Assange seeks asylum in Ecuador embassy, London

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/19/us-ecuador-assange-idUSBRE85I1EI20120619


Is this true? Interesting turn of events.

"Ecuador is studying and analyzing the request," Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters in Quito.
Assange faces extradition to Sweden for questioning over alleged sex crimes after Britain's top court said last week that it had rejected a legal request to reconsider his case.
The former computer hacker gained international prominence in 2010 when WikiLeaks began releasing secret video footage and thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables, many of them about Iraq and Afghanistan, in the largest leak of classified documents in U.S. history.
The decision by Britain's Supreme Court ended the self-styled anti-secrecy campaigner's 18-month legal battle against extradition in the British courts, and now only a possible appeal to the European Court of Human Rights stands in the way of his transfer.
The British court rejected the 40-year-old Australian's argument that a European arrest warrant issued by Swedish prosecutors for his extradition was invalid.
In November 2010, Ecuador backed off an idea of inviting Assange to visit the country as President Rafael Correa accused him of breaking the law by releasing U.S. documents.
Assange, who has not been charged with any offenses in Sweden and denies any wrongdoing, has argued that the case is politically motivated because the release of documents on his website has angered the United States.
Swedish prosecutors want to question Assange over allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two female former WikiLeaks volunteers. He has been fighting to prevent extradition since he was arrested in Britain in December 2010.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

http://www.ecuadorembassyuk.org.uk/announcements/statement-on-julian-assange

This afternoon Mr Julian Assange arrived at the Ecuadorian Embassy seeking political asylum from the Ecuadorian government.
As a signatory to the United Nations Universal Declaration for Human Rights, with an obligation to review all applications for asylum, we have immediately passed his application on to the relevant department in Quito.
While the department assesses Mr Assange’s application, Mr Assange will remain at the embassy, under the protection of the Ecuadorian Government.
The decision to consider Mr Assange’s application for protective asylum should in no way be interpreted as the Government of Ecuador interfering in the judicial processes of either the United Kingdom or Sweden.

 

[Barking_Mad]

Why Ecuador?

 

[pseudonarcissus]

Why Ecuador?

presumably a country without an extradition treaty with Sweden

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

How did he get there? I thought he was being watched.

 

[Random]

How did he get there? I thought he was being watched.

No, just tagged and under house arrest at night. He was out and about at meetings during the day.

 

[Yuwipi Woman]

presumably a country without an extradition treaty with Sweden

I'm pretty sure its got a treaty with the US. Strange choice if that's the case. If I remember correctly, the reason he didn't want to go to Sweden is because he was afraid they'd ship him to the US.

 

[butchersapron]

Mugs in 2010.

Plus Assange interviewed Correa on dictatorship mouthpiece station RT quite recently.

 

[danny la rouge]

How did he get there? I thought he was being watched.

The Ecuadorian Embassy in Knightsbridge? Taxi, maybe.

 

[elbows]

What a champion for the cause of accountability this man is, can't imagine why I've been so critical of him. Any chumpions sprung to his defence in regards this latest move yet?

The icing on the cake for me is still that in an interview he claimed one of his great aims was to make whistleblowers feel like they could do such things without having their lives ruined. Regardless of whether he is guilty or not of things some of us consider to be criminal, I think its safe to say his penis got in the way of this 'noble aim'.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

The Ecuadorian Embassy in Knightsbridge? Taxi, maybe.

Yeah, see earlier in the thread, I didn't think he was allowed out at night.

 

[butchersapron]

Yeah, see earlier in the thread, I didn't think he was allowed out at night.

Shall i do the joke..or was that the joke?

 

[danny la rouge]

Yeah, see earlier in the thread, I didn't think he was allowed out at night.

The article says "it's not clear how he got there", but doesn't mention when he got there. Daytime, presumably.

 

[danny la rouge]

BBC has it now.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18514726

 

[butchersapron]

His bailor/bailee/liberal rich mates? had no idea. Not suggesting that he's big bill haywood but...

 

[colacubes]

On Newsnight now.

 

[IC3D]

He's being framed so the States can extradite him and bang him up for years because he exposed their dirty tricks why not support him, please someone tell me?

 

[butchersapron]

Very post-modern. I like it. Very 80s. The tube and that.

 

[elbows]

 

[IC3D]

Very post-modern. I like it. Very 80s. The tube and that.

Okay thx x

 

[IC3D]

I just PM'd the mobilised working class to give me an answer so all is good.

 

[butchersapron]

And what did they tell thee?

 

[IC3D]

And what did they tell thee?

There's been some sort of do on tonight so we'll have to wait.

 

[butchersapron]

And you, you said it couldn't - so what did you do?

 

[butchersapron]

The US might have got away with their crazy park scheme/long term interests established through military conquest and financial dominance not to be rolled back by SHOCK HORROR exposes otherwise.

 

[IC3D]

And you, you said it couldn't - so what did you do?

wooosh, it? me? uh?

 

[butchersapron]

Don't you get it man?! He's being framed so the States can extradite him and bang him up for years because he exposed their dirty tricks why not support him, please someone tell me?

 

[Pickman's model]

The US might have got away with their crazy park scheme/long term interests established through military conquest and financial dominance not to be rolled back by SHOCK HORROR exposes otherwise.

yeh if it wasn't for those pesky aussies

 

[IC3D]

Don't you get it man?! He's being framed so the States can extradite him and bang him up for years because he exposed their dirty tricks why not support him, please someone tell me?

I thought? you know? what do you think?

 

[not-bono-ever]

But but but..what does Jazz think of this ?