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Pirate Bay founder arrested in Cambodia

Shades of Assange as international warrants unleashed

Pirate Bay co-founder Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, has been tracked down and arrested in Cambodia.

Warg is believed to have been living in Cambodia since charges were laid against the founders of the Pirate Bay over copyright infringement in 2009.

Sweden has no extradition treaty with Cambodia.

Warg’s former lawyer Ola Salomonsson confirmed to Swedish press that his former client had been arrested in Cambodia.

The Foreign Ministry's press service also confirmed that a Swedish citizen who was on an international watch list had been arrested in Phnom Penh, but did not reveal his identity.

“Our ambassador has visited him and he is doing under the circumstances,” a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry's press service said.

In 2009, all four infamous Pirate Bay founders were sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay US$4.4 million (30 million Swedish kronor) in damages.

All four appealed their sentences in November 2010, with the exception of Warg who failed to turn up at the hearing due to illness.

Warg then failed to request his appeal be heard and subsequently his guilty verdict came into force on October 2011. Warg, who was at the time believed to be in Cambodia, also failed to turn up for prison time on April 18th 2012 which set the wheels in motion for an international warrant to be put out for his arrest.

The court of appeal reduced the sentences of the other three founders but increased the demanded compensation to $6.57 million.

In February, the Swedish Supreme Court announced it would not grant the defendants the right to appeal in the case.

In May, fellow Pirate Bay founder and current Laos or Thailand dweller, Fredrik Neij took his case to the European Court of Human Rights, claiming the conviction violated his freedom of speech.

It is understood that Peter Sunde currently lives in Germany. He also confirmed his comrade's detention on Twiiter; “ Gottfrid (ex @tpbdotorg) is in custody in Cambodia. He's apparently Ok. No more info available.”

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