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The allegations against Julian Assange relate to a case in 2010. Deputy Director of Public Prosecution, Eva-Marie Persson, has confirmed that the authorities would discontinue the case. Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, she said: “I want to inform about my decision to discontinue the preliminary investigation."

Ms Persson said they had interviewed a total of seven witnesses. The Wikileaks founder, current detained in a British jail, denies the allegations. The news follows a ruling in June by a Swedish court that rejected a request to detain the Wikileaks founder. The ruling prevented Swedish prosecutors from applying for an extradition warrant for Mr Assange to face the rape allegations.

Swedish prosecutors have dropped the rape investigation against Julian Assange

It is the second time Swedish prosecutors have dropped the case against Mr Assange, having already discontinued the case in 2017. It was later reopened in May 2019 after Ecuador rescinded its grant of asylum in the previous month, which allowed British police to arrest him. Mr Assange first sought refuge at the embassy after being accused of the sexual assault charges. He stayed there for nearly seven years.

Julian Assange denied the rape allegations

Mr Assange is currently imprisoned in HMP Belmarsh and was due to be released on September 22. But a court hearing ruled to keep him locked up, because of “substantial grounds” for believing he would abscond. As such, he is not currently serving a sentence at present, and his status is “on remand”. Mr Assange is currently fighting extradition to the US, which accuses him of publishing secret documents.

Julian Assange is currently being held in HMP Belmarsh