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Sweden: No US extradition orders

The Swedish foreign ministry says there has been no request from the United States to extradite Julian Assange should he arrive in Sweden for questioning over sexual assault allegations.

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Source: SBS


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The Swedish foreign ministry says there has been no request from the United States to extradite Julian Assange should he arrive in Sweden for questioning over sexual assault allegations.

Swedish authorities also say they will not make an exception and travel to London to interview the WikiLeaks founder.

Mr Assange has exhausted all legal avenues in Britain to stop being extradited to Sweden.

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In a bid to stop that happening, Mr Assange sought refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy in London two months ago.

He has now been granted asylum in the South American country but is unable to leave the safety of the embassy as he faces immediate arrest by British police.

In a dramatic balcony scene at the Ecuadorian embassy (Sunday) Mr Assange made several demands, including that the United States stop persecuting whistle-blowers.

WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of thousands of confidential diplomatic files has angered the United States government.

Mr Assange's backers fear he could be tried on espionage charges and even face the death penalty if he ends up in the U-S.

The Brisbane-born 41-year-old has denied the sexual assault allegations in Sweden and says the accusations against him are politically motivated.

However, at no time in Mr Assange's statement from the embassy balcony, did he mention the Swedish case, nor did he indicate what his next move might be.


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