WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange Granted Political Asylum by Ecuador

April 19, 2018 julian assage, US & World, WikiLeaks, world

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been granted political asylum by Ecuador, the country’s Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino announced Thursday.

However, the question remains how he will get out of the country’s embassy in London without trouble from officials, who have said they plan to stop his exit.

Assange is hoping to avoid being sent to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over allegations of rape and sexual assault. He fears the country will then turn him over to the U.S.

Among the first to break the news on Twitter was @BBCBreaking.

Julian #Assange says being granted asylum by Ecuador is a “significant victory” bbc.in/OkGFDz #Wikileaks

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) August 16, 2012

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office quickly shared their reaction to the government of Ecuador’s decision on Twitter.

We are disappointed by the statement from Ecuador’s Foreign Minister that #Ecuador has offered political asylum to Julian #Assange.

— Foreign Office (FCO) (@foreignoffice) August 16, 2012

According to the BBC, the UK may be able to revoke diplomatic protection from an embassy under domestic law. However, WikiLeaks has labeled that as impossible under international law.

UK Diplomatic & Consular Premises Act 1987 may allow diplomatic immunity of an embassy on British soil to be revoked – BBC’s @stuartdhughes

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) August 15, 2012

Which is of course just spin. The UK is under a binding obligation to recognize asylum, the rights of refugees and its other UN agreements.

— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) August 16, 2012

WikiLeaks spokesperson Kristinn Hrafnsson told the Agence France-Press on Thursday that she hopes “that the UK authorities are sensible enough not to enter the embassy without permission, which would risk upsetting diplomatic relations all over the world.”

Sweden’s government has told the Ecuadorian ambassador to its country that the asylum decision is “unacceptable,” per the Associated Press:

BREAKING: Sweden summons Ecuador’s ambassador, calls Assange asylum decision “unacceptable”

— The Associated Press (@AP) August 16, 2012

UK-based Citizen journalist James Albury has uploaded video of earlier demonstrations outside Ecuador’s embassy in London. According to Albury, Ecuadorian nationals were protesting the possible intrusion of British law enforcement into Ecuador’s sovereign territory.

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Assange first requested asylum from Ecuador June 19 and has resided at the country’s London embassy ever since.

This story initially cited @AntDeRosa as one of the first tweeters, but has been edited.

Alex Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.

Julian Assange: His History and Story

Julian Assange

Julian Assange, 40, is an Australian-born political activist and journalist known for his controversial website WikiLeaks, which has published leaked documents that allege government and corporate misconduct. Assange fell into his career path after he was a hacker-activist in his early days.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia
Exposing the Government

From publishing material about extrajudicial killings in Kenya to toxic waste dumping in Côte d’Ivoire, Assange has long sought to bring controversial concepts to the forefront. On 28 November 2010, WikiLeaks and its five international print media partners (Der Spiegel, The New York Times, Le Monde, The Guardian and El País) began publishing U.S. diplomatic cables.

Image: Flickr, Chris Wieland
Beyond WikiLeaks

In addition to controversy surrounding the published documents in 2010, Assange’s personal life became the center of a media uproar when he was arrested and taken into custody amid sex crime allegations. He remains a subject of a grand jury investigation in the U.S. and awaits the ruling of Britain’s Supreme Court regarding the possibility of extradition to Sweden.

Image: iStockphoto, Fenito
Free Julian Assange Protests

The self-described “protector of victims” continues to fight extradition to Sweden before Britain’s Supreme Court. The appeal is Assange’s latest move to avoid being sent to Sweden to answer allegations of sexual crimes.

Image: Takver
The World Tomorrow

Although Assange is under house arrest, he has hardly stayed out of the public eye. He recently completed filming episodes for his upcoming reality TV show “The World Tomorrow,” which will air on Tuesday, April 17 on the Russia Today (RT) network. It was filmed over the past two months at his temporary home in England. The focus is a series of conversations with “some of the most interesting and controversial people alive in the world today.”
In the Public

Court appearances and his new series aren’t the only times the public has seen Assange recently. He played himself in the 500th episode of The Simpsons in February by recording his lines while under house arrest and was directed remotely. He also recently announced plans to run for a seat in the Australian Senate.

Image: Flickr, acidpoly
Assange, The Movie

Actor Anthony LaPaglia is expected play a detective tracking a young Assange in an upcoming film that focuses on his early days involved with Internet hacking. In the made-for-TV movie called Underground produced by Australian TV station Network Ten and set for global distribution through NBCUniversal, Assange will be played by film newcomer Alex Williams.

Image: Flickr, andygee1