Sweden drops julian assange rape investigation

On November 19, 2020, the Swedish Prosecution Authority announced that it was dropping its investigation into rape allegations against Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks. The decision was made after a review of the case by the Swedish Prosecution Authority's Director of Public Prosecutions, Eva-Marie Persson.

The investigation had been ongoing since 2010, when two Swedish women accused Assange of sexual misconduct during a visit to Stockholm. The allegations were made by a Swedish woman who claimed that Assange had sexually assaulted her at a hotel in Stockholm, and by another woman who claimed that Assange had sexually molested her at a different location.

Assange had denied the allegations and had been avoiding extradition to Sweden to face the charges. In 2012, he sought asylum in Ecuador's embassy in London, where he remained for seven years until he was arrested in 2019 and extradited to the United States to face charges related to the publication of classified information.

The Swedish Prosecution Authority's decision to drop the investigation was based on the fact that the alleged crimes were time-barred, meaning that they were no longer within the statute of limitations. The authority also concluded that there was no longer any reason to believe that Assange had committed a crime in Sweden.

Assange's lawyer, Per E. Samuelson, welcomed the decision, saying that it was "a great victory" for Assange and his family. However, the decision has been criticized by some of Assange's accusers and by feminist groups, who argue that the investigation was dropped due to political pressure and that Assange's actions were harmful and exploitative.

It's worth noting that the decision to drop the investigation does not necessarily mean that Assange is innocent of the allegations. The Swedish Prosecution Authority's decision was based on the fact that the alleged crimes were time-barred, and it did not make any findings about Assange's guilt or innocence.