A month after he was arrested in London, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange appears set to face more trouble as Sweden's state prosecutor announced she would reopen a rape investigation against him.
Prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson announced on Monday she would reopen an investigation into rape charges against Assange made by two women who alleged he had sexually assaulted them in separate incidents in Stockholm in 2010. Assange has denied the charges, claiming he had consensual sex with the women.
The Swedish government had suspended investigation into the rape charges in 2017 on the grounds that Assange remained holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he sought refuge in 2012. Ecuador released Assange to British authorities on April 11, soon after which he was arrested. The US government has also been seeking extradition of Assange on grounds that Wikileaks had illegally accessed secret documents.
The BBC reported the Swedish government has until 2020 to pursue investigation into the rape charges against Assange until the statute of limitations comes into effect in the case. Furthermore, it is yet unclear which extradition request—that of the US or Sweden—would take precedence.
