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Julian Assange Seeks Asylum in Ecuador Embassy
By Nathan Gill and Randall Woods on June 19, 2012
Julian Assange, the founder of anti- secrecy group Wikileaks, is seeking political asylum in Ecuadors Embassy in Knightsbridge, London after he exhausted options in U.K. courts of averting extradition to Sweden.
Ecuador is studying the request and is in contact with the U.K. government, the Andean countrys Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters today in Quito. Assange, accused of rape by two Swedish women, has fought extradition to Sweden for 18 months.
In a letter sent to Ecuadors government, Assange said his home country of Australia has effectively abandoned him and is ignoring the obligation to protect its citizen, who is persecuted politically. Extracts of the letter were included in a statement given out by Patino.
Ecuadors President Rafael Correa, an ally of Venezuelas leader Hugo Chavez, is a critic of U.S. foreign policy. Following Wikileaks 2010 publication of thousands of secret U.S. government documents, Ecuadors foreign ministry offered Assange residency. The government later rescinded the invitation, saying it wasnt authorized by the president.
Ecuador, which is seeking U.S. renewal of trade benefits due to expire next year, may hesitate to grant Assange asylum to avoid damaging its commercial relationship with the worlds largest economy, Risa Grais-Targow, an analyst at political risk research company Eurasia Group, said today.
It would depend on what they gauge the U.S. response will be and whether it will actually have repercussions, Grais- Targow said by telephone from Washington. Ecuador needs the U.S. a lot more than the U.S. needs Ecuador.
Legal Challenges
Assange lost his bid this month to have the U.K.s top court reconsider a decision that would allow him to be extradited to Sweden. The court rejected his argument that the Swedish prosecutor who investigated the sex-assault claims wasnt authorized to issue a European arrest warrant.
Assanges lawyer Dinah Rose was not available to comment when her office was contacted by Bloomberg News. The office of Gareth Peirce, another lawyer for Assange, said it wasnt offering comments to the press.
Arrested in London in December 2010, Assange had appealed to the European Court of Human Rights after the U.K. Supreme Court stayed extradition proceedings until the end of June to allow him to seek a final appeal at the Strasbourg, France-based tribunal.
The U.K. home office said it wouldnt comment when contacted by Bloomberg News, while the foreign office hasnt responded to a telephone call placed after business hours.
Breach of Security
The allegations against Assange became public around the same time he posted the leaked cables on the Internet, which raised questions about the Obama administrations handling of classified information. Assange said Sweden fabricated the arrest warrant to assist the U.S. in punishing him for the breach of security.
In April, Assange hosted a television show, The World Tomorrow with Julian Assange, with an interview of Ecuadors 49- year-old president to talk about their shared criticism of the press. Correa, who regularly spars with journalists over critical coverage, has led a crackdown on the nations press over what he calls bias in the media.
Assange Seeks Asylum in Ecuador Embassy - Businessweek
By Nathan Gill and Randall Woods on June 19, 2012
Julian Assange, the founder of anti- secrecy group Wikileaks, is seeking political asylum in Ecuadors Embassy in Knightsbridge, London after he exhausted options in U.K. courts of averting extradition to Sweden.
Ecuador is studying the request and is in contact with the U.K. government, the Andean countrys Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters today in Quito. Assange, accused of rape by two Swedish women, has fought extradition to Sweden for 18 months.
In a letter sent to Ecuadors government, Assange said his home country of Australia has effectively abandoned him and is ignoring the obligation to protect its citizen, who is persecuted politically. Extracts of the letter were included in a statement given out by Patino.
Ecuadors President Rafael Correa, an ally of Venezuelas leader Hugo Chavez, is a critic of U.S. foreign policy. Following Wikileaks 2010 publication of thousands of secret U.S. government documents, Ecuadors foreign ministry offered Assange residency. The government later rescinded the invitation, saying it wasnt authorized by the president.
Ecuador, which is seeking U.S. renewal of trade benefits due to expire next year, may hesitate to grant Assange asylum to avoid damaging its commercial relationship with the worlds largest economy, Risa Grais-Targow, an analyst at political risk research company Eurasia Group, said today.
It would depend on what they gauge the U.S. response will be and whether it will actually have repercussions, Grais- Targow said by telephone from Washington. Ecuador needs the U.S. a lot more than the U.S. needs Ecuador.
Legal Challenges
Assange lost his bid this month to have the U.K.s top court reconsider a decision that would allow him to be extradited to Sweden. The court rejected his argument that the Swedish prosecutor who investigated the sex-assault claims wasnt authorized to issue a European arrest warrant.
Assanges lawyer Dinah Rose was not available to comment when her office was contacted by Bloomberg News. The office of Gareth Peirce, another lawyer for Assange, said it wasnt offering comments to the press.
Arrested in London in December 2010, Assange had appealed to the European Court of Human Rights after the U.K. Supreme Court stayed extradition proceedings until the end of June to allow him to seek a final appeal at the Strasbourg, France-based tribunal.
The U.K. home office said it wouldnt comment when contacted by Bloomberg News, while the foreign office hasnt responded to a telephone call placed after business hours.
Breach of Security
The allegations against Assange became public around the same time he posted the leaked cables on the Internet, which raised questions about the Obama administrations handling of classified information. Assange said Sweden fabricated the arrest warrant to assist the U.S. in punishing him for the breach of security.
In April, Assange hosted a television show, The World Tomorrow with Julian Assange, with an interview of Ecuadors 49- year-old president to talk about their shared criticism of the press. Correa, who regularly spars with journalists over critical coverage, has led a crackdown on the nations press over what he calls bias in the media.
Assange Seeks Asylum in Ecuador Embassy - Businessweek
and will come with new versions of cables to serve US interests. 
