According to a Reuters report on the 16th, a Swedish appeals court upheld the arrest warrant for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Friday. The move will extend a six-year legal standoff between Assange and prosecutors.

Assange, 45, was accused of rape in 2010 and is wanted by Swedish authorities. The court said the appeals court agreed with the district court's assessment that Assange was still suspected of rape.

In 2012, Assange sought asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, thus avoiding extradition to Sweden. Assange expressed fear of further extradition to the United States. The United States is launching a criminal investigation into the activities of WikiLeaks.

The New York Times reported that Assange has challenged the arrest warrant several times. It is unclear whether it will appeal to the Supreme Court again.

The Svea Court of Appeal, which made the ruling this time, said that Swedish prosecutors are actively working to make progress in the investigation and are trying to interrogate Assange at the embassy. Swedish prosecutors earlier stated that Ecuadorian prosecutors will question Assange on October 17 on behalf of Swedish prosecutors.

The court said: “This means that there is currently no reason to shelve the arrest warrant. Therefore, Assange's relevant complaints should be dismissed.