Assange lawyer Per E Samuelson has confirmed that a criminal complaint has been filed at 09:44 on Tuesday 3 September 2013 with Swedish police authorities. The complaint concerns the likely unlawful seizure of WikiLeaks property on 27 September 2010, following publication of the Afghan War Diaries. Additional affidavits and articles of evidence used in the complaint have been ready for a year, but the filing was held off until now for various reasons.
A similar complaint has been filed in Germany and complaints in two additional jurisdictions are to follow.
The complaints coincide with the visit of US president Barack Obama to Sweden 4-5 September and come at a crucial time before German national elections.
The complaints detail the seizure of property on 27 September 2010 from the Stockholm Arlanda airport and follow the discovery of unlawful FBI and US intelligence activities against WikiLeaks in Europe. These activities were forced onto the public record through a parliamentary inquiry in Iceland and through the recently concluded Manning trial.
The complaints include a 186-page affidavit which details ongoing attempts by US authorities to interfere with WikiLeaks. These attempts have grown in number. The recent abuse of the UK Terrorism Act to seize materials belonging to those working on the Edward Snowden surveillance revelations is but one example.
Julian Assange said of the complaints:
Now is the time for everyone to take a stand to put an end to Obama's war against national security journalism - at home and abroad. This filing, recent court victories, and our successful intervention in the case of Edward Snowden represent the continuing reorientation of WikiLeaks from legal defence to legal attack.
Full details of the complaints can be found at the links below.
http://wikileaks.org/IMG/html/Affidavit_of_Julian_Assange.html
http://wikileaks.org/IMG/pdf/Swedish_Unlawful_Seizure_Complaint2013.pdf
http://wikileaks.org/IMG/pdf/Swedish-Complaint-3-Sept-13-plus-Appendices...