crap…
@Poole Hyde: You actually think this is like the birther thing?!! I’ve a few acres on the moon with planning if you’re looking! It’s fine, you probably don’t know nor care what’s going on with pay-to-play and i’m sure if she were running against anyone else you’d be up in arms about it being one of, if not the worst scandals to hit Washington!
He’s a creep. If he didn’t do it just go there and face justice. The Americans never looked for him when he was in Sweden then, conveniently now he’s accused of rape, he’s using it as an excuse to avoid standing trial. Sweden is one of the most progressive countries on earth. Imagine if it was your sister or daughter he allegedly raped. All for wiki leaks but he has damaged his own cause. Cost the celebrities who posted his bail in London a fortune. USA didn’t look to extradite him from U.K. Either while he was on bail or remand.
@Richard O Connor: I strongly disagree with you.
@Richard O Connor: Seriously??
What do you disagree with? That he should face his accuser?
Richard, look into the details of the case. They’re flimsy at best and Sweden are being purposefully awkward. Having a daughter myself i hear you, i would gladly bust into the embassy and drag him out if i thought he did it to one of my own. but imo this is a ruse to get him exported and into an American legal blackhole for his exposing of the USs dirty laundry.
@garb yakob: Sweden’s extradition agreement with the us specifically excludes extradiitong someone to the US who is accused of a political offense” or an offense connected with a political offense. The refused to extradite a US CIA agent who defected to the Soviet Union.
There is no basis for his claim of fear of extradition to the US from Sweden.
@Phil Blanc: Highly doubtful. Sweden’s extradition agreement with the United States, signed in 1961 and updated in 1983, prohibits extradition on the basis of “a political offense” or “an offense connected with a political offense.” The agreement does not specify what constitutes a “political offense.” Whether the Swedish supreme court would rule to extradite Assange largely depends on what charges the secret U.S. grand jury brings against him.
If Assange is accused of espionage, Sweden most certainly would not comply, as its courts have consistently determined that espionage constitutes a political offense. For example, in 1992 Sweden refused to extradite Edward Lee Howard, the only CIA agent to defect to the Soviet Union, to the United States. Charged with espionage, Swedish courts ruled that those accusations amounted to the kind of “political offense” specified in the extradition agreement.
But that legal gray area also threatens Assange’s legal prospects. The U.S. Justice Department is surely aware of these restrictions and precedents and may instead slap Assange with a more creative set of charges — cyber crime or theft, perhaps.
If he was to be charged with a crime stated in the last paragraph, then he would have basis for his claim of fear of extradition.
It`s not rocket science.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2014/08/18/would-sweden-ever-extradite-assange-to-the-united-states/
These women were Wikileaks fans were they not? It’s a strange one alright.
Richard, what he is accused of would never er get even investigated in any other country, let alone charged. It was just consensual sex, acknowledged by the “victim”, without a condom. When there are thousands of aggravated violent rapes being committed in Sweden resulting in no charges, it does make it look even more ridiculous. If Sweden were to guarantee that he won’t be extradited to the US then it could all be settled. They won’t.
deborah, the view is that they were assange/pirateparty “fans” that were either bribed or planted. The accusations apparently were formulated and reported after the event. While every instance of rape should be pursued, the circumstances need to be investigated, and in this case the accusers concerted effort to have a consistent story after the fact should not be discounted.
Alien totally agree. We cannot judge without a proper trial and therein lies the problem.
Did I miss something. Or did a guy get convicted in Ireland of rape for having sex with his girlfriend while she slept? That’s Ireland not Sweden. It’s a crime in most civilised countries. Don’t believe all the wikileaks propaganda, never mind spread it. If I have sex with someone consensually before they sleep it doesn’t give me a right to have sex/rape her when she falls asleep. Your Comments on this site must be so hurtful to victims of sexual crimes that read this. Is it a wonder they are under reported. I cannot believe some of the comments here.
Ah, so naive.
@Richard O Connor, have you actually read the report his accusers filed with the Swedish police? ?
He has nothing to answer for only being a ‘jack the lad’ who slept with both girls (separately) in a 24 hour period…abusing their trust!
The police report is online …its on wikileaks
I hope he releases stuff about hillary before she dies from her ilness haha.
Go Julian.
Why not try him ‘in absentia’ if they can’t get hold of him.
If the evidence is unsound, then it will collapse and he could say he was right all along.
But if it’s sound, and he’s convicted, then he does have a case to answer and can go over for the appeal or rot where he is.
Why have any legitimately founded justice system if he can choose to engage or not. His wiki leaks fame shouldn’t protect him if he is guilty, if that’s the case we could have left Rolf Harris or Jimmy Saville alone because we liked that two little boys song or Jim’ll fix it. It’s gone through the courts eight times, are all the judges on a CIA payroll? I doubt it, it’s not Nicaragua.
The complaint made to Swedish police by both women involved has been posted on the wiki leaks website and certainly does not state Assange had sex with a woman who was asleep !! Sloppy journalism from the Journal.ie
Two women made a complaint to police that Assange has slept with them both separately during a 24hr period in which a condom split in one incident leaving them both feeling their trust had been abused and rather alarmed about STD’s
No rape involved what so ever !
He claims he fears of being extradited from Sweden to the US. Then why did he flee Sweden for the UK? The one country in Europe almost guaranteed to extradite him to the US. If he is as innocent as he claims, why did he jump Bail in the UK landing those that thought of him a friend with a massive bill to cover his Bail? If the US were going to extradite him why haven’t they made some form of request from either Sweden or the UK? If one of his supporters on here could give cognitive answers to the above questions it would be great. But I won’t hold my breath.
@Mick Jordan:
One of the major issues surrounding the Assange case is whether “we [the United States] can drag his ass over here.” – David Adler, federal criminal defense attorney and former CIA officer
Justice4assange has released ’Extraditing Assange’ – a systematic rebuttal of the myths and falsehoods propagated in the UK media, primarily by David Allen Green of London-based publication New Statesman
Stratfor e-mails released on 29 February 2012 revealed that a sealed indictment has been issued by a secret grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, for Julian Assange. The email is dated 26 January 2011. This means that there has likely been a sealed extradition order for over a year, which will be activated (unsealed) against Assange in Sweden, Australia and the UK when the US Government gives the order.
The US government is certainly looking at the technical aspects of the two extradition agreements between the UK and Sweden and then considering the political and legal atmosphere in both places. – John B. Bellinger III, former legal adviser to US State Department and National Security Council
Broaden your mind Mick….
Mick, I don’t think waiting for a commenter on here to counter your opinion is best way to learn about a topic. If you’re interested, look it up. As conspiratorial as it sounds, governments and other nasty types thrive on this lack of motivation for people to check stuff for themselves.
Mother. If they really wanted him they could charge with accessory to espionage for starters. And I am sure there are a dozen other charges they could use. But as yet not one has been laid by US Federal Authorities in 6 years. So I am afraid that the extradition excuse just doesn’t wash. Secondly if he feared extradition to the US the UK would be the last country in Europe one would run to. With the UK’s “Special Relationship” with the US it would be far easier for the US to have him sent from the UK than any other European country. But I notices you failed to explain his taking a rather large crap on those people that put up his Bail and we’re landed with the bill to pay it when he absconded.
In other words garb you have no answers to my questions.
I somehow think that normal extradition is not quite what the US have planned. They call it rendition. US prosecutors have stated he will “fry” when the get their hands on him. If Sweden would guarantee that he would be safe from any attempt to take him to the US he would comply to their requests for questioning. They won’t. The prosecution waiting is funded by US money. Don’t forget he was allowed to leave Sweden when all cases against him were dropped as no case to answer. They magically resurrected those with no additional “evidence”.
Patrick. He was free on Bail for a Year in the UK and the US made no move to get him. The Wikileaks papers were released in 2010 he wasn’t accused in Sweden until 2012. So for 2 Years the US made no move to get him and add the year he was on Bail in the UK that makes 3 years in which they could have picked him up at any time they wanted but they didn’t. But yet you and his other supporters still believe that they are going to whisk him off to the US.
The first allegation he was accused of rape stank, as he was accused of rape with 2 women and he wasn’t in Sweden at the time he was accused of rape and that was thrown out and replaced with this new one when the women had consent for sex but the rape allegation came from him penetrating her a second time after having sex and she said nothing to him like no or don’t. It stinks as a way to expedite him to the U.S.
The U.S. government thinks they control the people of the world and other countries now, it is crazy and they have expedited a so called hacker now from the UK for hacking, another one who will commit suicide that to face the monster that is US justice, Obama’s justice what a joke.
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