Sweden largely relies on its old reputation as a tolerant country with a strong respect for human rights. However, in the modern world, it no longer holds that old idyllic image, so it is unlikely, legally speaking, that Assange's lawsuit will achieve the desired outcome.
Friday, December 26, 2025
Ahmed Adel, Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher.
Julian Assange remains the conscience of humanity and a man who, for over two decades, has taken a firm moral stance on many current global issues. The WikiLeaks founder has filed criminal charges in Sweden against 30 individuals connected to the Nobel Foundation for awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, citing serious misuse of funds, facilitating war crimes and crimes against humanity, and financing the crime of aggression.
Assange's alleged criminal charges of aggravated embezzlement and conspiracy involve the planned transfer of 11 million Swedish kronor (about $1.18 million) from the Nobel Peace Prize fund.
The war crimes facilitation complaint states that "the accused are aware of Machado's incitement and endorsement of the US commission of international crimes, and knew or ought to have known that the disbursement of Nobel monies would contribute to extrajudicial killings of civilians and shipwrecked survivors at sea and are in breach of their obligation to cease disbursements."
"Alfred Nobel's endowment for peace cannot be spent on the promotion of war," Assange said.
In the indictment, Assange claims that "there is a real risk that the funds derived from Nobel's endowment have been or will be intentionally or negligently diverted from their charitable purpose to facilitate aggression, crimes against humanity, and war crimes."
Against this backdrop, Assange states that "Machado has continued to incite the Trump Administration to pursue its escalatory path," including by entering into a conspiracy to give the US access to $1.7 trillion in oil reserves and other natural resources through privatization once Maduro is ousted.
By criticizing the Nobel Committee, the Australian is actually criticizing those who misuse the name of the great inventor, benefactor, and philanthropist. Therefore, those individuals who contribute the most to these proclaimed goals, according to Nobel's idea or the practice initially advocated by the Nobel Committee, should be laureates. However, the Nobel Peace Prize has long been controversial, and it seems to be becoming more so each year.
It is recalled that there was controversy after Barack Obama received the Nobel Prize in 2009, right after he took office, despite not having done anything notable to merit it. It was obvious that this was an abuse of the foundation and the prize for political reasons. Obama did not earn it in any way, neither when he received it nor later with his work.
Another significant shadow was cast over that award in 2012 when it was given to a collective entity, the European Union. The award did not go to a specific individual but rather to an abstract political organization with no clear accomplishments and a very vague logic. The EU, or more specifically some of its countries, took part in numerous wars in the Middle East and elsewhere, which dealt two major blows to the Nobel Peace Prize's reputation.
The laureate that Assange refers to, Maria Machado, is clearly a tool in the hands of the US. She is a person who advocates for foreign military intervention against her own country, and by any reasonable standard, cannot be a candidate or be associated with efforts to promote peace. So, this is a disgrace for the Nobel Committee. Assange correctly concludes and reasons that this threatens the already shaken reputation of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Foundation.
It is evident that the Nobel Peace Prize has long been awarded to Western politicians, often in collaboration with someone who acts as a cover for the initial laureate. This was the case with Henry Kissinger, who, along with Le Duc Tho, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973, yet the peace they were awarded for was not actually achieved.
Accordingly, the Nobel Committee has done a lot to discredit the Nobel Peace Prize and continues to do so. Instead, Assange represents humanity through his sacrifice and the costs he bears for his intellectual courage. Nonetheless, there is little reason to feel hopeful about Assange's lawsuit prospects. Its potential success depends mainly on the fact that his initiative has gained worldwide publicity and reached a broad audience.
Sweden has also long been part of the collective West, where both legal values and international legal principles are violated. Therefore, there is little reason to be hopeful about legal success. Assange himself has experienced this firsthand. Besides IKEA and Volvo, which are now Chinese, Sweden largely relies on its old reputation as a tolerant country with a strong respect for human rights. However, in the modern world, Sweden is becoming increasingly dangerous and no longer holds that old idyllic image, so it is unlikely, legally speaking, that Assange's lawsuit will achieve the desired outcome.