Assange is accused of sexual assault in Sweden. Sexual assault victims have the right to trial and justice, no matter who the accused is. No one is above the law, not even a famous journalist.
I think Assange on multiple occasions has said he is willing to face trial in Sweden - his issue has always been that he doesn't want to be shipped off to the USA to spend the rest of his life in a supermax in Colorado.
As a Swede, I wish I could say that Assange could come here and face justice without fear of being extradited to the US. But I'm not sure if that's true.
Well considering Sweden wouldn't promise that he wouldn't just be shipped straight off to the USA after the trial then I am not surprised. Even if he had been convicted in Sweden he would have served far less time in far better conditions than his time in the embassy.
Assange having raped someone in Sweden is not a reason for the USA to request extradition though.
He may belong in a prison in Sweden(or Australia?), but the USA's reasons for extradition are what's in question.
The most recent arrests were for i) skipping bail and ii) for the US extradition process.
I think he needs to face justice in Sweden. I'm uncomfortable with the fact that the UK seems to have told the US about the arrest at the mebassy (so the US had all the extradition paperwork ready) but not Sweden.
Assange knew he would be arrested for the bail offence if he ever lost protection of the embassy. He tried, and failed, to clear that arrest warrant in 2018: https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/Misc/2018/B3.html
I mention this, as in his speech, Chomsky mentions Sweden in the same gang as UK and the US, without making the distinction why Sweden is interested in Assange - which made me quite disappointed in Chomsky. It is true that the preliminary rape investigation was dropped in 2017, but it may now be activated again. According to associate professor in international law Karl Jigland, this will happen if a prosecutor orders Assange arrested in absence. In accord with the regular process, Assange may then appeal against this accusation.
The Swedish case i fraught with suspicious circumstances, and it is fairly certain that they don't have a case, should it come to trial.
You may want to read this article, especially the paragraph that recounts how the Swedish prosecutors were told "Don't you dare get cold feet!!" by the British chief CPS lawyer after warning that they would have to drop the charges, and how that email exchange later was deleted, contrary to protocol: