Wikileaks founder Julian Assange broke the silence on Friday, explaining that he took refuge in the Embassy of Ecuador to “draw attention” to the alleged U.S. plot of which he considered himself a victim and the abandonment of his native Australia. “I hope that what I do today will simply draw attention to underlying problems,” said Assange by phone to Australian radio station ABC, after he took refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy on Tuesday afternoon.
He hopes to escape an extradition to Sweden, where he’s supposed to be sent for a trial of alleged rape and sexual assault. After the scandal broke, he never ceased to repeat that he is the victim of a U.S. plot, because disclosure by Wikileaks, in 2010, of thousands of confidential U.S. diplomatic documents. He is concerned that Sweden will extradite him to the United States, where he could, he said, to be sentenced to death for espionage. So far, Washington has not started investigations against him.
Julian Assange says he chose the Embassy of Ecuador because he appreciates that his own country, Australia, did nothing to protect him, which Canberra denies. “In fact, I experienced a true statement of abandonment,” he considered. According to his entourage, Julian Assange is determined to remain in the embassy until Quito will answer his demand for political asylum.
“He will stay there until the case is resolved. This can take hours, days, it is unclear,” explained Wikileaks’ spokesperson Kristinn Hrafnasson to journalists gathered outside the embassy. But the Australian, who tried to escape extradition to Sweden in a case of alleged sexual assault, is in “good spirits”, she said after they met.
According to its spokesman, Ecuadorian authorities “expect the UK, U.S. and Sweden to provide information”. Deputy Foreign Minister of Ecuador, Marco Albuja, announced that a decision would be taken within a few days on Wikileaks founder request. But President Rafael Correa seemed more elusive. “We have to consider whether Julian Assange was entitled to a fair trial,” said for AFP the leftist president. “He outlined his reasons, we will check” with “absolute seriousness,” he added. The decision will be taken “by the Ecuadorian government”.
Police remained very discreet Thursday near the building where the Assange is staying since Tuesday afternoon. Only a few policemen were visible in the neighborhood. While he is inside the embassy, founder of Wikileaks is in a diplomatic area and therefore outside of the police action. But he could be arrested at his exiting the embassy, as Scotland Yard indicated that he has violated his conditional release. This regime imposes a ban on travel between 22.00 and 08.00 hours. “I suppose if he will not be granted asylum, he will leave the embassy and will be arrested,” said Kristinn Hrafnasson.
Placed under house arrest after his arrest in London in late 2010, Julian Assange exhausted in 18 months all appeals in the UK. He always denied the charges against him, claiming that sexual relations with the two women were consensual. Asylum application by Julian Assange gives President Rafael Correa, criticized by NGOs for violation of press freedom in his country the opportunity to improve his image. For Assange, the prospect of extradition seems inevitable after the rejection, on 14 June, by the British Supreme Court of his last request for review of the file. The country’s highest court said back then that the extradition procedure should be applicable from 28 June. Assange is still able to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
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