Julian Assange: Swedish judge rejects detention of Wikileaks founder Published duration 3 June 2019

media caption Swedish prosecutors have reopened an investigation into a rape allegation against Assange.

A Swedish judge has rejected a request to detain Julian Assange in absentia, complicating hopes to extradite him from the UK.

Prosecutors said Assange had not co-operated with their investigation into a 2010 allegation of rape against the Wikileaks founder, and so should be remotely held for questioning.

This would have allowed them to move forward with steps to extradite him.

But the judge rejected the motion, as Assange is already detained in the UK.

Detention in absentia is an ordinary procedure in Swedish law if a person is abroad or in hiding, and would allow the prosecution to issue a European Arrest Warrant and bring him to Sweden.

Speaking after the ruling, Eva-Marie Persson - Sweden's deputy director of public prosecutions - said the rape investigation would continue, and she would instead issue a European Investigation Order to question Assange.

The Australian claimed political asylum in London's Ecuadorean embassy seven years ago to avoid extradition to Sweden over the rape allegation, which he has repeatedly denied.

Swedish prosecutors reopened their investigation in May a month after Assange was arrested and removed from the embassy.

image copyright EPA image caption Swedish deputy director of public prosecutions Eva-Marie Persson said she would issue an order to question Assange

The Wikileaks founder, who is in jail for breaching UK bail conditions , is also facing extradition to the US on federal conspiracy charges related to leaks of government secrets.

If convicted on all counts, Assange could be sentenced to 175 years in prison.