<story><title>Julian Assange arrested in London</title><url>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47891737</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>DavidVoid</author><text>What you&amp;#x27;ve heard is false.  
The investigation was dropped simply because there was no way to proceed with the investigation with him still hiding away in the embassy. The investigation will be reopened if he returns to Sweden before August 2020 when the statute of limitations expires for the minor rape allegation.&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.bbc.com&amp;#x2F;news&amp;#x2F;world-europe-39973864&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.bbc.com&amp;#x2F;news&amp;#x2F;world-europe-39973864&lt;/a&gt;</text></item><item><author>fxbl0i</author><text>What crimes did he commit? Honest question. I heard that someone accused him of being a rapist but then dropped the charges so I guess it was false. What else is there?</text></item><item><author>tramtrist</author><text>I also feel the same way.  He may have committed some heinous crimes outside of the actual hacking&amp;#x2F;leaking but to say we all didn&amp;#x27;t benefit from what we learned regarding how our government spies on us would just be flat out wrong..</text></item><item><author>overkalix</author><text>I was writing a long post but I deleted it. I don&amp;#x27;t know what to say, I don&amp;#x27;t like the guy, but I have an even stronger dislike for how international politics and intelligence services work.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>YeGoblynQueenne</author><text>Since I was not very familiar with the Swedish case, I checked Wikipedia:&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Julian_Assange#Swedish_sexual_assault_allegations&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&amp;#x2F;wiki&amp;#x2F;Julian_Assange#Swedish_sexual_...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;It seems that the allegations were dropped after initial questioning and he was told he was free to go, then a special prosecutor reopened the case and asked to question Assange, who by then was out of the country.&lt;p&gt;The statute of limitations for most of the allegations seems to have expired primarily because of the indecisiveness or otherwise mishandling of the case by the special prosecutor who reopened it in the first place, who maintained she couldn&amp;#x27;t interview Assange while he was in the Ecuadorian embassy- which seems to have been incorrect.&lt;p&gt;From the wikipedia article:&lt;p&gt;&lt;i&gt;In 2010, the prosecutor said Swedish law prevented her from questioning anyone by video link or in the London embassy. In March 2015, after public criticism from other Swedish law practitioners, she changed her mind and agreed to interrogate Assange in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, with interviews finally beginning on 14 November 2016.[167] These interviews involved police, Swedish prosecutors and Ecuadorian officials and were eventually published online.[168] By this time, the statute of limitations had expired on all three of the less serious allegations.&lt;/i&gt;</text></comment>
<story><title>Julian Assange arrested in London</title><url>https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47891737</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>DavidVoid</author><text>What you&amp;#x27;ve heard is false.  
The investigation was dropped simply because there was no way to proceed with the investigation with him still hiding away in the embassy. The investigation will be reopened if he returns to Sweden before August 2020 when the statute of limitations expires for the minor rape allegation.&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.bbc.com&amp;#x2F;news&amp;#x2F;world-europe-39973864&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.bbc.com&amp;#x2F;news&amp;#x2F;world-europe-39973864&lt;/a&gt;</text></item><item><author>fxbl0i</author><text>What crimes did he commit? Honest question. I heard that someone accused him of being a rapist but then dropped the charges so I guess it was false. What else is there?</text></item><item><author>tramtrist</author><text>I also feel the same way.  He may have committed some heinous crimes outside of the actual hacking&amp;#x2F;leaking but to say we all didn&amp;#x27;t benefit from what we learned regarding how our government spies on us would just be flat out wrong..</text></item><item><author>overkalix</author><text>I was writing a long post but I deleted it. I don&amp;#x27;t know what to say, I don&amp;#x27;t like the guy, but I have an even stronger dislike for how international politics and intelligence services work.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>Sacho</author><text>Sweden doesn&amp;#x27;t have trials in absentia? Judging by this document(&lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;rm.coe.int&amp;#x2F;168058f4b0&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;rm.coe.int&amp;#x2F;168058f4b0&lt;/a&gt;), they do:&lt;p&gt;-------------------------------------------&lt;p&gt;Chapter 46 (proceedings in the district courts)
Section 15 a
If the matter can be satisfactorily investigated, the case may be adjudicated notwithstanding the fact that the defendant has appeared only by counsel or has failed to appear if:&lt;p&gt;1. there is no grounds to impose a criminal sanction other than fine, imprisonment for a maximum of three months, conditional sentence, or probation, or such sanctions
jointly,&lt;p&gt;2. after service of the summons upon the defendant, he has fled or remains in hiding in such a manner that he cannot be brought to the main hearing, or&lt;p&gt;3. the defendant suffers from serious mental disturbance and his or her attendance as a result thereon is unnecessary.&lt;p&gt;Orders under the Penal Code, Chapter 34, Section 1, paragraph 1, clause 1, shall have the same standing as the sanctions stated in the first paragraph, clause 1.&lt;p&gt;However, this does not apply if, in connection with such an order, a conditional release from imprisonment shall be declared forfeited as to a term of imprisonment
exceeding three months.&lt;p&gt;In the situations stated in first paragraph, clause 2, the case may be adjudicated even if the defendant has not been served the notice of the hearing.&lt;p&gt;Procedural issues may be decided even if the defendant has failed to appear in court. (SFS 2001:235)&lt;p&gt;-------------------------------------------&lt;p&gt;Looks like a perfect fit for Assange&amp;#x27;s case. Why didn&amp;#x27;t they try him this way?</text></comment>