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Assange Loses Appeal in Swedish Court to Cancel Detention

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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange remains in the Ecuadorian embassy in London after a Swedish court rejected his request to overturn a nearly four-year-old detention order in a sexual-assault case.

The court has decided that there is still probable cause concerning the suspicions directed toward Assange, Stockholm City Court said yesterday after a ruling by Judge Lena Egelin. There is still a risk that he will fail to appear or in some other way avoid participation in the investigation.

Assange, 43, sought refuge with Ecuador in June 2012, after exhausting options in U.K. courts to avoid extradition to face questioning on allegations of rape and sexual molestation during a 2010 visit to Sweden. The Australian, who says hes innocent and hasnt been charged with a crime, has refused to return to the Nordic country citing risks that he will be extradited to the U.S. over the release of secret documents by WikiLeaks.

We dont agree with the decision, Thomas Olsson, one of Assanges lawyers, told reporters after the ruling. This means that the decision will be appealed, Olsson said, adding that he plans to do so as soon as possible.

Assange is accused in Sweden of failing to use a condom with one woman and having sex with another while she was asleep. The women, both supporters of WikiLeaks, let him stay at their homes during a speaking tour in 2010.

My view is that he needs to be available for questioning in Sweden ahead of a potential trial regarding the crimes he is suspected of having committed here, Marianne Ny, the chief prosecutor, said at a press conference in Stockholm following the judges decision. The evidence against Assange is still strong, she said,

During the hearing, Assanges lawyers played video clips featuring U.S. politicians, officials from the Justice Department, President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemning the actions of WikiLeaks in an effort to highlight the risks Assange faces if he travels to Sweden and were to be extradited to the U.S.

We want to show the court that Assange needs to use his political asylum, Per Samuelson, a lawyer for Assange, said in court, adding that the Australian isnt at the Ecuadorian embassy to avoid Swedish law.

WikiLeaks, which started in 2006, leaks classified documents under a philosophy of increasing government transparency. The group drew condemnation from the U.S. for posting thousands of documents on its website, including U.S. communications about foreign governments and military efforts during wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. One U.S. soldier, Private Bradley Manning, is serving as long as 35 years in prison for providing the group with classified information.

Ny rejected the defense claims that the case was politically motivated.

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Assange Loses Appeal in Swedish Court to Cancel Detention

Swedish court upholds warrant against WikiLeaks founder

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AFP Swedish court to decide on WikiLeaks founder's fate

Stockholm (AFP) - Julian Assange has lost a court bid to get an arrest warrant against him scrapped, leaving the WikiLeaks founder marooned in the Ecuadoran embassy in London where he sought refuge more than two years ago.

The 43-year-old Assange fears extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual molestation, which he denies.

At the hearing in Stockholm District Court, prosecutors demanded that the warrant, issued in late 2010, should be upheld to secure Assange's return to Sweden.

They rejected Assange's suggestion that they question him in London.

"It would involve questioning a number of people a second or third time, among them possibly Mr Assange," prosecutor Marianne Ny told a press conference.

"To what extent this questioning can be carried out with the help of judicial assistance from our colleagues in Britain is difficult to say."

- 'We will appeal' -

Assange's defence team, which had maintained that the investigation had been unreasonably long, said it would appeal the ruling.

"The last word hasn't been said yet on this," said Thomas Olsson, a member of Assange's defence team.

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Swedish court upholds warrant against WikiLeaks founder

Julian Assange loses court appeal in Sweden

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Julian Assange has lost his appeal in Sweden. Photo: AFP

Stockholm: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has lost a bid to cancel a Swedish detention order for alleged sexual assault as he fights to leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he sought asylum two years ago.

"The court has decided that there is still probable cause concerning the suspicions directed toward Assange," Stockholm City Court said on Wednesday after a ruling by Judge Lena Egelin. "There is still a risk that he will fail to appear or in some other way avoid participation in the investigation."

In Canberra, Australian Attorney-General GeorgeBrandissaysAssangeshould face the claims.

Prosecutor Marianne Ny after the court hearing in Stockholm. Photo: Reuters

"I think MrAssangeshould be man enough to face the allegations against him of being a sexual predator," SenatorBrandistoldABCradio on Thursday.

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The 43-year-old Australian sought refuge with Ecuador in June 2012 after exhausting options in British courts to avoid extradition to face questioning on allegations of rape and sexual molestation during a 2010 visit to Sweden.

Mr Assange who has said he is innocent and has not been charged with a crime, has refused to return to Sweden citing risks that he will be extradited to the United States.

Julian Assange has been living at the Ecuadorian embassy in London since June 2012. Photo: AFP

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Julian Assange loses court appeal in Sweden

Swedish court upholds detention order on WikiLeaks founder Assange

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Stockholm A Swedish court on Wednesday upheld its detention order on Julian Assange, reaffirming the legal basis for an international warrant for the WikiLeaks founder which has kept him hiding in the Ecuadorean Embassy in London for two years.

Assanges lawyers said they will appeal the Stockholm district courts decision.

No charges have been brought against Assange in Sweden but he is wanted for questioning by police over allegations of sexual misconduct and rape involving two women he met during a visit to the Scandinavian country in 2010. Prosecutors have declined to allow the possibility of questioning him in London.

Even if Sweden had dropped its case against Assange, he would face immediate arrest by British police for violating his bail conditions when he fled officials and sought refuge at the embassy. The police have maintained a constant presence outside the embassy since then.

In a meeting last month with reporters at the embassy to mark his second year of hiding, Assange said had no intention of going to Sweden because he has no guarantees he wouldnt subsequently be sent to the United States, where an investigation into WikiLeaks dissemination of hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. documents remains live.

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Swedish court upholds detention order on WikiLeaks founder Assange

Swedish court upholds arrest warrant for WikiLeaks’ Assange

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July 16, 2014: Julian Assange's lawyers Tomas Olsson, left, and Per E. Samuelsson talk to media prior to a public court hearing in Stockholm.AP

A Swedish court has decided to uphold a warrant for the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is wanted for alleged sexual assault.

The Stockholm District Court opened at midday to review the arrest warrant, which alleges incidents of rape and sexual molestation against Assange in 2010, which he denies, according to The Local.

The court ruled to uphold a detention order on Assange, which reaffirms the legal basis for his international arrest warrant, The Associated Press reports.

Assanges lawyers said they will appeal the decision.

The 43-year-old has caused international controversy by leaking secret documents belonging to the United States.

Since releasing the documents in 2012, Assange has hunkered down at the Ecuadoran embassy in London to avoid being extradited to Sweden, which he fears could be a gateway to transferring him for prosecution in America.

Wednesdays hearing originated following a change in Swedish law which means that Assanges prosecutors must hand over evidence against him in the case, including texts from a Swedish woman who allegedly indicated that she did not want to press charges, The Local reports.

Click for more from The Local.

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Swedish court upholds arrest warrant for WikiLeaks' Assange

Snowden leak: Skype calls, private e-mails, online polls on GCHQ menu – Video

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Snowden leak: Skype calls, private e-mails, online polls on GCHQ menu
British intelligence has a wide diversity of tools for cyber-spying and data manipulation. That #39;s what #39;s been revealed in a document, recently leaked by whistleblower Edward Snowden. Social...

By: RT

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Snowden leak: Skype calls, private e-mails, online polls on GCHQ menu - Video

Edward Snowden Deserves Protection From Prosecution: UN Rights Chief

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File photo of UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay

"Those who disclose human rights violations should be protected. We need them," tPillay told reporters.

"And in the case of Snowden, his revelations go to the core of what we are saying about the need for transparency, the need for consultation," she said as she launched a report on the right to privacy in the digital age.

Pillay, a former judge at the International Criminal Court, declined to call on US President Barack Obama to pardon Snowden.

Pressed repeatedly on the issue, she said: "I'm not going to say whether he should be pardoned. He's facing charges, and as a former judge I know that if he's facing judicial proceedings, we should wait for that outcome."

"I'm raising some very important arguments that could be raised on his behalf so that these criminal proceedings are averted," she added.

"If he's given a fair trial and all these points are raised about him, about the way people view his role, that would also be a good outcome," the former South African high court judge said.

Snowden's leaks last year sparked a massive row over the huge Internet and phone data sweeps conducted by US National Security Agency, including of allied nations and their leaders.

"We do owe it to him for drawing our attention to this issue," Pillay said.

"I think that his revelations have also encouraged national authorities to be more accountable," she added.

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Edward Snowden Deserves Protection From Prosecution: UN Rights Chief

NSA Whistleblower Snowden Criticizes UK Emergency Surveillance Bill

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Former US National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden has criticized a new surveillance bill that British lawmakers are pushing to pass this week, The Guardian reported.

The law, drafted in response to alleged domestic security threats, would allow for storing and tracking the publics telephone calls, text messages, and Internet use. UK Prime Minister David Cameron said the government was forced to act, adding that he is not prepared to address the people after a terrorist incident and explain that I could have done more to prevent it."

In April, the European Court of Justice struck down an EU directive requiring telephone and Internet companies to retain communications data saying it entails a wide-ranging and particularly serious interference with the fundamental rights to respect for private life and to the protection of personal data.

In an exclusive interview with The Guardian in Moscow, Snowden expressed concern about the rush to pass the new legislation, more than a year after his initial revelations about the scale of government surveillance in the US, the UK and around the world.

Snowden also marked the lack of public debate, fear mongering and what he said was increased powers of intrusion.

"I mean we don't have bombs falling. We don't have U-boats in the harbor," Snowden said, adding that suddenly it had become a priority, after the government had ignored it for an entire year. "It defies belief."

The bill, that has to be passed in the same manner that a surveillance bill in the US was passed in 2007 without any substantial open public debate, looks like it was written by the National Security Agency, Snowden said.

"I mean the NSA could have written this draft," he said. "They passed it under the same sort of emergency justification. They said we would be at risk. They said companies would no longer cooperate with us. We're losing valuable intelligence that puts the nation at risk," Snowden said.

Snowden fled the US in June 2013, after leaking information about the extensive electronic surveillance programs conducted by the US government around the globe, including eavesdropping on US citizens and foreign leaders. The revelations have sparked domestic controversy and strained relations between the US and its partners worldwide. The Guardian, to whom Snowden sent his files, published a large amount of the materials.

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NSA Whistleblower Snowden Criticizes UK Emergency Surveillance Bill

Snowden Deserves Protection From Prosecution: UN Rights Chief

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Fugitive US intelligence agent Edward Snowden deserves shielding from prosecution for having thrown the spotlight on state snooping, UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said today.

"Those who disclose human rights violations should be protected. We need them," Pillay told reporters.

"And in the case of Snowden, his revelations go to the core of what we are saying about the need for transparency, the need for consultation," she said as she launched a report on the right to privacy in the digital age.

Pillay, a former judge at the International Criminal Court, declined to call on US President Barack Obama to pardon Snowden.

Pressed repeatedly on the issue, she said, "I'm not going to say whether he should be pardoned. He's facing charges, and as a former judge I know that if he's facing judicial proceedings, we should wait for that outcome."

"I'm raising some very important arguments that could be raised on his behalf so that these criminal proceedings are averted," she added.

"If he's given a fair trial and all these points are raised about him, about the way people view his role, that would also be a good outcome," the former South African high court judge said.

Snowden's leaks last year sparked a massive row over the huge Internet and phone data sweeps conducted by US National Security Agency, including of allied nations and their leaders.

"We do owe it to him for drawing our attention to this issue," Pillay said.

"I think that his revelations have also encouraged national authorities to be more accountable," she added.

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Snowden Deserves Protection From Prosecution: UN Rights Chief


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