Sex allegations against Julian Assange are set to reach their five-year expiration date in a few days — but the founder of WikiLeaks will remain at the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he has sought asylum since 2012.
“Media reports ‘Julian #Assange may walk free’ are missing point—he’s there under asylum from US political persecution,” WikiLeaks posted on Twitter Wednesday.
Assange’s lawyer, Thomas Olsson, confirmed that while the statute of limitations on three out of four sexual assault allegations against Assange expires within a week, he will remain at the embassy.
Two allegations of unlawful coercion of two Swedish women expire on Thursday, and a sexual molestation allegation expires Aug. 18.
Assange, who has denied all the allegations against him, still faces one allegation of rape in Sweden, which carries a 10-year statute of limitations.
“The real question is whether even the final part of the case should be written off as well considering the status of the investigation, and considering the ineffective way the prosecutor has handled the case,” Olsson told Sveriges Television (SVT) in Sweden.
“It’s lamentable that it’s taken such a long time to wind up this case. This should have happened long ago.”
Assange, 44, has been living in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since June 2012 to avoid being returned to Sweden, from where he fears extradition to the United States.
WikiLeaks says he could face 45 years in prison in the U.S. for espionage, conspiracy, and other charges.
“The reason he’s at the embassy is his concern for being extradited to the U.S. and prosecuted there because of very serious accusations the U.S. has made about WikiLeaks publications and because of personal threats made by people in public office,” Olsson said.
He added that Assange would lose his claim to asylum in Ecuador should he leave.
Sweden has offered to negotiate with Ecuador over a plan that would allow Swedish prosecutors to interview Assange from the embassy, .
Diplomatic ties have been strained between the two countries over the interview.
The U.K. has also grown increasingly frustrated, as the cost to guard Assange in London has reached over $20 million (£10 million), the city’s metropolitan police estimated.
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