France says 'non' to Assange asylum plea
Source: The Local France
Still wanted in Sweden over sex allegations, the founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange asked France's president François Hollande to grant him asylum on Friday. But his request was quickly rejected.
Assange, who denies sex crimes in Stockholm four years ago, wrote an open letter to the French president asking François Hollande to "welcome" him in France.
His plea was published in the newspaper Le Monde on Friday - which marks the birthday of the Wikileaks' founder.
The Australian has been ensconced in Ecuador's embassy in London since 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden.
The 44-year-old is due to be questioned in the British capital by Swedish prosecutors later this month, after they previously refused to travel to the UK to talk to him.
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Read more: http://www.thelocal.fr/20150703/wikileaks-founder-assange-asks-france-for-asylum
L2-Cache
(3 posts)cstanleytech
(26,080 posts)to charge him after they question him? If not then it sounds like the prosecutor is wasting their time imo.
MADem
(135,425 posts)The Justice Minister made some Judy Tenuta "It could happen" noise, but realistically, there was zero chance of the guy getting asylum. The French have been known to lift asylum and permit arrest of a person, too (Ira Einhorn, most notably) so going to France to hide out is no guarantee of safety over the long haul.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)poor Julian