Swedish authorities want to extradite Julian Assange for rape
Enlarge / Assange arrives at court in London on May 1, 2019 to be sentenced for bail violation. (credit: DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/Getty Images)
Prosecutors in Sweden have reopened their investigation into a 2010 rape allegation against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, a first step toward seeking his extradition to Sweden. The Swedish case was closed in 2017 due to Assange's ongoing asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
That asylum—which began in 2012—ended last month when Assange was finally evicted from the embassy and was promptly arrested by the British authorities. A judge sentenced him to 50 weeks in prison for jumping bail.
"There is still probable cause to suspect that Mr. Assange committed rape," Swedish prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson said at a Monday press conference.