SWEDEN: Appeals Court Refuses To Drop Rape Arrest Warrant For WikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange

NBC News reports:

The arrest warrant for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over a rape accusation will not be dropped, a Swedish appeals court ruled Friday. Assange, 45, has always maintained extradition from the U.K. to Sweden could lead to him being sent to the U.S. over WikiLeaks’ huge dump of secret documents. However, the European warrant was upheld.

“After reviewing the existing investigative material and what the parties have stated, the Court of Appeal finds that Julian Assange is still suspected on probable cause of rape,” the ruling issued by a three-judge panel in Stockholm on Friday said. “The Court of Appeal also shares the assessment of the District Court that there is still a risk that Julian Assange will flee.”

Per Samuelsson, Assange’s Swedish defense lawyer, said he would appeal the decision to the country’s Supreme Court. “We are naturally disappointed that Swedish courts yet again choose to ignore Julian Assange’s difficult life situation,” he told The Associated Press. “They ignore the risk that he will be extradited to the United States.”

Associates of Assange claim that he may have cancer but is unable to seek proper medical care outside the Ecuadorian embassy which is sheltering him in London.