STOCKHOLM, July 16 (RIA Novosti) — The Stockholm District Court upheld Wednesday an arrest warrant issued for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on charges of rape and sexual molestation.
The press statement, announcing the court's decision, runs counter to what Assange's team of lawyers aimed for, when they claimed that an arrest warrant issued in late 2010 has no grounds to remain in force. The legal team indicated that their client would appeal the decision, speaking to the press about the ruling.
Assange strongly denies the charges of rape that allegedly took place that year as politically motivated, fearing that his extradition to Sweden could serve as a pretext for transferring him to the United States, where WikiLeaks sparked an outrage with thousands of classified US government documents that it disclosed.
Ecuador granted the 43-year-old Australian citizen asylum and Assange took shelter in the country’s embassy in London in June 2012, although UK authorities are eager to follow through on their obligations to Sweden, denying Assange safe passage out of the embassy by means of round-the-clock security.
