A Swedish court has upheld a warrant for the arrest of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange over accusations of sexual assault.
Judge Lena Egelin said:
“The district court makes the assessment that the reasons for the arrest warrant offset the infringement and adverse effects the measure entails for Julian Assange.
“He should therefore continue to be wanted for arrest in his absence.”
Assange’s lawyers have said that they will appeal the ruling.
Two Swedish women accuse Assange of sexual assault and the original warrant for his arrest was issued in 2010.
Assange lost his appeal against extradition from the UK to Sweden in 2012 and has since sought refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London.
The Wikileaks founder says that he fears if he returns to Sweden to face the charges he could be extradited to the US where he may face a similar punishment to that of Chelsea Manning, the source of many of the secret documents leaked to Wikileaks.
