Stockholm - A Swedish court is set to hear on June 3 a
prosecutor's request that WikliLeaks founder Julian Assange be
detained in absentia on suspicion of rape, the first step in his
possible extradition to Sweden.
The Uppsala district court issued the decision Tuesday after deputy
chief prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson and Assange's Swedish defence
attorney, Per E Samuelsson, had proposed conflicting dates.
Persson had requested that the hearing take place already Wednesday,
according to documents filed with the court.
Samuelson, however, said he needed time to consult with Assange who
is serving a 50-week sentence in Britain for skipping bail.
Persson announced last week that Sweden was to re-open a preliminary
rape investigation into Assange that was dropped in 2017.
A request to re-open the probe was made April 11 by an attorney who
represents a woman who alleges that she was raped by Assange during a
2010 visit to Sweden. Assange has denied the allegation.