In a odd twist in the case of a murdered DNC staffer, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange not only offered a $20,000 reward for information about the death, in an interview on Dutch TV, Assange mentioned the murder in the context of discussing the risks Wikileaks sources take.
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Swedish prosecutors had demanded that Assange be extradited for questioning, but previous year changed their position and said they would question him in London.
Ecuador’s decision to continue to grant asylum to Assange has sparked friction with not just Sweden and the US, but also the U.K. But on Wednesday Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry was unequivocal in reaffirming the country’s support for both the United Nations ruling and the whistleblower’s continued asylym.
Last year, Assange gave consent to be questioned by Swedish prosecutors at the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
Swedish Prosecution Authority spokeswoman Karin Rosander said Sweden handed over a formal request to interview Assange in January, and a reminder in June, and received Ecuador’s reply on Tuesday.
“In the coming weeks a date will be established for the proceedings to be held at the Embassy of Ecuador in the United Kingdom”, states a communique released by Ecuador’s foreign ministry.
Prosecutors in Sweden have said they want to interview Assange in connection with a 2010 rape allegation against him.
Rosander said the Swedish prosecutor is on vacation and no date has been set for the trip to London.
In an interview with Radio Sweden, a lawyer for Assange suggested that the lengthy delay in prosecuting him would lead to the charges being dropped.
Assange refuses to go to Sweden because he believes he will be extradited to the USA over his WikiLeaks activities.
WikiLeaks has promised to release additional documents that could impact the USA presidential election, and has also offered a $20,000 reward for information about the murder of DNC staffer Seth Rich in Washington last month.
Authorities have said that the statute of limitations on the charges against Assange runs through 2020. He denies all the accusations against him made by two women. Assange is wanted for questioning by Swedish police over rape allegations stemming from his visit to the country in 2010.
Mr Assange has been living inside the embassy for over four years and has been granted political asylum by Ecuador.
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Assange won an important victory before the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in Februrary which had found that Sweden and Britain violated his fundamental rights. Both countries angrily disputed the group’s findings. He has a treadmill, shower, microwave and sun lamp and spends most of his day at his computer.
