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20 Jun 2012

Assange seeks asylum in Ecuador embassy

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is applying for political asylum at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London after failing in his bid to avoid extradition to Sweden to face sex crime allegations.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange (Reuters)

The 40-year-old Australian is currently inside the building in Knightsbridge, having gone there on Tuesday afternoon to request asylum under the United Nations Human Rights Declaration.

The dramatic move followed a long-running legal bid by Mr Assange, 40, to halt his extradition to Sweden, where he faces sex crime allegations. The UK supreme court decided on 30 May that extradition was lawful and could go ahead.

Ecuador’s foreign minister Ricardo Patino told a press conference in the South American country that it was considering his request.

In a short statement last night, Mr Assange said: “I can confirm that today I arrived at the Ecuadorian Embassy and sought diplomatic sanctuary and political asylum. This application has been passed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the capital Quito.

“I am grateful to the Ecuadorian ambassador and the government of Ecuador for considering my application.”

Assange, whose WikiLeaks website has published a mass of leaked diplomatic cables that embarrassed several governments and international businesses, says the sex was consensual and the allegations against him are politically motivated.

A message was posted on the WikiLeaks Twitter account, saying: “ALERT: Julian Assange has requested political asylum and is under the protection of the Ecuadorian embassy in London.”

A statement posted on the Ecuador embassy’s website on Tuesday said: “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.”