WikiLeaks founder charged with rape, molestation in Sweden.


Stockholm, Sweden (CNN) — The founder and editor of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has been charged in Sweden with rape and molestation, a spokeswoman for the Swedish prosecutor’s office told CNN Saturday. Spokeswoman Karin Rosander said the charges were filed Friday night, but she didn’t have further details. Assange denied the charges in a posting Saturday on the WikiLeaks Twitter page, saying, “The charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing.” Assange was in Sweden last weekend, but Rosander said it’s not clear whether he is still in the country. She said police have been unable so far to make contact with Assange. An elusive figure, Assange reportedly lives part-time in Sweden. He told the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet this week that he chose Sweden to host several servers for WikiLeaks because of the country’s privacy laws. Explainer: What is WikiLeaks? He also told the paper, in an interview published Monday, that he had been in Sweden because he wanted a safe place to go after the high-profile leak of US documents related to the war in Afghanistan. WikiLeaks has sparked major controversy by posting some 76000 pages of those documents online last month, in what was called the biggest leak since the Pentagon Papers about the Vietnam War. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates criticized the leak, saying it would have a significant negative impact on troops and allies, revealing techniques and procedures