Sweden reopens rape investigation into Julian Assange as US tries to extradite him for hacking

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julian assange

  • WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was accused of rape and molestation in Sweden in 2010, but has consistently avoided extradition to the country.
  • Swedish prosecutors dropped the investigation into him in 2015 because he had been living in Ecuador’s London embassy as a political asylum seeker.
  • Ecuador revoked his asylum last month, and British authorities arrested him. The US has also requested his extradition over charges of hacking a government computer.
  • Swedish authorities reopened its sexual assault investigation into him on Monday, saying that previous court hearings established that there is enough evidence to warrant a trial.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Swedish prosecutors have decided to reopen a rape investigation into WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange as he faces 50 weeks in a UK prison, and the US has requested his extradition.

Eva-Marie Persson, the lead prosecutor in the case, announced the decision on Monday morning.

According to the Swedish news site Aftonbladet, Persson made the decision for the legal reason that previous court hearings in Sweden established that there is enough evidence to warrant a trial.

Her decision comes as the US seeks to extradite him over charges of hacking a government computer in connection with WikiLeaks.

Julian Assange

Swedish prosecutors opened a sexual assault investigation into Assange in August 2010, and in 2012 the UK ruled the he should be extradited to Sweden to face questioning. He is accused of rape and molestation.

Assange has consistently denied the allegations, and in June 2012 moved into Ecuador’s embassy in London as a political asylum seeker.

Swedish prosecutors dropped their investigation into Assange in August 2015, saying that they could not pursue the case while he was in the Ecuadorean embassy.

US prosecutors requested Assange’s extradition last month Ecuador revoked his asylum, and Assange was arrested and forcibly removed from the embassy.

One of the women involved in the Swedish allegations asked for the investigation to be reopened after Assange’s expulsion from the embassy.

Two weeks ago a British court also sentenced him to 50 weeks in prison for breaching bail conditions in the UK and avoiding extradition to Sweden seven years ago.

Assange is currently living in a high-security prison in southeast London.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

SEE ALSO: The DOJ’s indictment of Julian Assange ignited a fierce debate between First Amendment advocates and national-security experts, and it’s a harbinger of what lies ahead

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