Swedish prosecutors would not appeal a decision not to detain Assange

Swedish prosecutor says it won't appeal a decision not to detain WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange while allegations against him in a suspected rape case is investigated.

Assange is currently serving a 50-week prison sentence in Britain for skipping bail after spending seven years in the Ecuadorean embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden.

Assange, an Australian citizen denies the rape accusation.

“Work is now focused on assessing the evidence in the investigation through holding certain complementary interviews,” Deputy Director of Public Prosecution Eva-Marie Persson said in a statement.

Earlier this month, Uppsala District Court ruled that Assange should not be detained, meaning that while a preliminary investigation in Sweden shouldn't be abandoned, he wouldn't be extradited and could be questioned in Britain.

Assange is also fighting extradition to the U.S., which accuses him of publishing secret documents.

United States has already requested Assange’s extradition on conspiracy charges and a full hearing will take place in February next year.

Assange, 47, faces 18 counts in the U.S. including conspiring to hack government computers and violating an espionage law. He could spend decades in prison if convicted.

If he were charged and convicted in Sweden, he would face up to four years in prison.

Britain’s interior minister will have the final say on whether to extradite Assange to Sweden - if it makes a formal request - or the United States or neither.