Stockholm district court on Wednesday decided to uphold a warrant for the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in connection with sex assault allegation.
The court said in a statement that the Australian remains a suspect for sexual offences and that there was still a risk that he would fail to cooperate with the authorities or submit to punishment.
Click here for Swedish reactions to the case.
The judge said that the restrictions on Assange's liberty following his arrest in the UK were not disproportionate.
"Neither does the prosecutors handling of the case nor the fact that Julian Assange has been granted a political asylum and is presently residing in an embassy lead to the conclusion that the order should be revoked."
Assange's legal team had argued that Swedish prosecutors have dragged out the case for an unreasonably long period by not interviewing him at his current place of residence, the Ecuadorian embassy in London.
The ensuing debate on social media and the world press was intense on Wednesday evening, with among others Australia's attorney-general getting involved. The Local on Thursday hit the streets of Stockholm to see what local Swedes thought about the case.
Please whitelist us to continue reading.