Ecuadorian government grants Wikileaks' Julian Assange diplomatic asylum

[Erik]

During a press conference held by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ricardo Patiño, the Ecuadorian government announced that Julian Assange will receive diplomatic asylum in the South American country. After thoroughly investigating Assange’s claims, Ecuador reportedly verified that the Wikileaks founder has been abandoned by the Australian government, that the legal processes he is going through have seen irregularities, and the countries involved in the case have chosen not to provide the necessary guarantees to avoid extradition to the United States where he could be charged with treason, crime punishable by death.

Ecuador tried to negotiate guarantees for Assange’s well-being with England, Sweden, and the United States but none of these governments responded positively to their requests. The decision was backed citing numerous international conventions and as of right now, it is up to the English government to give Assange safe-conduct to leave the country. That said, there are already talks of a possible raid to the Ecuadorian embassy in London to cease Julian Assange.

Assange is wanted in Sweden for questioning on allegations of raping one woman and sexually molesting another, both of which he has strongly denied. He was due to be extradited to Sweden in nine days after the UK Supreme Court ruled on May 30 that it was lawful and gave the go ahead. Obviously that never happened because Assange found sanctuary in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Assange’s greatest fear is that once in Sweden he will be handed to the United States government.

Update: UK Foreign Minister William Hague has confirmed that Julian Assange will not be allowed safe passage out of the UK. 

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/49802-ecuadorian-government-grants-wikileaks-julian-assange-diplomatic-asylum.html

 

[stupidusernames]

Excellent news! Though it doesn't really mean much.

All it means is that Ecuador have decided NOT to eject him into the UK authorities. Everything else remains to be seen! *bites fingernails*

 

[Tygerstrike]

Ok let me get this straight. He's wanted for rape and molestation in Sweden and treason in the US. Why hasn't this man been slammed into jail. Why is he free roaming the streets? I know he fears death from the US for the treason, and well he should. He leaked information that wasnt his to leak. But really, I would be more concerned with the rape and molestation charge then treason. As I understand it, the US hasnt actually put anyone to death for treason in a very very long time. The most he should be concernd with is being tossed into a "club fed" where he may or may not be molested himself.

 

[Guest]

Tygerstrike, please don't speak. You're lowering the entire IQ of the techspot user-base. Instead, I'd suggest you continue watching Fox news.

 

[TadMSTR]

Tygerstrike, it's been mentioned, and is highly likely, that the CIA paid a couple of women to lie about what really happened. Hell, one of them bragged on Twitter about it.

 

[Guest]

You must be one of those brainwashed brownshirts who applaud everything the US government says or maybe even worse as in on Stratfor's payroll. Your comment is so factually wrong and full of bias and hatred that calling it utter bull**it would be the understatement of the year.

 

[Guest]

GO Ecuador! How comes there is no outrage that those ridiculous allegations by Sweden (having consentual sex without condom = rape) could end up Assange into a US death row? Double standards everywhere!

 

[Rick]

ok let me get this straight. Hes wanted for rape and molestation in sweaden and treason in the US. Why hasnt this man been slammed into jail.

He's innocent until proven guilty. He's been accused, but not convicted, and that is why he is not in jail.

This is splitting hairs, but since he is not a U.S. citizen (might be mistaken), he will *not* be charged with "treason". I'm certain it will be just as serious, but it's hard to commit treason against a country you aren't a part of.

You also seem really certain Assange is guilty on all counts in the worst possible ways. In terms of "treason", People like Bradley Manning are directly responsible for these kinds of leaks. They are the ones that actually *steal* this information and hand it over someone they shouldn't (I.e. Wikileaks). Assange gives those documents a larger, public audience, but he doesn't actually hack servers and *steal* them himself

It is interesting to note that federal prosecutors said they would *not* seek the death penalty for Bradley Manning, by the way.

Exactly *how* illegal publishing these already stolen/leaked documents to a larger audience is remains to be seen -- we need this tested in court -- but some whistleblowers go down in history as "heroic" figures. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_whistleblowers

Believe it or not, the government does *not* always know what's best, just as leaking info on the Tuskegee experiments and the Pentagon papers have shown us. It's difficult to deny the positive outcomes resulting from certain classified information leaks. It's also difficult to deny the negative effects, as well.

I don't believe we can have an effective democracy if the public is left in the dark about *everything* -- sometimes the nation's dirty laundry needs to be aired. How its done and what constitutes dirty laundry is the real problem here, though.

You may find what Wikileaks does morally objectionable and U.S. courts may also find it illegal, but Assange has taken these ideas and given them a 21st century platform. Let's see what the courts have to say before you try to hang him... of course, I guess that's the problem now -- getting him in court. ;-)

 

[Julio Franco]

As much as the international press will focus the news on Assange and the merits for the asylum, if you knew more about the Ecuadorian government, then it'd be easy to see this has nothing to do with Assange himself, who was lucky (or smart) enough to recur to Ecuadorian's authorities. Simply put, Ecuador's president wanted to be on the global spotlight, he wanted to be the center of attention because he craves for that kind of publicity, regardless if it's for good reasons or not. He's a populist.

 

[Guest]

First sorry for my bad english.

First time I see comments in favor of wikileaks. Sometimes it is like no one see how ""curious" and coincidence is than the charges about raping happen when they put big info about US and friends dirty stuft (killing betwen those stuft)

It is always comments like, burn you, raphis, stop telling the world about big countries big crimes, we don't want that, you are doom. It is like if there is people working on the internet to make public opinion, or it is because something I don't know?

Also, I would like to say than it is very weird than england even talk about atacking an embacy, I mean, if there were an african genocide in one of those they will ask more nicely, even if they ask. But no, we will simple destroy international diplomacy status quo for the first time and attack because there is a presunt rapis there. Come on!

 

[Guest]

Free Assange.
Do you know why SWEDEN want him extradited because for him question rape allegations?
Why they cant do it in ENGLAND?
Because only way they can hand to USA.

 

[Guest]

I'm British, and I've gotta say after the high of the Olympics, this is down to earth with a bump. My gov't is being extremely aggressive about an alleged crime not committed on UK soil, or by a UK subject or to a UK subject. Why ? The gov't won't lift a finger even for innocent UK citizens kidnapped overseas, but they are ever so keen to get Assange to Sweden, even threatening Ecuador in a most appalling way. Sweden hasn't charged him. They are still investigating but refused the offer to come to the UK to investigate. Why ? And then we have the fact that if Assange had printed this stuff, he'd be a journalist, but because it was online, they're calling him all sorts of foul things.

Gov'ts are full of evil people hell bent on keeping secrets about how evil they are. It is the gov't that should be on trial here. Instead the US gov't deflects the argument onto blaming the journalist and treating the whistleblower, Pte Manning, like a terrorist and traitor, and abusing him in such a way they show they are the force of evil in this world. Yes, he may be guilty, and deserves to be put in jail, but abusing him only shows the world the evil in the hearts of those in power.

Good for you Julian.

 

[Benny26]

It's going to be interesting what happens next because the UK has already said as soon as he steps outside the embassy he'll be arrested.

I can't see the UK revoking Ecuador's diplomatic license and doing a raid due to the strong questions it will obviously raise regarding other countries and their embassy rights.

 

[Guest]

The embassy has no car park so they will have to put Assange in a very large diplomatic bag and put that in an embassy car and drive to the Chunnel, and then into France, then Spain, then on a ferry to North Africa ...and ... this was tried before : they tried to fly the refugee out from the UK, and failed.

Or Assange can just stay there, as a very nice prison of sorts, with internet access ;-)

 

[gwailo247]

None of you have any idea what he does, why he does it, who is paying him to leak stuff, who is paying him to keep stuff hidden. All evidence by people who ACTUALLY know him is that he's an egotistical a-hole who wants to keep all this information to himself, to keep people talking about him, to make money. What are all the millions that go to WL spent on, cause its certainly not to keep servers running. He's making profits off WL and you guys actually give him money for this.

He is not an altruistic person who is doing this for the good of humanity or anything. At best, at best, he is doing this to, what did he say, "take down the smug bastards" or something to that effect.

He wants to be a power broker. Regardless how you all feel about the US gov't, it does not make him a good guy or someone to be admired. He just got lucky because he found one depressed soldier and used him. He let Manning rot in jail, didn't contribute anything to his defense. And Manning made him. Without Manning he'd be nobody.

He doesn't care what people say, just as long as people are talking about him. After he disappeared from the news, he now decides to capitalize on the world's press corps being in the UK, and pulls this stunt. Well after the rumors that a CIA hit squad was going to kill him. And from what Julio says, he seems to have found a willing partner in the quest for headlines.

True whistleblowers do thing to make the world a better place, not get headlines, stash millions in bank accounts and bang some hot lawyer.

 

[Guest]

It's quite interesting how people get extremely upset over this.

To begin with, Jualian Assange didn't commit any crimes by posting materials online. He wasn't subject to the laws by which citizens of those countries are. Therefore, the idea of charging him with treason sounds pretty outrageous. The bottomline is that the United States doesn't have the right to charge him with anything. Did he post documents that were confidential in nature, yes he did, but he didn't commit the act of stealing them or/and breaking laws to do it. Individuals voluntarily gave this to him, though folks may argue one should know better, he is at no fault.

The incident about alleged rape and sexual assault is just that, alleged. It seems more likely that it's a political motion to get the women to say they were raped and assaulted to prevent him from publishing more documents and as a method of "punishment".

Hopefully, he is able to sneak out of the UK to get to Ecuador safely. Should the UK raid the Ecuadorian embassy, it's a strict declaration of war as you're invading sovereign soil.

 

[Guest]

I don't think most of the previous posters can read!
Assange is wanted for alleged sex crimes, in Sweden. It has nothing to do with leaks or the USA!
If you want to rant about Wikileaks, why not start a new thread, instead of hijacking this one!

 

[Tygerstrike]

Really innocent untill proven guilty is a US concept. A normal person with no fame would be in jail reguardless of innocent of not. Im not feeding into any media sensation, im pointing out that normal ppl dont get to apply for asylum. The only reason this guy is free is because of the nature of the crimes commited.
You ppl seem to think that his innocence is a foregone conclusion. MAYBE the CIA did pay someone to say that he raped them. That has to be proven first. EVIDENCE...kinda need it to prove your innocence.
I just point out that EVERYONE else would be in jail at this level of charges. What makes him so special that he gets to apply for asylum, gets asylum, and now will be living the high life.

 

[Darkshadoe]

"Really innocent untill proven guilty is a US concept."

Umm..I kinda think this happens like in every court in the world. At least the appearance of the concept anyways.

 

[ramonsterns]

Please disregard Tygerstrike, he thinks ramming a vehicle into a store is the same as pirating a movie.

 

[Tygerstrike]

@Ramon
Please understand. I believe that stealing is stealing. Period. There is a right way and a wrong way. Pirating is stealing money. I personally dont care if you believe it to be true or not. It is the Law. There are many Laws I personally disagree with. But just because I dont like them, doesnt give me the right to break them as I choose. As a citizen I have a duty to follow the Law. So does every other citizen out there. What they choose to do is not my concern.
As a retail manager I have had ppl drive their car into my store. I have also been robbed before. So from MY perspective, its all just theft. Be it driving into a store or pirating.
Also Ramon just because someone tries to live their life in a good and HONEST way doesnt give you the right to disregard anything they say.

 

[gwailo247]

I don't think most of the previous posters can read!
Assange is wanted for alleged sex crimes, in Sweden. It has nothing to do with leaks or the USA!
If you want to rant about Wikileaks, why not start a new thread, instead of hijacking this one!

this has nothing to do with Wikileaks? Hahahaha.

You think Ecuador would give an Australian who had sex with two Swedish women political asylum if it wasn't for Wikileaks?

It all has to do with Wikileaks.

 

[ramonsterns]

Pirating is stealing money.

Last time we had this chat you failed to prove how piracy is stealing money or how many companies had gone bankrupt because of it.

You don't have an argument, you have a belief supported by some logical fallacy with no evidence behind it.

 

[Erik]

Dozens of 'regular' Colombians get asylum in Ecuador every day.

 

[Tygerstrike]

Ramon...
its not a fallacy. Its a simple truth. Product that previously was only available in a physical format and purchasable in that medium. Now it has been digitized and shared is a lose of revenue. How is that difficult to understand?? For every pirated DIGITAL copy, the company that holds the rights to whatever the product is, is going to lose out on the revenue that the physical copy would have given them.