ASSANGE : ECUADOR EMBASSY IN LONDON BUGGED
Lawyers for the WikiLeaks founder have filed eavesdropping claims to the Swedish court, as Julian Assange, who has been stuck in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London for over two years, fears he is being bugged. In a submission presented to the Swedish Court of Appeal on Friday, Assange’s lawyers claim that he“is most likely under auditory surveillance,” the Daily Mail reports.
Whistle-blower urged the Swedish side to hand over text messages, sent by one of Assange’s accusers, which they believe could serve as evidence that there was no ground for the arrest warrant. Assange says they reveal the woman’s ambiguity over his arrest and even her opposition to the case, based on sexual assault allegations.
The lawyers also believe that to “break the deadlock,” the 43-year-old Australian should be questioned at the embassy in Knightsbridge, where he is staying, rather than go to Sweden, which he believes could lead to his extradition to the US.
Swedish prosecutors, however, think it a “far-fetched idea”. But in the US this May, Julian Assange was still under “active and ongoing” criminal investigation, which started in 2010 due to WikiLeaks activity. There he may face a 35-year prison sentence for revealing classified documents on the country’s military activities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The WikiLeaks claim adds “Residence in the embassy is, in other words, a result of the deprivation of liberty imposed on Assange by Sweden.” It goes on to say that his embassy sojourn is already nearly as long as the “maximum sentence for the suspected crime.”
What’s more, the lawyers warned “should he be forced to seek hospital care he will lose his political asylum and will be arrested.”
Media agencies
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