STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Sweden has denied a residence permit to the founder the whistle-blower Web site WikiLeaks, the government said Monday.
Julian Assange, an Australian citizen, applied for a residence and work permit in August to gain status as the legally responsible publisher of his site, the news agency TT reported.
WikiLeaks has servers in Sweden and the move would have given its sources better protection under the country's press freedom laws.
"We have made the decision to reject his application. He has received the notice today by e-mail," Gunilla Wikstrom of the National Migration Board told the Aftonbladet newspaper Monday.
She would not reveal the reason or confirm whether Assange was still in the country.
Assange visited Sweden during the summer and applied for a residence permit, but he was accused of rape and molestation.
The allegations from two women led a prosecutor to issue an arrest warrant, but her boss abruptly withdrew it. The decision was appealed and the case was reopened by another prosecutor.
Assange has admitted meeting both women, who their lawyer said are Swedish and between the ages of 25 and 35. Assange is still under investigation, but has not been barred from leaving Sweden.
CNN
