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Sweden Caves to US-UK Pressure, Reopens Assange Sex Case a Third Time

It was reported earlier today by several major media outlets that Swedish prosecutors have decided to reopen a ‘rape’ investigation stemming from allegations made in 2010 against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. It appears Sweden wasted no time in caving to pressure by the U.S. and U.K. – exploiting sexual allegations for political agenda:

Now that Sweden has announced it will reopen the case for yet a third time, it is continuing its media circus tactics around Assange, as previously pointed out by journalist John Pilger:

“For Assange, his only trial has been trial by media. On August 20, 2010, the Swedish police opened a “rape investigation” and immediately – and unlawfully – told the Stockholm tabloids that there was a warrant for Assange’s arrest for the “rape of two women”. This was the news that went round the world.”

More on today’s breaking story from Zero Hedge…

Julian Assange: The UK, Sweden and the ‘Illusion of Justice’
See also: 21WIRE contributor Nina Cross’ “Julian Assange: The UK, Sweden and the ‘Illusion of Justice’

Zero Hedge

It has been one month since UK police entered the Ecuadorian embassy in London and arrested Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. The Wikileaks founder has already been slapped with a 50-week sentence for skipping his bail in the UK, and as the UK prepares to process an extradition request from US prosecutors, they now must also decide whether Sweden has a legitimate claim.

Julian Assange (Zero Hedge)

Swedish prosecutors are again requesting that Assange be extradited to Sweden to face trial on rape charges after prosecutors revived an investigation following reports that Assange had been ousted from the embassy. Assange managed to avoid extradition to Sweden for seven years by hiding in the Ecuadorian embassy (Assange initially sought refuge there back in 2012, when he skipped bail in the UK and took shelter in the embassy, claiming that the charges in Sweden were merely a ruse for him to be handed over to the US), according to RT.

Though Assange has only been charged with one count of attempting to break into a government computer in the US – a charge that carries a maximum penalty of five-and-a-half years – his lawyers have speculated that the US could introduce charges under the Espionage Act, which could carry a death sentence, once he’s safely back on American soil. Wikileaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson accused Sweden of bowing to external pressure, saying “there has been considerable political pressure on Sweden to reopen their investigation, but there has always been political pressure surrounding this case.”

In other Assange-related news, El Pais reports that the government of Ecuador will allow UK authorities to search a room occupied by Assange during his seven-year asylum, and will turn over any documents, cellphones, digital files, computers, memory drives, CDs and any other items of interest investigators might discover.

Assange’s room will be searched on May 20. Ecuador’s decision to confiscate his belongings and turn them over to foreign authorities has been relayed to Assange’s attorneys.

READ MORE ASSANGE NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Assange/Wikileaks Files

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