In an astounding statement sent out on Friday, Sweden shocked the world by ending its rape allegation case against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. The man infamous for being the focal point of many scandals had lived at the London's Ecuadorian embassy since 2012. Currently, he is unable to travel anywhere or even try to flee England.
However, after the news broke, his longtime friend, M.I.A., announced that the controversial figure will speak at her Meltdown Festival, which is an annual event held in London. But his appearance is yet to be confirmed by the festival's organizer or her representatives.
The WikiLeaks founder was on the run from Swedish prosecutors, but the recent good news gave him much needed breathing space. Assange had previously expressed concerns that he could be arrested and forcefully taken to the United States.
Assange celebrates good news with Twitter post
The Australian citizen has innumerable criminal charges filed against him. He is responsible for several scandals that shook the entire world by leaking confidential documents through his Wikileaks website. After the good news broke, he briefly appeared on the balcony at the embassy where he lived for the last five years. He described the Swedish decision as a great success.
This, however, he said, doesn't change the fact that he has been prosecuted without proper evidence for the last ten years.
He argued it doesn't change the seven years he spent on house arrest nor the five years stuck at the embassy. "My children grew up without me, a time I can never rewind," he added. The accused man said he would never be able to forgive or even forget the fraudulent charges brought against him.
Lack of evidence caused rape case to fall apart
But although he was acquitted of the rape charges, Assange is no way a free man. He still has multiple charges against him and will likely continue to hide at the embassy for the unforeseeable future. However, with all the pending charges against him, the 45-year-old expressed his joy and posted a smiling image on his Twitter account.
The US wants to arrest Assange and both the FBI and the CIA have filed paperwork for his extradition to the country. The Assange-USA rivalry began seven years ago when his site gained worldwide attention after it leaked intelligence secrets stolen from Chelsea Manning.
Sweden's case against Assange fell apart because of lack of evidence in the alleged rapes. In an official statement released by Marianne Ny, Sweden's Chief Prosecutor, she said the decision was made because continuing the investigation was futile. Ny cited that the prosecuting team was unable to make any progress in the case and its office had exhausted all their options.