In a dramatic legal move, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has lodged a formal criminal complaint in Sweden against senior officials connected to the Nobel Foundation. The action targets the decision to award the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado.
Details of the Criminal Allegations
The complaint was submitted to two key Swedish authorities: the Economic Crime Authority (Ekobrottsmyndigheten) and the War Crimes Unit (Krigsbrottsenheten). It names approximately 30 individuals, including Nobel Foundation chair Astrid Söderbergh Widding and executive director Hanna Stjärne.
Assange's filing levels serious charges, including breach of trust, gross misappropriation of funds, conspiracy, and the facilitation of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The immediate legal goal is to prevent the transfer of the prize money, which totals SEK 11 million (about $1.18 million), to Machado.
Legal Grounds and Precedent Cited
The legal argument hinges on Alfred Nobel's original 1895 will. Assange contends that the prize must only go to those who do the "most or the best work for fraternity between nations" and for peace. He asserts that Machado's public support for former US President Donald Trump and his administration's military actions, which the complaint links to war crimes, violates this fundamental mandate.
"Alfred Nobel’s endowment for peace cannot be spent on the promotion of war," Assange stated. He further argues that the Nobel Foundation has a fiduciary duty and previously intervened to withhold payments in 2018, setting a legal precedent that obligates them to act similarly now.
The complaint invokes Sweden's obligations under the Rome Statute, suggesting that continuing with the disbursement could amount to facilitating crimes of aggression. Assange has called for a full investigation, seizure of internal Nobel Foundation documents, and interviews with senior officials, with a potential referral to the International Criminal Court.
Machado's Response and Global Implications
María Corina Machado, who could not personally collect the prize in Oslo, has hailed the award as an "immense recognition" of Venezuela's democratic struggle. She dedicated the prize to Donald Trump, calling him and the American people key allies. When questioned, she did not directly rule out the necessity of US military intervention to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
Assange warns that without legal intervention, the Nobel Peace Prize risks being "permanently converted from an instrument of peace into an instrument of war." This case places the prestigious award under unprecedented legal scrutiny, challenging the political decisions of its selection committee with international criminal law.
