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WORLD NEWS Saturday 20 May 2017

Rape inquiry dropped, WikiLeaks’

Assange remains in embassy

GREGORY KATZ grown up without him, he nearly five years inside the
DAVID KEYTON said. Latin American country’s
Associated Press “That is not something I can London embassy, but he
LONDON (AP) — WikiLeaks forgive, or forget,” he said, seemed robust and defi-
founder Julian Assange no claiming he had suffered ant in his brief balcony ap-
longer is the subject of an a “terrible injustice” while pearance. He did not take
active rape investigation living under house arrest shouted questions from the
in Sweden, but he remains or hidden away inside the reporters assembled out-
holed up in Ecuador’s em- embassy without ever be- side and would not say if
bassy in London facing an ing charged with a crime. he plans to leave the em-
unclear future because of Despite the welcome news bassy located in the posh
uncertainty over whether from Sweden, police in Knightsbridge neighbor- Julian Assange greets supporters outside the Ecuadorian em-
American authorities will London said Friday that As- hood. bassy in London, Friday May 19, 2017.
try to get him handed over sange is still wanted there The day began with the Associated Press
next. for jumping bail in 2012. dramatic announcement
Sweden’s top prosecutor More serious are the possi- in Sweden that the rape perts said the develop- gal situation, if the U.S. has
dropped a long-running ble charges he faces in the investigation was being ment would put him in an a sealed indictment for his
inquiry into a rape claim United States for WikiLeaks’ suspended. But some ex- even more precarious le- arrest.q
against Assange on Friday, aggressive publication of
saying there was no way thousands of pages of clas-
to detain or charge him “in sified government docu-
the foreseeable future” be- ments.
cause of his protected sta- Assange said his legal team
tus inside the embassy. would reach out to British
Prosecutor Marianne Ny authorities to try to find a
said she could not judge way forward, and he said
whether the 45-year-old he would be “happy” to
Australian native was guilty have a dialogue with the
or innocent because the U.S. Department of Justice
investigation had been despite its threats against
thwarted. Ny said the case him. WikiLeaks has repeat-
could be reopened if As- edly infuriated U.S. officials
sange comes to Sweden with the widespread re-
before the statute of limita- lease of sensitive secret
tions expires in 2020. documents related to mili-
British police said they tary operations in Afghani-
would arrest Assange if he stan and Iraq and diplo-
leaves the embassy on the matic relations around the
relatively minor charge of world. WikiLeaks also had
jumping bail, but the more a role in the 2016 U.S. presi-
severe threat is a possible dential campaign when it
sealed U.S. indictment published emails written by
against him. Hillary Clinton’s campaign
The sun-starved WikiLe- officials.
aks provocateur, looking U.S. and British officials Fri-
healthy if pale, emerged day declined to say if the
Friday afternoon to address United States has request-
the media in the open air ed Assange’s extradition.
of the embassy’s balcony. Ecuador’s foreign minister,
He said the day marked Guillaume Long, tweeted
an “important victory,” but Friday that Britain “must
noted that he still could be now grant safe passage”
prosecuted by the United to Assange. The South
States. American country has
Assange also lashed out at granted him asylum, but it
Sweden for taking seven is not clear how Assange
years to investigate allega- would travel there without
tions he maintained were the permission of British au-
baseless. His children had thorities. Assange has spent