11/19/2019, 9:45:37 AM · by ransomnote
nytimes.com ^ | 11/19/19 | William K. Rashbaum, Danielle Ivory and Michael Gold
Johannes LEDEL AFP•November 19, 2019
Stockholm (AFP) - Swedish prosecutors said Tuesday they have dropped their investigation into jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over a 2010 rape allegation, even though they found the plaintiff's claim "credible".
The decision likely ends the threat of extradition to Sweden for the whistleblower, who is wanted by the US on espionage charges and is currently being held at a British high-security prison.
Assange was sentenced to 50 weeks in prison in May for breaching bail conditions when he took up residence in Ecuador's London embassy, where he lived for seven years in order to avoid being sent to Sweden.
The extradition order centred on the rape allegation as well a separate sex assault claim -- but the statute of limitations expired for the second allegation in 2015.
https://news.yahoo.com/swedish-prosecutor-drops-assange-rape-probe-134719330.html