Assange^TM says Sweden squibbed on promised interview

Extreme couch-surfing contender Julian Assange claims “Swedish prosecutor Marianne Ny cancelled a prospective appointment to take my statement today.”

In March Ny agreed to meet Assange in order to advance Sweden's inquiry into allegations Assange committed sexual offences in Sweden. Such a meeting would need to take place in Assange's current residence, the Ecuador's Embassy in London. The Ecuadoran foreign ministry says a request to make that visit was received by its Stockholm Embassy on June 12th, less than a week before the planned interview.

Ecuador's statement says it is evaluating that request.

Assange said that evaluation “is likely to take weeks” and that Ny probably knew the interview would not take place if she applied for a visit only last week.

“To behave in such a way seems reckless and it is hard to imagine that it was more than a public relations exercise,” Assange argues. “It is impossible to maintain confidence in this prosecutor under such circumstances.”

The Swedish Prosecution Authority's site chronicling what it calls “The Assange Matter” says “The Director of Public Prosecution, Marianne Ny, cannot supply any information regarding the case at the moment.”

Assanage argues that he's spent 1,650 days without being formally charged and hoped the interview would expedite matters. He remains in the embassy as he fears being charged in the UK, extradited to Sweden, and thence to the United States to face nasty charges related to WikiLeaks reveal of classified US documents. ®