'Heartbroken' Julian Assange denied arrest warrant suspension for WikiLeaks director's funeral
Prosecutor’s office says it does not allow exemptions to a court decision
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sweden will not temporarily suspend an arrest warrant for Julian Assange so he can attend a funeral.
WikiLeaks founder Mr Assange was hoping to leave the Ecuadorian embassy in London so he can attend the funeral of his friend and mentor Gavin MacFayden but his request has been blocked.
The Swedish prosecutor’s office has announced it will not suspend the warrant as it does not allow exemptions to a court decision.
The 45-year-old wanted to attend the funeral of Mr MacFayden, an investigative journalist and director of WikiLeaks who died at the age of 76.
Mr Assange is reportedly “heartbroken” and called the Swedish official who made the decision “callous”, the BBC reported.
Mr Assange has been in the Ecuadorian embassy in London since June 2012 after exhausting all legal options in his fight against extradition to Sweden. He is wanted for questioning over sex assault allegations after a visit to Sweden in 2010. Mr Assange denies the allegations.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments