LONDON: A British judge on Tuesday upheld a UK arrest warrant for the WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, leaving his criminal place unchanged after greater than 5 years throughout the Ecuadorean Embassy.
Judge Emma Arbuthnot rejected a decision from Assange's legal professionals for the warrant to be revoked because he's now not sought after for questioning in Sweden.
"I am not persuaded the warrant should be withdrawn," Arbuthnot informed legal professionals, newshounds and Assange supporters gathered at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Assange has been holed up in the Ecuador's embassy in London since he took shelter there in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden. Swedish prosecutors were investigating allegations of sexual assault and rape made by two women in 2010.
Swedish prosecutors dropped the case last year, but Assange was once still subject to a British arrest warrant for jumping bail in 2012.
Had the judge ruled in Assange's desire, he would have been free to depart the embassy with out being arrested at the British warrant.
However, Assange suspects there's a secret US indictment against him for WikiLeaks' newsletter of leaked categorized American documents, and that the U.S. government will search his extradition.
Earlier this month, Ecuador said it had granted the Australian-born hacker citizenship, because the South American nation attempted to unblock the stalemate that has saved Assange as its houseguest for five-and-a-half years.
Ecuador also requested Britain to grant him diplomatic status. Britain refused, saying "the way to resolve this issue is for Julian Assange to leave the embassy to face justice."
Judge Emma Arbuthnot rejected a decision from Assange's legal professionals for the warrant to be revoked because he's now not sought after for questioning in Sweden.
"I am not persuaded the warrant should be withdrawn," Arbuthnot informed legal professionals, newshounds and Assange supporters gathered at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Assange has been holed up in the Ecuador's embassy in London since he took shelter there in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden. Swedish prosecutors were investigating allegations of sexual assault and rape made by two women in 2010.
Swedish prosecutors dropped the case last year, but Assange was once still subject to a British arrest warrant for jumping bail in 2012.
Had the judge ruled in Assange's desire, he would have been free to depart the embassy with out being arrested at the British warrant.
However, Assange suspects there's a secret US indictment against him for WikiLeaks' newsletter of leaked categorized American documents, and that the U.S. government will search his extradition.
Earlier this month, Ecuador said it had granted the Australian-born hacker citizenship, because the South American nation attempted to unblock the stalemate that has saved Assange as its houseguest for five-and-a-half years.
Ecuador also requested Britain to grant him diplomatic status. Britain refused, saying "the way to resolve this issue is for Julian Assange to leave the embassy to face justice."
British judge upholds arrest warrant for Julian Assange
![British judge upholds arrest warrant for Julian Assange]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
February 07, 2018
Rating:
