Worthy News: New warrant for Wikileaks founder

Thursday 2 December 2010

New warrant for Wikileaks founder

Mr Assange has dismissed the allegations against him as part of a smear campaign

Sweden's top court has rejected an attempt by Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to appeal against a detention order issued for him over alleged sexual crimes.

The Supreme Court said it would not grant leave for Mr Assange to appeal against an earlier ruling.

Mr Assange has not been charged and denies the allegations, which stem from a visit to Sweden in August.

Interpol has issued a "red notice" for information on his whereabouts.

Mr Assange has dismissed the allegations against him as part of a smear campaign.

His legal battle comes amid the phased release of some 250,000 US diplomatic cables by the whistle-blowing Wikileaks website.

In the latest cables, US officials say that Russia has become a "virtual mafia state" with widespread corruption, bribery and protection rackets.

The Stockholm district court issued the arrest warrant for Mr Assange on 18 November on suspicion of "rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion".

The Svea Court of Appeals later upheld the detention order and the Supreme Court has now backed that ruling.

"The Supreme Court has reviewed the material and did not find reason to grant the leave to appeal," court documents said, adding that the Supreme Court only looked at exceptional cases and the interpretation of law.

Julian AssangeBorn Queensland, Australia, 1971Convicted in early 1990s in Australia of computer hacking and finedCo-wrote influential hacking and media book UndergroundCreated Wikileaks in 2006 as web-based "dead letter box" for whistle-blowersArrest warrant issued in Sweden for questioning over alleged sexual crimes, which he deniesProfile: Julian Assange

UK media have reported that police are aware Mr Assange is in Britain but they have not yet acted on the international detention warrant.

However, Swedish Prosecution Office spokeswoman Helena Ekstrand said it had not received any information on his location.

"So the situation now is that the arrest warrant still stands and we are looking for Julian Assange," she said.

The UK newspapers spoke of a procedural error with the warrant.

Agence France-Presse news agency quoted a Swedish National Criminal Police spokesman on Thursday as saying a new warrant would be issued because of the fault.

Mr Assange's lawyer says any arrest warrant would be challenged in court.

"The process in this case has been so utterly irregular that the chances of a valid arrest warrant being submitted to me are very small," Mark Stephens told the Associated Press news agency on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Wikileaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said Mr Assange was at a secret location.

"When you have people calling for his assassination, it is best to keep a low profile," he said.

Wikileaks is currently working through the publication of more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables.

The Main Leaks So FarFears that terrorists may acquire Pakistani nuclear materialSeveral Arab leaders urged attack on Iran over nuclear issueUS instructs spying on key UN officialsChina's changing relationship with North KoreaYemen approved US strikes on militantsPersonal and embarrassing comments on world leadersAfghan leader Hamid Karzai freed dangerous detaineesRussia is a "virtual mafia state" with widespread corruption and briberyWikileaks cables: Key issues

The US has condemned the disclosures as an attack on the world community.

In the latest cables, Russia is described as a "virtual mafia state".

The cables, published by the Guardian newspaper, paint a picture of a corrupt Russia centred around the leadership of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Bribery in the political system totals an estimated $300bn (£192bn) a year, the paper says.

In one cable from January 2010, Spanish prosecutor Jose "Pepe" Grinda Gonzales, who led a long investigation into Russian organised crime in Spain, claimed that in Russia, Belarus and Chechnya "one cannot differentiate between the activities of the Government and OC (organised crime) groups".

Mr Putin told CNN there may be "political purposes" behind the leaks but added that they were "no catastrophe".

But he did appear riled at US diplomats referring to him as Batman to President Dmitry Medvedev's Robin.

"To be honest with you, we didn't suspect that this would be done with such arrogance, with such a push and, you know, being so unethically done," Mr Putin said.

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