'Great victory' for Assange as Swedes back down
Time is on Wikileaks founder's side with the statute of limitations on sexual assault charges due to expire.
A Swedish prosecutor has agreed to interview WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in London – a backdown his lawyer is calling "a great victory."
Previously, the Swedes had been pushing for Assange – one of the stars of Kim Dotcom's Moment of Truth event – to be questioned in Sweden, where he faces an investigation into accusations of rape, coercion and sexual molestation relating to two women in separate incidents in 2010.
Assange has won a war of attrition. With the statute of limitations on several of the charges against him is due to expire in August, the Swedish government has decided a voluntary interview in London is better than nothing.
"Now that time is of the essence, I have viewed it therefore necessary to accept such deficiencies in the investigation and likewise take the risk that the interview does not move the case forward," Swedish lead prosecutor Marianne Ny said in a statement.
Assange, who denies the sexual assault allegations, has been holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since June 2012.
He fears that if he leaves the building, he will be arrested and extradited to the US to face charges over leaking material related to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and documents supplied by the fugitive Edward Snowden.
One of his lawyers, Per Samuelson, told the BBC World Service, "He is willing to co-operate fully now in conducting this interrogation – this is a great victory for him. We've been waiting for this for over four years."
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'Great victory' for Assange as Swedes back down
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