Julian Assange’s Arrest Warrant Upheld by Swedish Court

In this July 30, 2013 file photo released by Sunshine Press Productions, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sits inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Image: Sunshine Press Productions, File/Associated Press

By Brian Ries2014-07-16 17:14:10 UTC

A Swedish court has upheld the detention order on Julian Assange, reaffirming the legal basis for an international warrant that has kept the WikiLeaks founder in hiding in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London.

Assanges defense team plans on appealing the order to a higher court.

Assange is wanted by Swedish police for questioning over allegations of sexual misconduct. He has been holed in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London since seeking asylum there in June 2012. British police on guard outside the embassy have orders to arrest him if he ever steps out.

Assange's U.S. lawyer, Michael Ratner, tells The Guardian why the WikiLeaks chief is fighting the extradition order.

The fear here was not about Sweden but that Sweden was going to be a place that would extradite him to the U.S., he said.

Until we can get an assurance from the U.S. government of non-prosecution, leaving the Ecuadorean embassy would be a very high-risk move.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Julian Assange’s Arrest Warrant Upheld by Swedish Court