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Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is seeking political asylum at Ecuador's London embassy, the country's foreign minister has said.
"Ecuador is studying and analysing the request," Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters in Quito.
On 14 June, Britain's Supreme Court dismissed Mr Assange's bid to reopen his appeal against extradition to Sweden over alleged sex crimes.
He has denied the allegations, saying they are politically motivated.
The Supreme Court has given him until 28 June before extradition proceedings can start.
Swedish prosecutors want to question Mr Assange over allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two female former Wikileaks volunteers in mid-2010 but have not filed any charges.
Mr Assange, whose Wikileaks website has published a mass of leaked diplomatic cables that embarrassed several governments and international businesses, claims the sex was consensual.
The anti-secrecy campaigner could still take his case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg and has until 28 June to make the move.
Wikileaks has posted an alert on its Twitter feed: "ALERT: Julian Assange has requested political asylum and is under the protection of the Ecuadorian embassy in London."
It said Ecuador had offered Mr Assange asylum as early as November 2010.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/06/19 19:32:38
"How do you feel when you have killed a man?"
"Quite jolly, what about you?"
Sir Richard Burton, when asked by a disapproving doctor.
Polonius wrote:Also, GW products aren't movies. They can't be "spoiled."
I suppose the surprise can be spoiled, but still, nobody is paying for the surprise.
Like any responsible adult I have a Five Year Plan. It culminates in me becoming Batman.
The anti-secrecy campaigner could still take his case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg and has until 28 June to make the move.
You know if he doesn't, it's his own goddamned fault whatever your opinions on the case are.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/06/19 19:33:57
The people in the past who convinced themselves to do unspeakable things were no less human than you or I. They made their decisions; the only thing that prevents history from repeating itself is making different ones.
-- Adam Serwer
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The anti-secrecy campaigner could still take his case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg and has until 28 June to make the move.
You know if he doesn't, it's his own goddamned fault whatever your opinions on the case are.
Am I reading this wrong, or is he actually going to run from the rape charges, not the spying charges?
[...] for conflict is the great teacher, and pain, the perfect educator.
Swedish prosecutors want to question Mr Assange over allegations of rape and sexual assault made by two female former Wikileaks volunteers in mid-2010 but have not filed any charges.
He is fleeing being questioned about rape and sexual assault, not from any charges of rape and sexual assault.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/06/19 21:09:12
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
Manchu wrote:Read it again, there are no rape charges.
2nd try : is he running away from the potential rape charges, or of the actual (?) spying charges?
Honestly I know little about the case, my friends were all about defending him, and it became so much the phenomena of the week, that I purposefully cut my attention from that story.
[...] for conflict is the great teacher, and pain, the perfect educator.
Are there any actual espionage charges against him? I know that wikileaks has pissed on some peoples shoes but I don't recall any formal charges being lodged by governments.
Amidst the mists and coldest frosts he thrusts his fists against the posts and still insists he sees the ghosts.
There are no espionage charges against him yet, but even as I write this, there is a meeting being held in an office in Washington. It's a smoky room and before they discuss Assange, they're watching footage of the JFK shooting from an unknown angle and deciding what to do about Area 51
They way some newspapers are talking, you would be led to believe that the above is happening.
"Our crops will wither, our children will die piteous
deaths and the sun will be swept from the sky. But is it true?" - Tom Kirby, CEO, Games Workshop Ltd
Do_I_Not_Like_That wrote:There are no espionage charges against him yet, but even as I write this, there is a meeting being held in an office in Washington. It's a smoky room and before they discuss Assange, they're watching footage of the JFK shooting from an unknown angle and deciding what to do about Area 51
They way some newspapers are talking, you would be led to believe that the above is happening.
Is... is the Smoking Man somewhere in that picture?
Damn now I have to go through my entire collection of X-files and watch all the episodes with him in it...
[...] for conflict is the great teacher, and pain, the perfect educator.
The way some newspapers are talking you could be led to believe that if you dare step outside your home for even a moment, you will be robbed, murdered, robbed, and then murdered. Again.
Prestor Jon wrote: Because children don't have any legal rights until they're adults. A minor is the responsiblity of the parent and has no legal rights except through his/her legal guardian or parent.
Manchu wrote:Read it again, there are no rape charges.
You're right, I misinterpreted charge and allegation.
Kovnik: Both, I think - if he gets extradited to Sweden, there seems to be a good chance (from what I understand), where he could be charged (?) with espionage.
anonymous @ best Warhammer Miniature wrote:i vote the choas dwarf lord as they are the greatest dwarfs n should get there own codex
Manchu wrote:Read it again, there are no rape charges.
You're right, I misinterpreted charge and allegation.
Kovnik: Both, I think - if he gets extradited to Sweden, there seems to be a good chance (from what I understand), where he could be charged (?) with espionage.
Well no.
Assange for awhile now has alleged that the Swedes were being manipulated by the US government into imprisoning him under false allegations of sexual assault.
No formal charges of espionage or anything has been brought against him, which is what makes this slightly outlandish.
Assange for awhile now has alleged that the Swedes were being manipulated by the US government into imprisoning him under false allegations of sexual assault.
No formal charges of espionage or anything has been brought against him, which is what makes this slightly outlandish.
Horst wrote:This is how trolling happens. A few cheeky posts are made. Then they get more insulting. Eventually, we revert to our primal animal state, hurling feces at each other while shreeking with glee.
Krellnus wrote:I am confused, I thought you needed to lay charges to extradite someone, not extradite someone to lay charges.
He's been a person of interest, wanted for questioning in relation to these claims.
The claims were significant enough(if I remember right, it was the fact that he tested positive for STDs and then lied to a woman that he was using a condom) that extradition requests were put through. You'll see that happen sometimes; but not all the time.
Krellnus wrote:I am confused, I thought you needed to lay charges to extradite someone, not extradite someone to lay charges.
He's been a person of interest, wanted for questioning in relation to these claims.
The claims were significant enough(if I remember right, it was the fact that he tested positive for STDs and then lied to a woman that he was using a condom) that extradition requests were put through. You'll see that happen sometimes; but not all the time.
Horst wrote:This is how trolling happens. A few cheeky posts are made. Then they get more insulting. Eventually, we revert to our primal animal state, hurling feces at each other while shreeking with glee.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who is seeking asylum at Ecuador's London embassy, faces arrest for breaching his bail, police say.
Mr Assange, 40, whose conditions included staying at his bail address between 2200 and 0800 BST, spent Tuesday night at the embassy.
Last week he failed to reopen an appeal against his extradition to Sweden.
Mr Assange, wanted for questioning in Sweden over rape and sexual assault allegations, denies any wrongdoing.
Ecuador had said it was "studying and analysing" Mr Assange's request for asylum.
Mr Assange's website has published a mass of leaked diplomatic cables that embarrassed several governments and international businesses.
Mr Assange fears if he is sent to Sweden it may then lead to him being sent to the US to face charges over Wikileaks, for which he could face the death penalty.
Two female ex-Wikileaks volunteers alleged in 2010 that Mr Assange had attacked them while he was in Stockholm to give a lecture. No charges have been filed.
Last Thursday, seven judges at the UK's Supreme Court dismissed Mr Assange's attempt to reopen his extradition appeal as being "without merit".
The Australian has until 28 June to take his case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg. His lawyer, Dinah Rose QC, said he was considering whether to do this.
Swedish authorities have said the ECHR would intervene if Mr Assange was to face the prospect of "inhuman or degrading treatment or an unfair trial" in the US.
BBC News legal correspondent Clive Coleman said Scotland Yard's plan to arrest Mr Assange was "another extraordinary twist in a truly extraordinary tale".
Mr Assange is on £200,000 bail, provided by high-profile supporters including socialite Jemima Khan and film director Ken Loach, who each offered £20,000 as surety.
Our correspondent said that, as Mr Assange had broken the condition of his bail that he live at a friend's house in Norfolk, he could be arrested and brought before a court.
But if the situation was resolved by Ecuador "effectively putting him on the doorstep of the embassy" for police to arrest, he might not be prosecuted for the breach as the extradition to Sweden could then take its course.
Meanwhile, Ecuador - whose President Rafael Correa has previously clashed with Washington and is a fan of Wikileaks - had said it will consult the UK, Sweden and the US before deciding on Mr Assange's asylum request.
Our correspondent said Mr Assange faced an "uphill struggle" in persuading Ecuador to grant him asylum, as he would have to show he was being persecuted for his political beliefs in his native country Australia.
But in all the court hearings, there had been little suggestion this was the case.
In a statement, Ecuador's embassy in London said its decision to consider Mr Assange's bid "should in no way be interpreted as the government of Ecuador interfering in the judicial processes of either the United Kingdom or Sweden".
"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," it said.
"While the department assesses Mr Assange's application, Mr Assange will remain at the embassy, under the protection of the Ecuadorean government."
According to Associated Press, Ecuador foreign minister Ricardo Patino told reporters Mr Assange had written to the Ecuadorean president saying he was being persecuted.
In April 2011, Ecuador expelled the US ambassador in Quito after Wikileaks published an American diplomatic document alleging widespread corruption within the Ecuadorean police force.
Earlier this year, Mr Assange interviewed Mr Correa on the Australian's chat show on the Russia Today TV channel.
Orlando Perez, editor of Ecuador's pro-government newspaper El Telegrafo, told BBC Mundo that, during the interview, "empathy really appeared between them" and it was at that moment that seeking political asylum with Mr Correa "came to Assange's mind".
^^ Yup, they want to bring him to Sweden to bring him up on false charges, and whilst he's there (and he's had some form of arrest made), chuck him over to the US for the real charges. His people see this as the inevitable result so they're doing their best from him playing into the world power's hands too much (though I guess there's a contingency plan for him buggering off to another country too). It'd be a shame for him to suffer the death sentence in the US, if anything it'd make him more for a martyr for groups like Anonymous. =/
Wyrmalla wrote:^^ Yup, they want to bring him to Sweden to bring him up on false charges, and whilst he's there (and he's had some form of arrest made), chuck him over to the US for the real charges. His people see this as the inevitable result so they're doing their best from him playing into the world power's hands too much (though I guess there's a contingency plan for him buggering off to another country too). It'd be a shame for him to suffer the death sentence in the US, if anything it'd make him more for a martyr for groups like Anonymous. =/
No, this is what he claims is happening.
The likelihood of him "suffering the death sentence" is so far beyond the realm of believable that even discussing it is silly.
Wyrmalla wrote:^^ Yup, they want to bring him to Sweden to bring him up on false charges, and whilst he's there (and he's had some form of arrest made), chuck him over to the US for the real charges. His people see this as the inevitable result so they're doing their best from him playing into the world power's hands too much (though I guess there's a contingency plan for him buggering off to another country too). It'd be a shame for him to suffer the death sentence in the US, if anything it'd make him more for a martyr for groups like Anonymous. =/
Which is why he can't get tried for espionage, but he can get 'questioned' for 'rape'. 'Rape' is one of those things that is easy to vilify, for obvious reasons. At that point, it's just a matter of 'simple questions' turning into an 'arrest', getting him in jail, and then arranging an accident a year or two later. At least, that's what I would say if I were a paranoid person.
Which is why he can't get tried for espionage, but he can get 'questioned' for 'rape'. 'Rape' is one of those things that is easy to vilify, for obvious reasons. At that point, it's just a matter of 'simple questions' turning into an 'arrest', getting him in jail, and then arranging an accident a year or two later. At least, that's what I would say if I were a paranoid person.
A bit of common sense here. If he was sent back to Sweden the US would then express an interest in having a word or lay down a charge against him. They aren't going to say or do anything at the moment as it would fuel the fire.
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Wolfstan wrote:A bit of common sense here. If he was sent back to Sweden the US would then express an interest in having a word or lay down a charge against him. They aren't going to say or do anything at the moment as it would fuel the fire.
If the US wanted him, we would have tried to extradite him from the UK not Sweden.
We have a fairly good working relationship with the UK in terms of things like espionage charges, if we wanted to charge him with it.
Assange keeps harping about some kind of supposed tie between the CIA and the woman making the charges against him, and for whatever reason--people on the Internet are gullible enough to believe it.
Would it not be easier for the US just to have him killed?
I mean, London is a dangerous place...
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