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Swedish prosecutors file application for WikiLeaks founder’s arrest

Julian Assange has been convicted of a crime in the UK and will serve 25 weeks of his sentence before he can be released

Julian Assange AP Photo/Matt Dunham

Julian Assange

© AP Photo/Matt Dunham

STOCKHOLM, May 20. /TASS/. Swedish prosecutors have submitted an application to court for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s arrest, the Swedish Prosecution Authority said in a statement.

"Deputy Director of Public Prosecution Eva-Marie Persson has today submitted an application for a detention order to Uppsala District Court, in which she requests the court to detain Julian Assange in his absence," the report says.

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"I request the District Court to detain Assange in his absence, on probable cause suspected for rape. If the court decides to detain him, I will issue a European Arrest Warrant concerning surrender to Sweden", Eva-Marie Persson said.

Julian Assange has been convicted of a crime in the UK and will serve 25 weeks of his sentence before he can be released, according to information obtained from UK authorities, the Swedish Prosecution Authority reported.

"In the event of a conflict between a European Arrest Warrant and a request for extradition from the US, UK authorities will decide on the order of priority. The outcome of this process is impossible to predict," Deputy Director of Public Prosecution Eva-Marie Persson said.

The date and place of the court session were not determined yet. The district court will make this decision.

WikiLeaks founder

Assange founded the WikiLeaks portal in 2006 to publish classified information about the activities of a number of governments, including that of the United States. After harassment charges had been brought against him in Sweden in 2012, Assange sought refuge in London's Ecuadorian Embassy to escape extradition. The rape case was dropped in 2017 but the United Kingdom continued to insist that Assange be arrested over his failure to appear in court in London. On May 13, 2019, the Swedish prosecutors renewed the rape case. The Swedish authorities are considering the possibility of issuing a European Arrest Warrant for the journalist, which may lead to his expulsion to Sweden after the end of his custody term in the UK.

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