FranceLink

Julian Assange case: France rejects asylum plea

President Hollande's office said it had denied request by WikiLeaks founder because his 'situation ... does not present any immediate danger'.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

France has rejected an appeal by the Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to grant him asylum, reports the BBC.

Prosecutors in Sweden want to question Mr Assange over sex assault allegations.

Mr Assange denies the assault claims and has been living at the Ecuadorean embassy in London since 2012.

Earlier on Friday, France's Le Monde newspaper published an open letter Mr Assange had written to President François Hollande asking for asylum.

In it, he wrote: "By welcoming me, France would carry out a humanitarian and symbolic gesture, sending encouragement to every journalist and whistleblower."

He also said his life was in danger.

A statement from Mr Hollande's office said it had reviewed the request and decided not to grant Mr Assange asylum.

"The situation of Mr Assange does not present any immediate danger," the statement said. "Furthermore, he is subject to a European arrest warrant."

Read more of this report from the BBC.