News Digest

Swedish prosecutors ‘ready to interview Julian Assange in Ecuadorian embassy’

Swedish prosecutors have offered to question Julian Assange in London over sexual assault allegations against him. The WikiLeaks founder faces an arrest warrant in Sweden over claims he sexually assaulted two women in 2010. Prosecutors had previously refused to travel to London, where Assange has claimed asylum at Ecuador’s embassy. But lead prosecutor Marianne Ny, explaining the new stance, said some of the crimes Assange is accused of will reach their statute of limitations in August.

Now that time is of the essence, I have viewed it therefore necessary to accept such deficiencies in the investigation and likewise take the risk that the interview does not move the case forward.

Lead prosecutor Marianne Ny

Ms Ny said: “My view has always been that to perform an interview with him at the Ecuadorean embassy in London would lower the quality of the interview, and that he would need to be present in Sweden in any case should there be a trial in the future.” One of Assange’s lawyers, Per Samuelson, welcomed the offer. He said: ”This is something we’ve demanded for over four years. Julian Assange wants to be interviewed so he can be exonerated.” The 43-year-old Australian denies the sexual assault allegations and took refuge at the embassy in June 2012 after failing to stop proceedings to extradite him to Sweden.