A great day!!!! My hat off to the president and people of Ecuador.
Shame on The UK, US and Sweden.
________________________________________________________
(CNN) -- Ecuador granted Julian Assange asylum over fears of political
persecution Thursday, but it was hardly a reprieve as Britain vowed to
extradite the WikiLeaks founder to Sweden to face questioning on sex
crime charges.
Assange, the publisher of hundreds of thousands of secret U.S.
government documents, has been holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in
London since June.
Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Ricardo Pati隳 said Thursday there is
credible fear that if Assange is sent to Sweden, he could be
subsequently be extradited to the United States, where he could be
charged with espionage and treason.
In the United States, there are no guarantees that Assange would
receive a fair trial or that he wouldn't be subject to a military or
secret tribunal, Pati隳 added.
"The Ecuadorian government, after carrying out a fair and objective
analysis of the situation presented by Mr. Assange and evaluating his
oral and written arguments, has decided that there's cause to presume
that he could be the target of political persecution or that such
persecution could happen if no timely and necessary measures are taken
to prevent it," Pati隳 said.
Ecuador asked Britain to guarantee safe passage for Assange and to
respect its decision.
But the UK said it was disappointed by the decision and restated its
position that Britain is obligated to extradite Assange to Sweden.
"We shall carry out that obligation. The Ecuadorian government's
decision this afternoon does not change that," the UK Foreign Office
said in a statement.
Britain wants a negotiated solution that will result in extradition.
Pati隳 preceded his announcement Thursday with a lengthy argument
against any British action against Ecuador's embassy in London. In
remarks Wednesday, he said the Ecuadorian government had received a
written notice from British authorities that they would "assault" the
country's embassy in London if Ecuadorian officials failed to hand over
Assange.
The British say one of their laws allows for it to enter the embassy
and arrest Assange. Pati隳 cited a laundry list of international
treaties and conventions that he said make it clear that it is illegal
to enter another country's embassy.
The UK, in effect, is saying "we are going to savagely hit you
depending on how you behave," Pati隳 said.
The foreign minister outlined 11 conclusions that Ecuador reached in
reviewing the WikiLeaks founder's asylum request. In short, Ecuador
found that Assange has a credible fear of persecution for his ideas and
politics. The government described him as an activist for freedom of
the press and freedom of expression who would be silenced if sent to
Sweden, and possibly, the United States.
"There are strong indications of retaliation by the country or
countries who produced the information divulged by Mr. Assange,
reprisals that could put at risk his security, integrity and even his
life," the Ecuadorian government concluded.
Assange and his supporters claim that a grand jury has been empaneled
in the United States to consider charges against him.
WikiLeaks condemned Britain's vow that it would enter the embassy in a
statement released early Thursday.
"A threat of this nature is a hostile and extreme act, which is not
proportionate to the circumstances, and an unprecedented assault on the
rights of asylum seekers worldwide," the statement said.
British police arrested at least two protesters outside the Ecuadorian
embassy in London before the asylum announcement was made.
Assange embassy gamble follows famous precedents
The Foreign Office said there was a larger "police presence outside
the British embassy in Quito" than at the Ecuadorian mission in
London.
Assange has been holed up there since petitioning for asylum in June.
He is seeking to avoid being sent to Sweden over claims of rape and
sexual molestation, and said he fears that if extradited, Swedish
authorities could eventually hand him over to the United States.
Assange was arrested in Britain in 2010 because Swedish authorities
wanted to question him about the allegations. Two women have accused
him of sexually assaulting them during an August 2010 visit to Sweden
in connection with a WikiLeaks release of internal U.S. military
documents. Assange denies the allegations and argues they are in
retribution for his organization's disclosure of American secrets.
Why Assange needs Ecuador and Ecuador needs Assange
His bail conditions required he spend his nights at the home of a
supporter outside London. He is subject to arrest for breaking the
terms of his bail, London's Metropolitan Police said the day after he
entered the embassy.
WikiLeaks has published about 250,000 U.S. diplomatic cables, causing
embarrassment to the U.S. government and others. It also has published
hundreds of thousands of classified U.S. documents relating to the
conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Assange sought refuge at the embassy five days after the Supreme Court
in Britain dismissed his bid to reopen his appeal of the decision to
send him to Sweden, his last option in British courts.
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