Julian Assange is made an Ecuadorian citizen in effort to resolve impasse

[misskit]

The WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was made an Ecuadorian citizen last month, the nation’s foreign ministry has revealed, in an attempt to resolve the political impasse over his continued presence in the UK.


The 46-year-old has been naturalised after living for five and a half years in the cramped, Latin American country’s embassy in Knightsbridge, central London.


Earlier this week the UK’s Foreign Office revealed that Ecuador had asked for Assange, who was born in Australia, to be accredited as a diplomat. The request was dismissed.


The Ecuadorian initiative was intended to confer legal immunity on Assange, allowing him to slip out of the embassy and Britain without being arrested for breaching his former bail conditions.


Assange failed to surrender to the UK authorities in 2012 after the supreme court rejected his appeal against extradition to Sweden to face accusations of sexual crimes, including rape. He was granted asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy.

Swedish prosecutors last year unexpectedly dropped their investigation into allegations against him, which he denied. WikiLeaks, however, fears that the US will seek his extradition if he leaves the embassy, believing there is a sealed US indictment seeking his arrest.



At a press conference on Thursday in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito, the foreign minister, María Fernanda Espinosa, explained that Assange had sought citizenship and that it had been granted on 12 December last year.


“The Ecuadorian government is empowered to grant nationality to the protected person and thus facilitate ... his inclusion in the host state,” Espinosa told reporters.


Assange’s life could be under threat from other states, she warned, adding that she was seeking a “dignified and just” solution to his situation with Britain.


On Wednesday evening, the UK Foreign Office put out a statement explaining that: “The government of Ecuador recently requested diplomatic status for Mr Assange here in the UK. The UK did not grant that request, nor are we in talks with Ecuador on this matter. Ecuador knows that the way to resolve this issue is for Julian Assange to leave the embassy to face justice.”


At the same time Assange appeared on his Twitter account for the first time wearing an Ecuadorian national football shirt.


A statement by Assange’s legal team said: “The UN ruling, issued almost two years ago, is crystal clear in its language. [He] is unlawfully and arbitrarily detained by the UK authorities and must be released. The UK should not permit itself to be intimidated by the Trump administration’s public threats to ‘take down’ Mr Assange.”


https://www.theguardian.com/media/20...esolve-impasse

[Klondyke]

The UK should not permit itself to be intimidated by the Trump administration’s public threats to ‘take down’ Mr Assange.”

The UK cannot do anything, not being a sovereign state...

[taxexile]

Julian Assange’s poor hygiene sparks complaints at Ecuador embassy.

New York Daily News

JESSICA SCHLADEBECK

Jan 12th 2018 10:29PM


Staff at the Ecuador Embassy in London grew tired of the whiffing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who reportedly does not attend to his own personal hygiene.

It’s that lack of cleanliness, among other things, that fueled Ecuador’s recent attempts to end his five-year stand-off at the Knightsbridge embassy, the International Business Times reported.

“It seems he doesn’t wash properly,” a “well-placed” source told the news outlet, noting the issue has prompted repeated complaints from staff at the UK embassy.

Assange reportedly complained of noise from a loading bay near his hideout, which resulted in a female restroom being converted into a bedroom for him. The move left Assange sharing a single bathroom with embassy staff.

And it’s not the first time people around him have complained of Assange’s questionable hygiene practices.

“Julian ate everything with his hands and he always wiped his fingers on his pants. I have never seen pants as greasy as his in my whole life,” one of his closest aides, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, told the Times.

Jérémie Zimmermann, a friend and former colleague, wrote in 2012 that “unless the people around him force him to shower, he might not change his clothes for days.”




The WikiLeaks founder was made an Ecuadorian citizen last month, the nation’s foreign minister revealed Thursday, in a bid to resolve the diplomatic impasse created by Assange’s presence.

Earlier this week, the UK’s Foreign Office revealed it dismissed requests from Ecuador for the Australia native to be made an accredited diplomat. Ecuador officials hoped it would allow for Assange to leave the embassy — and Britain — without arrest.





He fled to embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden for questioning on rape and sexual assault allegations and was granted asylum there. The case in Sweden was dropped after prosecutors questioned him at the embassy. Assange could still be arrested for skipping bail and faces jail time should he leave the embassy.

U.S. officials told the Times Wednesday that arresting Assange remains a priority, though did not confirm whether the government would request his extradition should he be arrested in the UK.

Assange previously claimed United States authorities have already prepared an indictment and made plans to extradite him for espionage after WikiLeaks dumped hundreds of classified military documents.

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https://www.aol.com/article/news/201...assy/23332393/

[sabang]

^ Perhaps he should be granted UK citizenship then.

[Klondyke]

Staff at the Ecuador Embassy in London grew tired of the whiffing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who reportedly does not attend to his own personal hygiene.

I would not be surprised to read something more serious about (e.g. torturing the embassy's dog, or spitting at janitors).

[sabang]

Right now, the world needs more Julian Assange's. But that of course, is the reason they demonize him, falsely accuse him, and hold him in illegal captivity. His bathing habits hardly concern me.

[Dragonfly]

he probably raped the maid,

[sabang]

Donald Trump likes to urinate on prostitute's. So confine him to the Whitehouse, seems a fair deal

[Klondyke]

The security savings when Trump cancelled the London visit can be easily spent for another 5 years on Assange's. The UK taxpayers do not mind, the austerity demonstrations forgotten...

[misskit]

Ecuador says mediation with Britain over Assange has failed

QUITO (Reuters) - Ecuador blamed Britain on Friday for upending its efforts to mediate a solution for Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who has lived in the Ecuadorean embassy in London since June 2012 to avoid extradition.

Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa said Ecuador had hoped to forge an agreement with Britain on Australian-born Assange, who entered the embassy to avoid being sent to Sweden to face allegations of sex crimes, which he has denied.


“This has not prospered because to mediate, two parties are needed. Ecuador is willing but the other party is not,” she told reporters.


Last week, a British judge refused to halt legal proceedings against Assange, 46. The Swedish case was dropped in May last year, but Britain still has a warrant out for Assange’s arrest over his breach of bail terms.


Fernanda Espinosa said Ecuador shared Assange’s fears that he could be extradited to the United States if he left the embassy, given that he has published U.S. diplomatic and military secrets on WikiLeaks, an organization that makes public secret information or news leaks provided by anonymous sources.


Ecuador will continue to provide shelter to Assange while he remains under threat and keep searching for ways to resolve the debacle, she said.


There is no public record or evidence demonstrating that any U.S. criminal charges are pending against Assange, but he and his supporters believe U.S. prosecutors could have a sealed, and therefore secret, indictment against him.


A U.S. government official told Reuters last week that federal prosecutors were still pursuing a criminal investigation against WikiLeaks. [nL8N1Q34YU]



https://www.reuters.com/article/us-e...-idUSKCN1G72I8

[david44]

So hes been accused of being a rat, now a dirty rat, the bigger picture regardless of an individual or organisation US was caught with it's pants down and Snowden and Assange were doing the work the so called press should have been doing if they were'nt in hock to big business

[Latindancer]

I seem to recall that in some countries, judges can sometimes go to the bedside of people in hospital to hold an extraordinary hearing. I wonder if this could be done in Assange's case ?

I doubt that it would be done though...previously the US has admitted that it is going to try to charge him.

[Klondyke]

Kill the messenger...

[david44]

How do you become a Teakdorian, just askin' for friend she's heading to Phuket but just popped out for a MO

[harrybarracuda]

The UK cannot do anything, not being a sovereign state...

The UK can do what it likes, c.f. refusing him diplomatic status.

They are only responding to a European Arrest Warrant. How the fuck can they expect to get their own criminals if they ignore requests from other countries?

He] is unlawfully and arbitrarily detained by the UK authorities and must be released.

No he's not, he's hiding in a crummy embassy, pissing off the residents because he's got B.O.

[Klondyke]

UK is very good in extradition even his own citizens if it is requested by US, unlike by other states...

[harrybarracuda]

UK is very good in extradition even his own citizens if it is requested by US, unlike by other states...

The US is not asking for extradition, you moron.

And even if they were they would have to make an airtight case.

https://www.engadget.com/2018/02/05/...dition-appeal/

[james777]

Given the number of rapes now being reported in Sweden, I would have thought Assange was small potatoes anyway. Many years ago, I read the rape allegations and various other misdeeds levelled at this guy, which lead to his present predicament. From any casual reading, Assange didn't do that much and didn't force himself on the women involved. It seemed to me that he was being set-up so he could be sent to, and dealt with in, the US. I thought the West were promoting protections to look after "whistleblowers" in Government and organizations. Obviously
, these dont extend to Assange

[Norton]

hes been accused of being a rat, now a dirty rat

[harrybarracuda]

Let's face it, he's a Putin stooge anyway, so fuck him.

[Klondyke]

I thought the West were promoting protections to look after "whistleblowers" in Government and organizations. Obviously, these dont extend to Assange

Unless he is a Chinese or NKorean, or Russian oligarch ...

[Maanaam]

I seem to recall that in some countries, judges can sometimes go to the bedside of people in hospital to hold an extraordinary hearing. I wonder if this could be done in Assange's case ?

Exactly that was mooted. Prosecutors were invited to England and the Ecuador Embassy to interview Assange. Intially it seemd like it would happen...but because the Swedish case is in reality a farce, the interviews never occurred and the case has been dropped. Assange's only crime now is breach of bail conditions, which in normal circumstances he could walk out and face, pay a fine or a week or two in gaol, end of story. But since there's a very real possibility that there is a sealed US arrest request, of course he can't face the minor bail breach charge.

[Maanaam]

I thought the West were promoting protections to look after "whistleblowers" in Government and organizations. Obviously
, these dont extend to Assange

The US love informers, unless they're informers against the US.

[Hugh Cow]

Right now, the world needs more Julian Assange's. But that of course, is the reason they demonize him, falsely accuse him, and hold him in illegal captivity. His bathing habits hardly concern me.

I love the way the Australian government has came to the aid of one of its citizens.

The end of this song reminds me of the Austrlaian Government. Brave Julie Bishop

[misskit]

Ecuador cuts off Julian Assange's internet access

Ecuador announced Wednesday that it is cutting off internet access to Julian Assange because of his continued public support for Catalan independence. The Ecuadorean government objects to Assange putting relations with other European countries at risk.


Why it matters: While holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London under asylum status, Assange still wields a big platform by tweeting frequently for his 780,000 Twitter followers. He has positioned himself as a leader of select political causes, including Catalan separatism.

https://www.axios.com/ecuador-cuts-o...source=sidebar