WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to be granted asylum in Ecuador

miss_l_toe

Aug 14, 2012 at 11:41am Edited

The Wikileaks founder Julian Assange who is wanted by Sweden in regards to allegations of sex attacks, sought refuge at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London just before being extradited from the UK. Assange argues that the Swedes will in turn, extradite him to the US where he says he could face the death penalty for releasing classified information.

The Ecuadorian President has now agreed to grant asylum in Ecuador to Assange:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/14/julian-assange-asylum-ecuador-wikileaks

joanne

Aug 14, 2012 at 1:19pm

Ecuador's denying it
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-08-15/ecuador-denies-assange-asylum-report/4199100

miss_l_toe

Aug 15, 2012 at 5:33pm

Hmmmm - getting interesting:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-19259623

joanne

Aug 16, 2012 at 6:58am

Yeah, I thought of the thread, as soon as I heard the news. So - you're safe if you can get to sanctuary but if you leave the embassy we'll nab you as you travel to the sanctuary...

Sounds a bit like a movie plot.
In the 'good old days' of monastic sanctuary, Assange would join the monastery. He can't work for Ecuador in the embassy because I don't think he can draw a wage while on UK soil (taxes etc). So he's really in a bind, isn't he?

tjohn

Aug 16, 2012 at 7:01am

I guess the President of Ecuador wants to distract his people from domestic issues.

joanne

Aug 16, 2012 at 7:04am Edited

Don't know if they know or care about Assange.
I take that back: Their newspaper El Comercio (hope I have that right) has this on the front: http://elcomercio.com/politica/asilo-Julian-Assange-Ecuador-wikileaks-Londres-Rafael-Correa-Patino_0_756524353.html

Wish my Spanish was better, I'm a bit rusty. The comments seem a healthy discussion of relevant points.

jerseyjack

Aug 16, 2012 at 1:37pm

They should give him citizenship, appoint him as a diplomat and maybe he gets diplomatic immunity and just gets kicked out of the country.

Regarding Sweden, if they just want to question him, why not question him in Britain? ..... Maybe they don't want to just question him.

A fair trade would be Assange to U.S. in exchange for Bush Cheney Rummy to the Hague.

joanne

Aug 16, 2012 at 1:44pm

UK is saying that diplomatic service doesn't protect you from implications of criminal activity in host country, so citizenship won't be a benefit.

gaijin

Aug 16, 2012 at 2:11pm

The Swedes are just pawns in this.

ctrzaska

Aug 16, 2012 at 3:11pm Edited

Interesting. Most of the press is gone or in their trucks (cameras still standing at the ready), however there are about 15-20 members of Occupy Hans Crescent hanging behind barricades or perched on steps across from the embassy. Liked the three guys in the V masks...nice touch. Guaranteed one of them is responsible for stealing some of the white geraniums outside of Baby Dior around the corner. Bastards.

jeffmarkel

Aug 16, 2012 at 5:10pm

It does make you wonder who is pulling the strings on this operation - they threaten to invade the embassy (effectively declaring war on Ecuador) in order to arrest someone who is wanted for a rather questionable charge in Sweden?

tjohn

Aug 17, 2012 at 1:07am

gaijin said:
The Swedes are just pawns in this.

I have enough faith in Sweden to belief that they wouldn't cook up some spurious charges just to please the U.S.

I don't really see any value in bring Assange here for prosecution, but that in no way should be mistaken for a belief that Ecuador is doing anything but poking fingers in the eyes of other governments.

jeffmarkel

Aug 17, 2012 at 1:02pm

Hey, what's a little creative witch-hunting among friends?

spursfanatic

Aug 18, 2012 at 12:08pm

For enough money scumbags are welcome somewhere.

tjohn

Aug 19, 2012 at 4:58am

spursfanatic said:
For enough money scumbags are welcome somewhere.

Ecuador isn't in it for the money. The Government of Ecuador is trying to surf some anti-colonial wave that crashed about fifty years ago. I wonder it that improves employment or feeds the hungry.

miss_l_toe

Aug 19, 2012 at 6:07am

Does he think he's the new Eva Peron (Evita)? He gave a speech today from the balcony at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and has made demands of Obama and the FBI.....no comment at all about refuting the allegations of sexual assault in Sweden though...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2190550/WikiLeaks-founder-Julian-Assange-demands-Americas-war-whistleblowers-end-public-appearance-months.html

tjohn

Aug 19, 2012 at 6:11am

I think Britain should graciously allow him to spend the rest of his natural life in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Soon, the press will move on and the boredom and lack of attention will drive Assange nuts. Then he will emerge to face arrest and extradition to Sweden.

Meanwhile, we should ignore him. There are approximately two individuals responsible for the leak of all of our documents. The first is the person who designed security that would allow one person to download so much. The second is the person who downloaded the information.

Assange is more trouble than he is worth.

ctrzaska

Aug 19, 2012 at 8:28am

He's an ass.

Helicopters overhead since 7AM this morning, police reinforcements loaded up all over the area (many gone now). He'll never get out of there.

brealer

Aug 24, 2012 at 11:55am Edited

I hope someone has warned the women of Ecuador.

paulsurovell

Aug 24, 2012 at 12:31pm

The British protected Chilean mass murderer and torturer Augusto Pinochet from extradition for years.

RVM

Aug 24, 2012 at 1:14pm

paulsurovell said:
The British protected Chilean mass murderer and torturer Augusto Pinochet from extradition for years.

Yes but he was a member of the right-wing fascist hegemony, not a threat to it.

The Brits are Tory bastards.

jeffmarkel

Aug 25, 2012 at 5:32am

Assange has said quite clearly that he is willing to return to Sweden to face his charges there (those charges seem more than a little dubious to many people anyway). He is primarily trying to forestall any extradition to the US. He hasn't been formally charged with anything here (since he hasn't really broken any American laws) but is considered Public Enemy #1 for publicizing things that ought not to have been secret in the first place.

dave

Aug 25, 2012 at 6:34am

Can't Ecuador just grant him citizenship and make him a diplomat?

DottyParker

Aug 5, 2016 at 9:04pm Edited

Julian Assange was interviewed by Bill Maher on his show Friday night, August 5th. Assange is doing what he can to get the election thrown in favor of Trump. There will be more WikiLeaks docu dumps forthcoming regarding the Clintons.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/bill-maher-faced-off-with-julian-assange-and-it-was-amazing/

Why Julian Assange is still inside the Embassy of Ecuador

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/wikileaks/11681502/Why-is-Julian-Assange-still-inside-the-embassy-of-Ecuador.html

Four Years since the Arrest of Julian Assange

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/12/12/assa-d12.html

Inside Glenn Greenwald's Mountaintop Home

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/04/business/media/inside-glenn-greenwalds-mountaintop-home-office.html

kibbegirl

Aug 6, 2016 at 6:02am

Why is he being allowed to do this? Like Putin, if true, Assange is also tampering with American elections. I don't understand why our gov't is turning a blind eye towards him but not Putin.

To make matters worse, he's hiding out to avoid a rape conviction. An innocent man would not run and hide; a guilty man with money and connections will.

eliz

Aug 6, 2016 at 8:14am

The government hasn't turned a blind eye towards him but what do you think they can do? Bomb the embassy?

alias

Aug 6, 2016 at 5:02pm

eliz said:

The government hasn't turned a blind eye towards him but what do you think they can do? Bomb the embassy?

Ask the Chinese diplomats in Kosovo.

OliveBee

Aug 6, 2016 at 5:16pm

More importantly- is there a SBUX nearby?

ctrzaska

Aug 6, 2016 at 8:21pm

OliveBee said:

More importantly- is there a SBUX nearby?

Yes. About 2-3 blocks. Always a mob scene with the Harrod's tourist crowd, though.

OliveBee

Aug 7, 2016 at 12:25pm

ctrzaska said:

OliveBee said:

More importantly- is there a SBUX nearby?

Yes. About 2-3 blocks. Always a mob scene with the Harrod's tourist crowd, though.

Where is the like button?

Main Discussions

Soapbox Category