MOSCOW, March 13 (RAPSI) - A Swedish prosecutor intends to interview WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, currently charged with rape and sexual molestation in Sweden, at his present location in London, RIA Novosti reported on Monday.
“Director of Public Prosecutions Marianne Ny has today made a request to Julian Assange’s legal representatives whether Assange would consent to being interviewed in London and have his DNA taken via a swab,” says a press release on the website of the Swedish Prosecution Authority.
If Assange agrees, the Swedish prosecutor plans to request assistance from UK law enforcement in conducting the investigative procedures. Also, if Assange gives his consent, the prosecutor will serve the officials of Ecuador with a request that would allow investigators into the country’s embassy in London, where Assange is currently based.
The Swedish investigators are urging prompt action because the statute of limitation for some of the offenses Assange is accused of expires in August 2015.
Last November, the Stockholm Court of Appeal upheld the 2010 order to arrest WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange. Earlier, on July 16, 2014, the district court of Stockholm issued the same ruling.
The case against the Australian-born programmer and journalist was opened in August 2010, when two Swedish women told the police about their sexual encounters with Assange.
Assange, 41, was arrested in the UK in December 2010 and subsequently lost several trials there. Unable to avoid extradition to Sweden, he requested and was granted asylum at the Ecuadoran embassy in London in 2012. He hasn’t left the embassy premises since.
The UK authorities are resolved to honor their commitment to Sweden.
Assange said he was innocent and that the case against him was politically motivated. He believes the Swedish authorities plan to extradite him to the US.
Wikileaks earned worldwide fame after publishing the correspondence of US State Department employees and US military personnel. The latter was leaked by Army intelligence analyst Pfc. Bradley Manning, who was sentenced to 35 years in prison for this.
Wikileaks also helped Edward Snowden, a former employee of the US CIA, DIA and NSA, who uncovered the existence of numerous US global surveillance programs.