“Focus on the US threat”: Sweden has stopped persecuting Assange on harassment charges

The Swedish prosecutor's office announced the closure of the preliminary investigation in the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, suspected of sexual offenses. This was reported by Deputy Chief District Attorney Eva-Maria Persson.

“I want to point out that the plaintiff gave reliable and reliable evidence. Her evidence can be described as clear, lengthy and detailed. However, in general, I believe that the evidence base has been weakened in such a way that there are no more reasons to continue the investigation, ”she said.

The decision of the Swedish prosecutor's office was commented on by WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson. He called on the public to focus on the persecution of the journalist by the United States of America.

“Let's now focus on the threat that Assange has warned about over the years: belligerent persecution by the United States and how it threatens the first amendment (US Constitution. - RT ),” the WikiLeaks report on Twitter said.

Recall that initially the Swedish investigation against the founder of WikiLeaks began in August 2010. Assange was accused of sexual harassment and rape, which he allegedly committed in Enkoping and Stockholm.

Assange’s defense characterized the investigation as a “dirty campaign” to discredit the journalist himself and WikiLeaks in general. According to them, this is a "politically motivated" case - the portal has published thousands of documents on US war crimes, in particular in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2017, the Swedish prosecutor's office suspended the investigation, but in May 2019 resumed it. This happened a month after the founder of WikiLeaks was expelled from the building of the Embassy of Ecuador in London, where he has been granted political asylum since August 2012.

At the same time, a British court sentenced Assange to 50 weeks in prison for violating the conditions of bail, and the US Justice Department brought 17 new charges against the journalist, on which he could face up to 175 years in prison. Technical hearings on his extradition to the United States are scheduled for December 13 and 19.

At the same time, there were repeatedly reports of a deterioration in the health of Julian Assange. This was stated by UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Niels Meltzer, who pointed out London’s desire to make the journalist “pay a high price for publishing serious violations of the authorities,” John Shipton, father of the founder of WikiLeaks, and one of the founders of the Pink Floyd rock band, Roger Waters.

“I did not attend a recent meeting, but I read Craig Murray's report on this. So Murray was shocked by what he saw. They are friends, pretty close friends. According to him, Assange lost about 15 kg. He is balding at an alarming rate. But what causes even greater fear is that even when he was simply asked to give his name and so on, he answered with great difficulty. Obviously, they gave him some drugs and in general it is not known what else they did ... For sure, we know one thing: they keep him in solitary confinement. He is in the cell 23 hours a day. I read the reports and it says that Assange has all the symptoms of a man who has been regularly tortured for months, ”the musician said in an interview with RT.

“The decision of the Swedish prosecutor’s office cannot be called a turning point”

According to Konstantin Blokhin, senior employee of the Security Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the termination of the investigation against Julian Assange in Sweden does not mean that the journalist is now safe.

“This decision by the Swedish authorities cannot be called a turning point. Now, if in the USA they say that they refuse all claims, then this will be a turning point, ”the source said.

In turn, political analyst Alexander Asafov, in an interview with RT, recalled that the Swedish investigation into the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was just an excuse for more serious proceedings against him.

“The very accusation of Assange in Sweden was the reason for carrying out other investigative actions with him on the main charges. Obviously, this was a pretext for creating some kind of criminal law story to get him out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London and to charge him with crimes he was guilty of, according to the Americans. This is a list of actions related to the publication of materials, ”said the expert.

In this regard, according to the political scientist, it is not surprising that the case against the founder of WikiLeaks in Sweden was dismissed.

“The fact that the case was closed as unnecessary is not surprising. This happens periodically. Assange will continue to be accused of what he did, unless, of course, the circumstances change and Donald Trump does not take part in his fate, ”the expert added.