Swedish prosecutors on Monday issue a formal request to hold WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, currently imprisoned in Britain, on suspicion of rape — a first step towards seeking his extradition to Sweden.
Swedish deputy director of public prosecutions Eva-Marie Persson says in a statement she has filed a request with the Uppsala district court to have Assange detained in his absence over an alleged rape.
Detaining someone in their absence is a standard part of Swedish legal procedure if a suspect is outside the country or cannot be located.
The request follows last week’s reopening of a 2010 rape investigation, and Persson added that once the court had granted the request, she would then ask British authorities to transfer Assange to Sweden.
“If the court decides to detain him, I will issue a European Arrest Warrant concerning surrender to Sweden,” Persson says.
— AFP
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