Julian Assange Files Criminal Complaint in Sweden Over Nobel Peace Prize Award

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has lodged a criminal complaint in Sweden against the Nobel Foundation, challenging its decision to award this year’s Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.

In the complaint, filed on Wednesday, Assange alleges that the award represents a “gross misappropriation” of the Peace Prize’s funds and amounts to the facilitation of war crimes under Swedish law. He said he is seeking to block the transfer of 11 million Swedish kronor (approximately $1.18 million) in prize money to Machado.

The Nobel Committee announced in October that Machado would receive the prize for her efforts to promote democratic rights and advocate a peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy in Venezuela.

Assange’s filing accuses around 30 individuals linked to the Nobel Foundation, including senior leadership figures, of misappropriating funds, facilitating war crimes and crimes against humanity, and financing acts of aggression. He argued that by honoring Machado, the Peace Prize had been transformed “from an instrument of peace into an instrument of war”.

The complaint alleges that Machado has supported and endorsed actions by the United States that amount to international crimes, particularly Washington’s military pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. According to Assange, this support disqualifies her from receiving the award under the criteria laid out in Alfred Nobel’s will.

Machado’s selection has drawn criticism in some quarters, particularly over her vocal backing of Israel during its war on Gaza and her public alignment with US President Donald Trump’s efforts to remove Maduro from power. She has also pledged to move Venezuela’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem if elected.

Assange argued that such positions contradict the Peace Prize’s founding requirement that it be awarded to individuals who work for fraternity between nations and the reduction of militarism. WikiLeaks further warned that there is a “real risk” the prize money could be used in ways that facilitate aggression, crimes against humanity, or war crimes.

While the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded by a Norwegian committee based in Oslo, Assange maintained that the Stockholm-based Nobel Foundation bears responsibility for the financial disbursement. Swedish police confirmed to AFP that they have received the complaint.

Assange, who founded WikiLeaks in 2006, rose to global prominence after publishing classified US military and diplomatic documents in 2010. After years of legal battles, asylum in London, and imprisonment in the United Kingdom, he was released in 2024 following a plea deal with the US Justice Department and has since returned to Australia.