Sweden Sends Ecuadorian Prosecutors Questions for Assange Interrogation

The Ecuadorian Public Prosecutor's Office received the list of questions from the Swedish side for the interrogation of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange who is hiding in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — Andes news agency cited an earlier statement by the Ecuadorian Public Prosecutor’s Office saying that Assange would be questioned at the embassy on October 17 over 2010 rape accusations upon request of the Swedish Prosecutor's Office.

Following the announcement regarding Assange's questioning to be conducted by an Ecuadorian prosecutor on behalf of Swedish interrogators, his legal team said earlier in September it was unaware of the interview and was not even sure whether it would take place eventually.

In August, the Ecuadorian authorities said they could allow the questioning of Assange at its embassy in London, where he has been residing since June 2012 over fears he could be extradited to Sweden where he is accused of rape. Assange denies the allegations, claiming they are a ruse organized by Washington to hand him over to the United States where he is wanted for leaking thousands of top-secret documents and embassy cables detailing US war crimes in Iraq.

A UN body, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, ruled last February that Assange's de facto incarceration was unlawful. The whistleblower lodged an appeal with a Swedish court on August 9, calling on the country to comply with the UN ruling. The Swedish Court of Appeal said earlier in the day it was upholding the detention order for the WikiLeaks founder.