Julian Assange has repeatedly denied the allegations of rape and has mounted an unsuccessful attempt to force the Swedish authorities to abandon the investigation NEIL HALL/EPASweden has revived a rape investigation into Julian Assange, setting the stage for a possible extradition battle with the US, which wants the Wikileaks founder to face hacking charges. Mr Assange was ejected last month from the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he had claimed political asylum since 2012, and is now serving a 50-week sentence in Belmarsh prison, southeast London, for violating the conditions of his bail. The sexual assault allegations against him date back to 2010. The investigation was shelved by the Swedish authorities two years ago but has now been reopened since his arrest, at the request of lawyers representing one of his alleged victims. Eva-Maria Persson, Sweden’s deputy director of prosecutions, said the courts had previously found “probable cause” for the…

Source: The Times May 13, 2019 11:03 UTC