Deputy Director of Public Prosecution Eva-Marie Persson has today decided to discontinue the investigation regarding Julian Assange. The reason for this decision is that the evidence has weakened considerably due to the long period of time that has elapsed since the events in question.

The preliminary investigation concerning allegations against Julian Assange was resumed on 13 May 2019 after Assange left the Ecuadorian embassy in London. The investigation relates to a suspected rape committed in August 2010. A number of investigative measures have been conducted since May, largely in the form of witness interviews. The preliminary investigation has now been discontinued, the motive for which is that the evidence has weakened considerably due to the long period of time that has elapsed since the events in question. "I would like to emphasise that the injured party has submitted a credible and reliable version of events. Her statements have been coherent, extensive and detailed; however, my overall assessment is that the evidential situation has been weakened to such an extent that that there is no longer any reason to continue the investigation," says Eva-Marie Persson, Deputy Director of Public Prosecution. Background In 2010, being suspected of committing sexual offences in Sweden, Julian Assange fled to the United Kingdom, eventually taking up residency in the Ecuadorian embassy, where he remained from 19 June 2012 until 11 April 2019. In 2017, the public prosecutor responsible for the case at that time discontinued the investigation, as the prosecutor had exhausted all possibilities to make progress. After Assange’s removal from the embassy in spring 2019, the investigation was reopened at the request of the counsel for the injured party in Sweden.   Translation of the prosecutor's decision (pdf). Chronology of the case (link). Case number at Uppsala District Court: B 3167-19.   Press Service, +46 10 562 50 20

Deputy Director of Public Prosecution Eva-Marie Persson will hold a press conference on the Assange case on 19 November 2019.

On 11 April 2019, the counsel for the injured party requested the Swedish preliminary investigation concerning rape to be resumed. The case has been handled by Deputy Director of Public Prosecution Eva-Marie Persson at the Swedish Prosecution Authority’s Development Centre in Gothenburg. At the press conference, the prosecutor will inform about the investigative measures taken and provide new information. The press conference will take place 19 November at 2 pm, at Folkets Hus, Barnhusgatan 12-14, Stockholm, room 300. Entrance no earlier than 1:30 pm. Please note only accredited journalists can attend. Bring your press ID or certificate from editorial staff. Sign up at [email protected] by 19 November at 8 am at the latest. The prosecutor’s presentation will be interpreted from Swedish to English. There will be opportunities for group interviews after the presentation. Questions will also be interpreted from Swedish to English, and vice versa, if needed. For further information about the case, see https://www.aklagare.se/en/news-and-press/media/the-assange-matter/ Contact  Press Service, +46 10 562 50 20 Press Manager Annika Collin, +46 10 562 50 15 Press Officer Anna Knöfel Magnusson, +46 10 562 51 99

An Iranian citizen has today been detained by Stockholm District Court, on probable cause suspected of crime in Iran against international law, gross crime, and murder during the period of 28 July – 31 August 1988 in Teheran, Iran.

The prosecutor responsible for the investigation is Senior Public Prosecutor Karolina Wieslander at the National Unit Against Organised Crime. On 11 December, at the latest, the prosecutor needs to decide whether or not to indict the person in question.   Case number in Stockholm District Court: B 15255-19.     Press Service +46 10 562 50 20

A 46-year-old Swedish-Iraqi citizen has today been prosecuted for refugee espionage at Stockholm District Court. The prosecutor is available to the media.

The man is indicted for, during the period April 2015 to February 2019, collecting personal information about opposition Iranians belonging to the Ahwazi community with the intention of conveying the information to the government of Iran. “I have prosecuted the man for, under cover of representing an Arabic evening paper, having photographed and filmed Ahwazi conference delegates and demonstration participants in Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden. He is also claimed to have infiltrated Ahwazi fora on the internet and thus obtained opposition persons’ addresses and telephone numbers,” says Senior Public Prosecutor Hans-Jörgen Hanström. The man is also prosecuted for having photographed car registration plates and log-on information for routers, during home visits. The prosecutor states that part of the information has been conveyed to representatives of the Iranian intelligence service via the internet or at personal meetings, including in Teheran. The man who has been prosecuted denies the offence. The preliminary investigation report is quite extensive, some 1,700 pages, and parts of it is confidential. The preliminary investigation was performed by the National Security Unit at The Swedish Prosecution Authority and the Swedish Security Service. Crime classification: Illegal intelligence activities against persons, serious offence. Proceedings in the district court are estimated to take nine days. Case number at Stockholm District Court: B 2890-19. Contact: Senior Public Prosecutor, Hans-Jörgen Hanström, is available to the media today Wednesday from 1pm to 3pm on +46 (0)10 562 53 85.       Press Service +46 10 562 50 20