Sweden’s Supreme Court will hear Assange appeal over arrest warrant

Sweden’s Supreme Court said it will hear an appeal by Wikileaks founder Julian Assange against his arrest warrant for alleged rape and sexual assault. Sweden issued an arrest warrant for Assange in 2010 following allegations from two women there, one who claimed rape and another who alleged sexual assault. The Australian former hacker has been ensconced in Ecuador’s embassy in London since 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden.

The Supreme Court grants leave to appeal in the matter regarding the arrest.

Court statement

Assange, who faces arrest if he tries to leave the embassy, has always vehemently denied the allegations and insisted the sexual encounters were consensual. The motion was taken to the Supreme Court after a lower Swedish court rejected an appeal in November. Assange has refused to travel to Sweden because he fears the country would send him to the United States, where an investigation is ongoing into WikiLeaks’ release in 2010. Swedish prosecutors offered in March to question Assange in London, making a significant U-turn in the case that has been deadlocked for nearly five years.

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