Swedish Court Rejects Assange Appeal
CNN reports:
The Swedish Supreme Court refused Thursday to hear an appeal by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange of an arrest warrant for suspicion of rape and sexual molestation.
"After studying the material, the court does not find reason to hear the case," the court said.
Assange has maintained his innocence.
The Swedish Court of Appeal had already refused to hear Assange's appeal.
At Sweden's request, Interpol issued an international wanted-persons alert Tuesday for Assange to its 188 member countries. The Red Notice is not an arrest warrant, but an advisory and request for countries to locate a person with a view toward their arrest and extradition.
Assange's whereabouts are unknown.
British newspaper The Independent reported Thursday, citing police sources, that police are "fully aware of where he is staying," and Assange's British lawyer told CNN on Wednesday that "the security services in a number of countries know exactly where Julian is."
The head of the international unit at the Swedish national criminal police, however, told CNN on Thursday they have no idea where the elusive Assange is.
"All we have heard is what has been reported in the media -- that he is supposed to be in the U.K. -- but we have no information at all of his whereabouts," Tommy Kangasvieri said.
Assange's lawyer, Mark Stephens, said Assange has offered to meet voluntarily with the Swedish prosecutor, and that his client is being persecuted, not prosecuted.
"There's been no communication to Julian or any of his legal team," Stephens told CNN, adding that the Swedish prosecutor has not supplied Assange with details of the allegations against him or the nature of the evidence in the case.
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